Snowboarding gains popularity among students

By Jakob Hosmer
Norwich Guidon Staff Writer

The seasons are changing. The weather is going from warm and often sunny to cold with a seemingly endless cloud cover that lasts until about April.

For many, snow is just another indicator of a dreary winter season, slick roads, and an inconvenience for any outdoor activity, even just walking to class.

But to many, the snow season is the best time of year, because it means the beginning of another season of snowboarding.

As with any athletes participating in team sports, snowboarders have things that they must do to prepare for the season, a sort of preseason habit.

The most important of these are checking old equipment and buying new accessories to make the upcoming months on the mountain better.

"I've gotten new pants and a brand new board," said Joe Abromaitis, 20, a junior computer information systems major from Piscataway, N.J.

Buying new equipment is a step which has a good psychological effect for the season as well.

But the maintenance of old equipment is equally if not more important.

John Cavanagh, 23, an electrical engineering major from San Jose, Calif., is replacing some of his equipment and doing maintenance on items that haven't been used in almost eight months. This includes buying new outerwear and waxing the base of his snowboard.

Many riders talk about the importance of getting equipment ready for the snowboarding season.

According to Vin Paitoon, 21, a junior business major from Bangkok, Thailand, preseason for snowboarding this year involved buying a new board, pants, goggles, helmet, and other equipment.

"We talked to the owner of one of the shops and learned how to wax well," Paitoon said.

The cost of snowboarding is pricey for equipment alone, but it can get even more expensive when it comes time to buy passes to the mountain.

Some riders find a way around this by working at Ski Mountains and getting a free season pass as part of the deal.

"I'm hoping to be a waiter at the Sugarbush Inn. If not that, then I was thinking of being an instructor," Abromaitis said.

Rob Leahy, 20, a junior psychology major from Reading, Mass., said he hopes to be "setting up jobs, positions on the pro team at Sugarbush, talking to the coach."

Cavanagh has also just sent in his $40 registration fee to take a course on becoming a snowboard instructor at a local mountain.

Of course, taking on a job and being a full-time college student require careful planning of a schedule to fit everything in.

"I'm making my schedule so I can fit in snowboarding; I am definitely going to plan my schedule accordingly," Abromaitis said.

Part of setting up an appropriate schedule includes preregistering for classes next semester in the mornings so the afternoons can be spent on the mountain.

With such anticipation for the snow to get here, many riders find themselves needing to prepare mentally and get psyched up for when the season finally does get here.

According to Cavanagh, it helps to "read up on all the magazines, watch all the videos."

But why all this preparation and excitement for an activity that involves strapping your feet onto a piece of laminated wood and careening down a mountainside?

"Snowboarding's so fun, I can't even explain it," Cavanagh said. "It's like this freedom, getting away from everything."

Other riders share similar sentiments.

"It's just like, the speed, the challenge, the ability to show off to other people," Abromaitis said.

According to Paitoon, not only is snowboarding something fun to do and exciting, but it helps in other ways as well.

"It helps me focus when I get back," he said, adding that especially during cold winter Vermont months, a good stress reliever can be very important.

For those new to the sport, it's recommended that to prepare for a successful season, new snowboarders should learn how to do it properly early on.

"Take lessons; you'll save yourself so much pain," Leahy said.

Cavanagh added that it also helps to know people already into the sport. "Find two buddies who know how to do it, have them teach you the basics, and then spend time learning."

He added that it's important not to give up. "The first two days suck; after that it's awesome."

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