Privileged Athletes Part 2.

We see it everywhere these days professional athletes, celebrates, and millionaires getting special treatment because they are famous and have money, getting away with violent crimes while others (non-elite) are convicted of the same crimes. Although this topic isn't centered on the sport of snowboarding, I am still choosing to write on this topic because it hit close to home. Growing up in a snowboarding town I was able to witness the privileges that professional snowboarder and skiers would receive, and what they got away with.

In my experience with professional snowboarders and skiers they already have a cocky attitude and consider themselves about the law as I’m sure many professional athletes do, but when they are under the influences of alcohol they tend to take it too far and have cause a great deal of damage. I have experienced many professional athletes, trash hotel rooms, destroy houses at parties, steal snowboards & gear, and even raped one of my classmates in high school. Never being charged or held responsible for their actions, professional athletes’ pushed the limits even further the next time. My classmate never reported the rape. I'm not sure as to why she didn't press charges against him, and unfortunately he and his friends treated it like a joke because he was never charged for the rape, he never realized the consequences of his action and the affect it had on my classmate, leading him to believe that he was above the law.

This experience is just one of the many examples of professional athletes getting away with violent crimes. In the same book by Bergen, that I mentioned in my previous post about this same topic she states that in "our examination of 217 felony sexual assault complaints against athlete’s reveals that, compared with a national sample, athletes are more likely to be arrested and indicted. However, despite aggressive actions by law enforcement officials when charged with sexual assault these same athletes are far less likely to be convicted." The question then come up, who is responsible for these elite athletes getting let off the hook? If the police are doing their job and arresting them, why does society keep letting them get away with their crimes?

Its cases, such as the one with my classmate, professional athletes are committing violent crimes and getting away with them, which has lead to this blog post. It’s terrible that we as a society are almost willing to look the other way and let them get away with these crimes because of their influences in our society. Children looking up to these professional athletes thinking how they want to grow up and be just like them one day, we don't want them to see their favorite soccer play/ football player/ snowboarder go to jail for rape or other crimes; however, these athletes just like other citizens should be held responsible for their actions. 

Favorite Snowboarders!

When talking about sports everyone always has their favorite teams and team players. Well when it comes to snowboarding it’s no different. One of my favorite snowboarders it Louie Vito! He is my favorite rider because he is a consistent rider who loves the sport and is always pushing himself to get better. Louie was born on March 20, 1988 and is a goofy rider- riding with his right forward oppose to the opposite of being a regular rider which is riding with your left foot forward. I am personally a goofy rider in a sea of regular riders, so I love to route for other goofy riders. Back in 2009 he was the first professional athlete to land a front-side double cork 1080 in a half-pipe competition, pretty big deal. This year he has improved greatly, earned an unheard-of amount of podium positions between the 2010 Olympics and autumn 2011. He won 12 out of the world's 14 major snowboarding contest, including three consecutive X games

Privileged Athletes?

I recently read part of this book called "Sports in contemporary Society" by Stanley Eitzen, in the section of the book that I was able to read, it talked about current issues going on with athletes and rape. In the book it talked about how athletes are hardly ever charged with rape if a girl accuses them. Male athletes use lines and excuses such as "she was asking for it" or "she wanted it," because of this the jury and judge usually drops the charges against the young athletes believing them over the women. Rape is a touchy subject to write about, statistics have show that 1 in 6 women will be sexually assaulted in their lifetime, every 2 minutes, someone in the U.S. is sexually assaulted, and only 6% of rapists will ever spend a day in jail. (Facts taken from http://www.endthebacklog.org/whatisthebacklog.htm) From another website I found that 54% of sexual assaults are never even reported to the police. -http://www.rainn.org/statistics

Reading this article made me start to think about all the crimes that privileged athletes have committed and they have got away with, either not charged at all or found not guilty in court. A prime example of elites getting away with crimes, is the trial case of O.J. Simpson, he was charged with the murder for his recently divorced wife, Nicole Brown, and Ronald Goldman; however, even though much of the evidence pointed to him and the fact that he had a history of abuse towards her, he was found not guilty. Is this because society doesn't want to believe that elites could be capable of such crimes or just ignorant to the facts? Either way it seems that athletes have started to get a reputation for pushing the limits of the law.

In another book that I recently read by Raquel Kennedy Bergen called "Issues in intimate violence" she talked about athletes and their aggression and how it compares to non athletes. She states in one of her chapters called, Arrest and Conviction Rates for athletes accused of Sexual Assault, that "settings most correlated with sexual aggression showed that while non athletes factors such as alcohol consumption were most highly correlated with sexual aggression, being an athlete also was a positive associated." From this quote it is easy to see that athletes have a tendency to be more aggressive than non athletes, but what happens when athletes drink? From this quote we can assume that when athletes drink they are twice as aggressive then non- athletes. In my personal experience I have also found that this statement is true. 

