This picture is me doing a backside rodeo off the third jump.
Well Saturday marked the end of the 3rd annual collegiate nationals. After almost 12 hours on the hill the competition finally came to an end. The day started with mens snowboarding qualifiers. It was dumping snow and everyone had trouble clearing the jumps with the new fallen snow. There were only a hand full of competitors who where able to make it down the course without falling and no one was able to throw the runs they where doing the day before in practice. After qualifiers was done I found myself having qualified 2nd. Mens snowboarding finals didn't start for another four hours, but in that time the storm blue over and left us with mostly sunny skies. Because of the ever changing conditions I was never able to throw the run I had practiced on Friday, so every run I took was different. I stomped my first run in the finals which was; switch underflip, front side 3 tail, into a backside rodeo, nosepress to tailpress on the box, backside lip on the down bar, to a hand-plant on the quarterpipe. My second run I fell when I over shot the second jump on a front side 7 and because of a quick revert on my rodeo in the first run, cost me 2nd place leaving me in 3rd. The Keystone local Christian Martin was killing it all day. He rides Keystone everyday and it showed. He sealed the deal in his last run of finals with a front side 5, cab 9, and backside 7. All in all it was a fun event and I look forward to coming out again next year. Until then keep shredding and make sure to watch all the action on CBS on May 25th.
Bosco
After a couple weeks of more reps and strength building exercises, the focus has shifted to refining technique and doing more singles with the snatch and clean and jerk. We get up to about 90%+ in both lifts twice week. The weights are feeling pretty good, but my technique is a little off, so I am working on trying to straighten that out. It seems winter is on its way out. A lot of the snow melted and its probably only about 30 degrees now. One can even see the dead grass on the ground now. This week we are gifted with a special guest star at NMU. I'll give some clues as to the identity of this mysterious person: Long, blond hair, blue eyes and has a hurt arm (recovering from surgery). If clues didn't scream the identity to you, then Click Here It's Steve Jarvis! For those of you who don't know Steve, he is a 105 kg lifter who is a resident at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. Steve decided to spend his spring break up here in the remote city of Marquette, Michigan. Part of the reason (besides the excellent company) is that he is originally from Wisconsin and it's not very far from his house. Well Collegiate Nationals is fast approaching and there's only a week left of heavy lifting to prepare for it.
Dear faithful Readers,
I write to you from the Athlete's Center (I'll never figure out who that one athlete is) at the Olympic Training Center on a computer that's creatively named "Cyber 30." I have survived a very snowy Easter and, so far, two nights sleeping in the same room as a Miss Cheryl Ann Haworth. I'd also like to note that we're staying on the third floor in Building 87, which is quite possibly the farthest point away from the weight room on complex. Cheryl reminds me of this fact several times a day.
Bragging Point #1: I just came back from an Art Garfunkel concert. He's still awesome. And he still has his fro.
Bragging Point #2: I can make a mean bag of ice. The creation of ice bags is one of the few activities I really excel at, so I like to mention it as much as possible.
My connection at the USAW office gave me new lifting shoes that are two sizes too big (I forgive her; she's Canadian), but I finally have shoes that a robot with my foot length might wear.
In news actually related to the subject of this blog, we're two weeks out from Collegiates! On a sadder note, that means only two more weeks of updates about my extremely exciting life and my remarkable ice bag making talent.
Winsomely yours,
Natalie
Everyone loves Kundera:
"Ugliness: the poetic capriciousness of coincidence. In the case of a beautiful person, the play of coincidence happened to select an average of all the dimensions. Beauty: the unpoetic average. Beauty, more than ugliness, reveals the nonindividuality, the impersonality of a face."
(from Milan Kundera's Immortality)
The day, March 22nd. The place, Squaw Valley. The event, Sessions Log Jam. The winner, Chris Bosco. A beautiful sunny day set the stage for the third annual Sessions Log Jam. Three jumps and a variety of log jib options was the lay out. The competition was fierce with riders like Kyle (taceto) Earl, Zak Hale, Silas Stannard, Jonny Lazz, and Jonny Brady, but I was lucky enough to stomp my last run in the finals and come out on top. Fuel TV covered the event so be sure keep an eye out for the footage of the event and a little interview with me. Hope everyone is enjoying the great weather we have been having and see you on the hill.
