I’m sure all of you sat glued to your TV last weekend to see the Winter X games hosted in Aspen, CO. Whenever I see the X Games I am inspired and exited once more about my true winter love, snowboarding. Shaun White once again made history, this time by achieving a perfect 100 score (and taking his 5th gold) in the Super Pipe competition. I was impressed to watch this athlete who got higher, spun more, and landed cleaner than all the rest. Similarly Bobby Brown in the Big Air Skiing competition just looked more professional than the other professional athletes. What made their performances so much better? I can only assume more thorough practice.
On the women’s side, which I care more about, Jamie Anderson won Snowboarding Slope style with the following lineup of tricks quoted from this ESPN website: http://espn.go.com/action/xgames/winter/2012/story/_/id/7499189/jamie-anderson-wins-winter-x-2012-women-snowboard-slopestyle:
Anderson was the only competitor who put down not one, but two strong, stomped runs, complete with a Cab 720 tailgrab, switch backside 540, backside 540, and switch backside 180 in the four-jump line.
Then men’s field was throwing down tricks twice that size. When I watched the men’s slope style I was impressed and overwhelmed. When I watched the women’s I thought, “That doesn’t look too hard. I could totally do that.” I don’t want to diminish the hard work these women put in but I can already do a switch backside 180, one of the tricks in Jamie’s lineup, albeit not on such a huge jump. Even my husband said, “Babe, you should go pro.”
Why is it that women’s snowboarding is not pushing the limits of the sport in the same way men’s does? Is it just that women have a healthy desire for self preservation that teenage boys suspend in honor of thrill? I know in my own snowboarding experience the real key to progression is to conquer your fear. The fear is the same when you’re learning how to turn, looking down your first blue run, riding switch or hitting a box for the first time. Maybe it’s easier for men to conquer their fears but I for one am willing to try. That’s what makes snowboarding exciting anyway.