Snowboarding crashes

When participating in almost any sport, one stands the chance of getting hurt. So why do people still do these sports? Is the reward of scoring a goal worth the chance that you might sprain an ankle in the process? Is the chance that you might not land the jump when snowboarding still worth trying the jump out? For me I can easily say yes the reward is worth it, while others may not agree. It’s up to each specific person. 

In this video posted above it shows numerous snowboarding crashes. 

After watching this video I don't even want to go snowboarding! All the crashes look so painful I can't even imagine how the rider must feel. So why is it that even after all these crashes the rider still goes riding? I would/ do feel so discouraged sometimes after crashing. My body hurts so badly sometimes the next day I can hardly get out of bed. Most the time however, I am able to shake it off and get back up and ride, well as long as I didn't crash too hard. It’s hard crashing, but its part of the sport. It’s that risk factor that engages people, asking yourself will I land this jump will I crash? who cares I’m still going to try because the reward of landing a jump often overrides the many times that you have crashed on that jump. When looking back on my history with snowboarding, I can clearly remember all the times I have landed a jump or perfected a new trick, but have a harder time remembering the MANY times I have fallen. This could possibly be because I have tried to block them out. I have fallen so many times I couldn't even count them if I wanted to. But I do feel that I remember landing the tricks more because of that amazing sensation I get when I land it, I’m pumped up, excited, adrenalin pumping, and stoked of life. It seems silly but I LOVE IT. It’s that feeling that I get, as I’m sure other riders do also, that keeps me motivated and willing to try new tricks, jumps, rails, etc. even when we crash a few times first. We know that the risk that we are taking will eventually be worth the reward; it just may take a couple of times to get it right. 

Generation Vs. Generation

New generations of snowboarders pushing limits!

 It happens as sports develop over time. So do the people participating in it, pushing new limits exploring new ideas/ tricks. What was once considered outrageous is now the new norm.    

------> http://youtube/1zP8Tn0XCCk

The video link above is Shaun Whites winning run for the 2010 Winter Olympic. This video is the prime example of young up and coming snowboarders trying new tricks, getting more air, and setting higher standards for other snowboarder to follow. 

          Older generations are the OG’s (original gangsters, the masters) of snowboarding. Experiencing the sport when it was in a prime developmental stage. Focusing on better equipment, new tricks, and teaching younger generations to love the sport as they do. Their norms and comfort levels have rubbed off on younger generations, making younger generations have a higher comfort level with a trick that an older rider might have been more timid to do. For example, back in the 1960's when the sport first came around they probably weren't flying through the air performing crazy tricks like the ones in the video posted above. The sport takes time to develop, as do the people, starting off small then seeing how far they can push themselves.

Dare Devils: reckless, daring, and adventurous! Dare Devils are willing to take risk push new limits to get that rush of adrenaline. When participating in any sport one must have a sense of adventure, a desire to be pushed out of their comfort zone. When talking about the sport of snowboarding, it’s easy to see that there are different levels of adventurism. Snowboarders who can't get enough of the jumps and rails, and find it exhilarating to fly off a 50 foot jump and go flying through the air, while others might get their kicks from snowboarding down the hardest run on the mountain. Personally I can't find anything better than going through the trees in search of fresh powder! It’s exhilarating having to watch out for constant obstacles, watching our for trees and being able to make quick adjustments and sharp turns on command. Riding through powder feels like you are soaring through the sky on a cloud, there is no better feeling!

Snowboarders these days are mostly thought of as dare devils who are constantly flying off jumps, hitting rails, and going too fast; however, when the sport first came about that generation of snowboarders were also seen as crazy hooligans riding on only one board (instead of two like skiers) going too fast and push new limits. The comfort level has changed and so has the sport. At first I thought it was a competition between skiers and snowboarders, but now see that it is a clash of generations. As people get older, in most cases, they tend to be more conservative; thus, looking at younger generations as crazy and out of control. But is that really true? Yes younger generations are breaking down new boundaries, but older generations seem to forget that they were once those crazy young kids pushing the limits and getting on others nerves. 