Check out the footy at Reelcomp
See the full story and pics at twsnow.com sierra sun and snowboard-mag.com.
Bosco
Dear faithful Readers,
I have survived finals, during which I tried to remember why on earth I decided to attend a school with a quarter system. No good reasons are coming to me.
I learned this past week that the hamstrings (confidential to Gichael Mattone: they're what we normal people call "hammies") are actually very important in lifting. You can't really do anything, except maybe wrist curls, with only one functioning hamstring. Who knew?
Gichael Mattone has foolishly agreed to let me be in charge of the music for next year's Nationals/PanAms. Gichael Mattone (quite seriously) suggested "YMCA," so all attendees may thank me next year for my excellent musical taste. On that note, if you aren't human don't like Dave Matthews, you might want to skip this meet. I've managed to book Hilary Katzenmeier to sing the National Anthem and am considering organizing a Pan American Open Mic Night to promote continental peace and harmony. Pun intended.
In breaking news: my first cousins once-removed are still adorable.
I'm leaving Saturday to spend a wild spring break at the OTC in Colorado Springs, where it's rumored to be warmer than Chicago...three workouts a day beat naps on the beach any day. This, of course, means I have to brave O'Hare. If I don't update in a couple weeks, start praying for my soul.
Winsomely yours,
Natalie
Heller Fix for the Week:
"'You're wrong,' answered the old man. 'Prostitution gives her an opportunity to meet people. It provides fresh air and wholesome exercise, and it keeps her out of trouble.'"
(from Joseph Heller's Catch-22)
hope everyone has a geat easter weekend!!!
The Arnold Classic was an awesome meet. There were many unique individuals and people of all different sizes (many with muscles never previously seen in existence). My performance was not quite what I was expecting. I technically made all three of my snatches, but only one counted because of the "press out" rule. For those of you not quite familiar with Olympic Style weightlifting, both the snatch and jerk portions of the lifts must be completed in a single continuous movement. Therefore, even if a lifter makes the lift, is able to stand up and control the weight as they drop it, they may receive a no lift because their elbow bent or their shoulders relaxed (although the judges are supposed to differentiate between the two). And due to this lack of consistency, many of the spectators and athletes are often times confused as to what made a lift invalid. The meet was otherwise very fun and helped to show me what I need to work on to perform better at Reno. I did get to see Gichael Mattone, but I won't compromise his identity by giving out any more details. Here are a couple pictures of the Expo at the Arnold.
 Some bodybuilders posing.
 Strongmen competitors from all over the world.
 The "Cage" where extreme benching takes place.
Dear faithful Readers,
For those of you who may be glancing at this entry as you search for blogs about other sports (eating, for example), I have compiled a list of popular but incorrect myths about weightlifting. Yes, you're right, nothing exciting happened to me this week.
01. Weightlifters are ninjas.
False
Contrary to the beliefs of basically everyone I know and most of those whom I don't, a clean&jerk isn't the same as a left hook. I don't even know what a left hook is, although I'm sure it has something to do with the hand that makes the "L" shape. Weightlifting is not: boxing, karate, judo, taekwondo, jujutsu, or any form of martial arts I've omitted. Just because I can snatch your bodyweight doesn't mean I can beat you up or even have any inclination to do so. Yes, most weightlifters are terrifically well-rounded athletes who can probably outjump and outrun you, but the feigned fear of our supposed similarities to Bruce Lee was old fifteen stupid jokes ago. Of course, I can't really threaten you effectively unless you're an IWF-certified 15-kilo barbell, preferably Eleiko Werksan.
02. Weightlifting is synonymous with wrestling.
False
I'm always astonished by the frequency of this one. They don't even start with the same sound. Okay, they're the only two sports in the Olympics that begin with "w," but I don't see anyone confusing triathlon with table tennis. Both sports have weight classes, are very old, and usually compete indoors; but the similarities really stop there.
03. Weightlifting is simply the best sport in the Olympics.
False
It's also better than all non-Olympic sports (sorry, eating fans).
04. Weightlifters are snobs.
False
Okay, nevermind, that's true. But for good reason.
