Sports Billy

totally blurry but you get the idea...

Lizzie - super cute coach

You need to do things you’re really crap at to appreciate the things you’re good at. Never before has that been more true than whenever I decide to take to the slopes and go snowboarding.

I have a strong desire to be an ok snowboarder – I don’t need to be fancy and do jumps, rail slides or get air. I just want to get down the mountain with grace – making those lovely S shapes with my turns, perhaps with a bit of snow flicking out behind. I have been taught how to turn and on a good day, I can. It just takes me awhile to get going. A good snowboarder (as my friend Lizzie is) makes the sport look easy and fun. An average snowboarder (like myself) provides great entertainment for everyone else on the mountain.

Last night Lizzie and I went to Snowplanet to take advantage of the Girls’ Night deal of just $9. We weren’t expecting it to be as busy as it was (hopefully it quietens down after school goes back), we had to queue for the T bar and were mindful of dodging the bodies strewn about the place. That’s one good thing about Snowplanet – there are lots of beginners there so you don’t feel like the only one. Unless you do something so embarrassing that you stop the T Bar for five minutes and have the whole, damn place staring at you.

I hate T-Bars, I can manage a chair lift (although I still get nervous as hell about whether or not I will glide off or end up in a heap at the top), but I can’t for the life of me suss out the T Bar. I think I psyche myself out, I don’t know, but so far – I have NEVER made it to the top on the thing. I ALWAYS fall off. It usually takes me two goes to get the thing between my legs (embarrassing enough) and then I spend the entire trip up praying that I stay with it.

The first time I went up the T Bar stopped for someone else (thank god) and when it restarted it lurched and I lost balance. i was half way up, bit of a bummer, but not so bad. The second time, I fell off just before we got to the steep incline at the end, which was kind of handy. The third time I fell off ON the steep incline where the path is so narrow that if they didn’t stop the TBar I would have taken out the dude behind me. As I scrambled on the slippery snow to get out of the way I cursed. The dude behind me was now beside me – stopped – and said, hi. I didn’t know what to do – beside me was a steep drop and it wasn’t wide enough to go down. I was trapped. And the TBar was waiting for me to get out of the way.

‘Just unclip your foot and walk up,’ the dude said helpfully and calmly. So I scrambled around, cursing and unclipped my boot and tried to get up. I tried to walk up the steep incline and slipped backwards. Again and again until my shaky legs could dig into the fake, slippery snow and travel me forward. Meanwhile, the lift is still stationary with a whole row of people behind watching my progress.

Lizzie was laughing, I was laughing but also wishing desperately for the ground to just open up and swallow me whole. When I finally made it to the top and sat down the TBar started moving and the people descending gave me disapproving looks.

I did not dare go on the TBar again, I figured my next trick would probably be to wipe out the entire line behind me and I just didn’t fancy risking it.

I did get down the slope in one piece, no falls…nice S swishes… I had got my groove back… I just need to learn how to master the TBar.

Maybe next week?

Have you tried anything lately that you’re crap at?

Tamsin xoxo