Safety on the Hill

THE MOST IMPORTANT RULE! - Be aware of your surroundings! It important to know who is around you at all times. People are constantly pass you by, or your passing them, knowing who is on either side of you, in front of you and who’s coming up behind you will help you avoid collisions with other riders. Be safe on the hill and staying in control. An out of control riding, someone going to fast or an inexperienced rider who may not know how to stop, is an extremely dangerous situation that unfortunately occurs too often. Knowing who is around you is also important but it is also important to know the terrain. Which ski trial you want to take? Do they merge with other ski trials? Will you be able to get back to your original starting location? Knowing the terrain is as simple as learning the maps, almost every ski area hands maps out when you purchase your tickets. In addition on the mountains they have trail headings that help guide you to your desired location. Knowing which trails to take is also important so you don't go into the park areas- areas with jumps and rails, this can be dangerous because they are often lined up in desired spots for the riders to hit them properly. I can't tell you how many times I have witnessed a rider trying to hit a jump but end up crashing because another unaware rider got in his way.

Mountain High Map

North Star Map 

Big Bear Map

Mammoth Mountain Map

Another important rule is to always ski with a buddy in case one of you gets hurts or lost. Riding with a buddy is especially important if you are going through powder. My friends and I have worked out a system; if we are riding through the powder/trees we will take one headphone out and yell if we fall. We take this precaution because when falling in powder there are two main concerns, one: falling into a tree wells.This can be extremely dangerous because a tree well is when the snow is high enough that it covers the top branches of the tree, giving the illusion that there is snow underneath, when in fact there is nothing but other branches. Therefore, if you ride over this area you may fall into the tree-well. This is a scary situation and unfortunately people have died from being stuck in a tree-well. Stick together! The other main concern when falling into powder is not being able to get back up and loosing track of you friends who may be far ahead of you. Numerous times i have fallen in powder and have to sit there and pack the snow down so i can push off of it to raise myself back up. This is an intense work out for your arms because after while they  get extremely sore from trying to push yourself up from snow that just sinks underneath you. In addition bringing a cellphone with you is also important in case of emergencies; however, do be cautious with your cellphone. For example make sure you put it in your jacket pocket rather than pants, saving you a cracked screen, or water damage.

Another important rule is to make sure you stay in control of yourself as well as your skies or snowboard. If equipment gets loose on a run, it could fly down and hit other skiers or snowboarders. Furthermore it’s important to pay attention to the warning signs, as well as SLOW signs. They are put there for your safety. An example of a warning sign may be a sign about merging trial or avalanche warnings. Paying attention to train signs is also important. 

With all this said it is also important to know the basics of skiing or snowboarding before loading the chairlift and heading out on the run, this is why in my previous post I mentioned that beginners should take a lesson for their first time. The lesson will start beginners off on a magic carpet, a device that will bring people up a small hill, they can then practice stopping down a small slope away from the crowds. This small step of learning the basics helps keep yourself and others safe on the hill.  Learning to stop is crucial for your safety and especially others around you. I can't even recall how many times a new snowboarder has run into me or one of my friends because they haven't learned to stop!

Buying a Snowboard?!

Here are some tips when taking the plug and deciding to buy a snowboard! 

First off buy the snowboard in a local area, or at least an area where you will be riding a lot. I cannot stress the importance of this step! This is important because if you are buying a board for your first time, you will need the help of the employees at the shop to help you make the best decision for you, they will help with the fitting of the board, boots, and bindings. It's also really important to buy locally because if something doesn't fit right after trying them out they will usually let you exchange it. This is better than just going online and basing you decision of the coolest or prettiest designs. However contradictory to that comment I bought my snowboard online. My reason for doing this is simple because I knew the size of the board I needed, the type of riding I wanted to do on it and was offered a discount on a forum board- Forum is a snowboard brand. 

 *The picture above is the snowboard that I purchase two years ago; unfortunately I wasn't able to find any picture where you could clearly see it. 

When deciding which board to buy you must also have an idea of what kind of riding you want to do. There are three main categories: 

1. Park riding- a short board would be best for this, a board that when stood up straight comes up to about your shoulders or neck

2. Natural terrain (powder board) - longer board, should be somewhere between your nose and forehead 

3. All mountain- combination of the two should be at your chin in height. 

After deciding which type of riding you will be doing most, you can move on to the next step. Another main component to choosing a board is your body type. How much you weigh and how tall you are.

1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Llxum3uPlA8&feature=relmfu

This first link here is perfect for understanding how your body weight and height affect your snowboard type. He goes over the size chart posted above. This chart helps new riders understand the importance of buy a board that is the right size for you. 

This helpful video above is great to see the different types of riding out there and why it is so important to choose the right one for you. After choosing a board, you need to learn how to set it up properly. I have posted another video below that shows you step by step how to set up your board-put bindings on, at favorable angel, making your board specific to your preference. 

2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G89SkpDksfI&feature=related