05. Weightlifting = benching
False
No.
06. Weightlifting and powerlifting are really just the same thing.
False
Psh. Powerlifting isn't even in the Olympics. We incorporate squats and deadlifts into our training to improve our actually athletic movements that take much more than grunts and brute strength. Also, powerlifters bench.
07. Weightlifters resemble their brothers in sport, body-builders.
False
It's true that weightlifters tend to be much better looking than athletes in other sports and that weightlifters can have very impressive muscular structures, but weightlifters' bodies are built to be functional, not cool to look at. In conclusion: just because we're beautiful doesn't mean that's what we set out to be. It's an enjoyable by-product.
08. All weightlifters are on steroids.
False
Only the ones who beat Americans.
It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood for once, so I'm off to the Lake to play frisbee.
Winsomely yours,
Natalie
Passage of the Week from the book I just finished:
"Some woman writes about how she's started a prayer chain for me. A spiritual pyramid scheme. As if you can gang up on God. Bully Him around. The fine line between praying and nagging."
(from Chuck Palahnuik's Choke)
Well I finished my writing final this morning, so now I have three more finals before spring break! I have a Political Science final in two hours, and a Business final from noon to eight. Thursday I have an Italian final from six to eight at night, and after that I'm driving home for the Jackson Hole Freeskiing open. You can check out the competition here: http://www.usfreeskiing.com/. Hopefully I can get registered. Wish me luck!
Today is Monday. A very nice Monday at that, and I'm feeling extremely lazy. I have finals throughout this week, and a freeskiing competition back home on friday. Next Monday I take off for the Bahamas for spring break, for some much needed R&R before spring quarter. Spring skiing has always been something I look forward to and at the same time hate. I long for the days when it is sunny and warm, those days when the snow is like butter. Everyone is having a blast and the jumps are so forgiving. Who doesn't love a nice spring day at the mountain? Unfortunately, I'm starting to feel the pain of this season's flat-landings, crashes, and knuckle-finder episodes. I don't mean to sound like an old man, but it's tough to ski a whole day near the end. I have some wonderful shin splints right now, and my back has been bothering me. Too bad none of that will stop me from having a blast! I'm going to ski as hard as possible this weekend, and hopefully take home a top 3 finish at my home mountain. Then I have a WHOLE WEEK to rest in the relaxing waters of the Gulf. The season is drawing to an end, and I plan on finishing strong.
P.S. Marshall Miller, Jon Sexauer and I just finished a short edit from a weekend at Keystone. I will upload it soon. Also, sorry there aren't any pictures on this one. It's really boring. I'll make up for it next time.
Dear faithful Readers,
As some of you have deduced, the answer to Tuesday's riddle was a coffin. I also would have accepted an urn. Props to Ashley for emailing me the answer .24 seconds after I posted the entry. (Exciting Note: Did you know that "props" in that context is short for "proper respects"? Did you know that it first appeared as slang c.1999?) No props to Gichael Mattone, who admitted that he gave up and googled it, the cheater. Italians.
Some gentlemen on the second floor of my dorm indignantly informed me that the riddle was entirely misleading since some people actually do choose their coffins before they die. I find this practice very prescient. If you're going to spend an eternity in one place, you'd better be sure it's comfortable, the right size, that it has a nice view. People don't buy cars without a test drive first, and then they're only stuck with their choice for about fifteen years. The Egyptians really got it right.
In some exciting news, Rich Schutz (Confidential to my inferior nonlifting Readers: Rich Schutz was a two-time Olympian and gazillion-time National Champ back in the day) visited the gym this morning. He said I "looked good today," (!!!) which could be a reference to my lifting or to my very well-made ponytail.
In other news, it's still cold and snowy here.
To my Lieblingskusine: have an excellent birthday tomorrow.
Winsomely yours,
Natalie
Speaking of death, here's your Inspiration of the Week:
"'We always imagine eternity as something beyond our conception, something vast, vast! But why must it be vast? Instead of all that, what if it's one little room, like a bath house in the country, black and grimy and spiders in every corner, and that's all eternity is? I sometimes fancy it like that.'"
