The Off Season
Rita Manna
It happens every year. The mountains close, the snow melts, and you are left with the choice between moving to New Zealand or surrendering your boots and goggles for t-shirts and sandals. Since most of us don’t have the option of moving South for May through October, we just have to give in to the fact that we’ll be waiting until next season to finally nail that shooter rail or stomp out that 4th jump in the park. However, in order to pick up right where you left off at the end of this season, you will need to stay healthy and active during the summer months. If you ensure that your body maintains its muscle, endurance and strength, you will be all set to jump right back into the game.
Snowboarding is all about core strength and balance. Maintaining and improving your core strength during the summer months is super important if you want to be riding with the pros next season. I could suggest you do 1,000 crunches and run 17 miles on the tread-mill each day, but lets be serious. Most of us Betties are not too fond of the gym and would rather be out there getting our kicks and exercise in a more interactive and exciting way. We’re snowboarders for God’s sake! This series focuses on various activities for you to do to keep your eyes on the prize and your body right in the game during those summer months until you and your snowboard can be reunited once again. Stay tuned for a new installment soon!
Activity 1:
Skateboard
If you don’t do this already, spring is certainly the time to start! Since we know that you like to shred the gnar at least 6 months out of the year, why would you pass up an opportunity to do this without the snow? Skateboarding is an excellent way to get your riding fix without the white stuff. As a bonus, it will improve your balance and keep those leg muscles strong.
Skateboarding is ruthless when it comes to maintaining proper balance. Make one wrong move and you’ll surely end up on the pavement. By spending your summer skating around town you’ll have no choice but to quickly fix any balance issues that you had going on last season- problems that perhaps you didn’t even realize you had acquired. For example, if when you were snowboarding your back leg was stiff as a board or you allowed your shoulder to drop leaving you bent at the waist, skateboarding will quickly teach you why these are bad habits. You will have to remain centered and stable in order to avoid pavement bashing. By the end of the summer, you will have a reason to wear those skate shoes (no, they’re not just for fashion) and your balance will be drastically better.
To get started, grab an old board from a buddy, boyfriend, or whomever and start skating around on a nice flat, smooth parking lot. Wear your ipod, have fun, and keep it simple. Work on proper pushing and cruising around. Once you feel confident in your ability to turn, push and maneuver the board, take it to the streets. Start riding the sidewalks or even empty roads. If you know how to ollie on your snowboard, try to translate this trick into skateboarding. Next, start hitting up the skate parks in your home-town. Most are free, but if not, they should only charge a small fee to get in.
Learning to skate will not only keep you active, shredding, and concentrating on becoming a better snowboarder, but skate parks provide an excellent opportunity to run into those cute park rats that you saw all last season. Don’t be shy, get their digits.
Most importantly, remember that skating can be dangerous. Since you’ve started skating to improve your snowboarding, do yourself a favor and don’t bust your wrist or snap a collarbone. The last thing that you want is an off-season injury putting a hold on your shred season. Wear the proper padding (wrist-guards, knee-pads, mouth-guard and especially a helmet) whenever possible. Be safe, and remember, eyes on the prize!
All in all, if you make it a point to skate everywhere this summer, you’ll see some great results once you get back on the snow.