(from Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment)
Please allow me to introduce myself, Peter Nussbaum, riding for USC in the 2008 Collegiate Nationals Flowboarding event. These next few weeks are going to be epic, and I plan to keep you all posted on our unique training methods.
I'll also be writing about Derek Zemen, a.k.a. Zoo my neighbor and good buddy. He's gettin ready to tear it up, look out Tyler!!
He're a little taste of what we've been up to recently, a little skate comp to get ready for the real comp.
Left to Right, Me, Derek, and our friend Will kick it before the contest. Our sneaky strategizing let Zoo and I win doubles event.
Later on world, I'll post soon, gotta go do some squats!!!
What up, what up? My name is Chris Bosco and I am a snowboarder from Truckee, Ca. I will be competing in snowboarding for the 2008 Collegiate Nationals. A little about myself; I am 22 years young, I attend the University Nevada, Reno, and I have been riding for over 10 years. I ride for K2 snowboards (www.k2snowboarding.com), Porters Tahoe (www.porterstahoe.com) and Planet Earth outerwear (www.planetearthstreetwear.com) I am majoring in Advertising and minoring in Digital Media. My local mountains are Northstar at Tahoe and Squaw Valley. Been riding a lot in great California weather getting ready for this contest, so looking forward to seeing all of you at Keystone and having a good time. Peace.
Dear faithful Readers,
So as not to break tradition (and we all love tradition, don't we, Benito?), this entry will have nothing to do with my training. I realize this blog is a mutual medium of procrastination, not an actually useful source of information about my progress in weightlifting.
As many of you have already heard, I have secured a room at Northwestern's University Christian Ministry for this summer and next school year. "But why, Natalie? Why there?" you are asking if you haven't already done so. "Because it is cheap." I answer. "And convenient and clean." "But Natalie, do they know anything about you?" you will ask next. Which offends me slightly because I am charming and quiet--what more do they need to know? The Reverend Julie herself approved me, so hah. The worst they can do if they discover my secret heathenness is kick me out, which will, if nothing else, make for a very entertaining blog entry. (Note: heathenness is actually a word. And here I thought I was being clever again.)
I'm afraid I have to cut this entry short and go learn everything there is to know about conversational implicatures before my linguistics final this week. But yes, it is really National Grammar Day, not just any ordinary Tuesday. Celebrate and rejoice.
Winsomely yours,
Natalie
Riddle of the Week
The person who makes it sells it. The person who buys it never uses it. The person who uses it never knows he's using it. Qu'est-ce que c'est?
Main line at Keystone-Perfection:
I woke up this morning to another cloudless, warm day. Skiing time! I met my friend Marshall Miller, world class photographer/videographer/skier, at Keystone at 11. The snow was just beginning to soften up and we started filming after we had both warmed up. The gapers (people who can't ski well) were out in force this afternoon and this resulted in the lift stopping quite often. This, combined with the hispanic music blaring from Keystone's speakers was enough make me want to jump off the lift headfirst. Luckily, Marshall told me to chill and work on my goggle tan. So i did.
Me working on my two best defenses against women: Facial hair and a goggle tan.
A few runs later, Marshall had to leave to pick up his sister at the airport. This was good news for me, because I had been crashing like it was my job. We both crashed hard during a follow-cam on the last run, so we decided to call it a day. I will be very sore tomorrow.
All in all, a great day. We got a bunch of good shots and had fun. See you next time.
To kick things off, I would like to welcome you to my new blog and tell you a few things about myself.
My name is Sam Mead, and I grew up in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. I started skiing when I was two years old, and loved it ever since. My parents put me in a racing program when I was in fourth grade. I liked it for a year or two, but the rigorous training and schedule eventually burned me out. The fact that I was pretty bad at racing probably had something to do with it as well. Anyway, I dropped out of the racing program and started freesking with my friends. This was around the time when freeskiing was really taking off, circa '99 or '2000. We all had a blast doing it. I started competing a few years later. I didn't place in most of the early competitions, but I practiced hard and eventually started winning. One thing led to another, and last year I found myself on top of the USASA Nationals podium for Halfpipe skiing. I graduated from high school that spring, and was accepted into Denver University where I currently attend college.
I'm currently 'training' for Collegiate Nationals, and I will update this blog as much as possible.
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