Jonathan Tollefson

Journals are used to keep memories, write down feelings, keep track of your days, and to write down something you might forget.  This is exactly why I think you should keep a Shred Journal.  Having a journal will help you remember how many days you spent on the hill.  They will help you accomplish your goals, that is if you have goals.  They also provide you with a source that you can look back on to see what you were thinking at the beginning of the season, or what you were thinking at the end of last season.

By living in the Midwest, I am only able to snowboard 4-5  months out of the year.  This leaves a huge gap where I am not snowboarding, but do you think I forget about it?  Nope.  Everywhere I go, I always look for urban rails, wall rides, or natural hits.  Over this long period of time, do you honestly think that I can remember everything I find or see?  No way.  This is exactly why I keep a shred journal of my own.  Without it, I would miss out on past experiences, I would forget the numerous urban hits I see, and I would never be able to take my skills to the next level.  In my journal, I write down possible trips, tricks I would like to stomp, ideas to get me on the snow more, and anything else that is on my mind at that time.

I believe everyone should have a journal of some sort.  Maybe the word journal scares you.  So call it what you want and write everything down.  You won’t regret it, and the next time you step on your snowboard you will be a step ahead of where you were.  Unless you have an incredible mind, which I am sure many of you think you have, you will never be able to keep track of all of your snowboarding thoughts.  With a simple journal, shred note pad, or whatever you want to call it; you will be on top of your game, and you will never forget that stupid thing your buddy said that made you laugh so hard you almost fell off of the lift.  Keep one by your side, reflect on past memories, and take yourself to the next level.  This is what a journal can do for you!  Give it a try and if you don’t like it, you can always go back to where you were when you started your journal.

Ice Breaker Wakefest 2010 went down this weekend in Indiana.  This event helped fight cancer, brought new people into the sport of wakeboarding and wakesurfing, and it had Air Nautiques roaming the water.  Did I mention that it Crushed the Ice for Life with organizations like the American Cancer Society.   Pros Adam Wensink and Clayton Underwood where there to shred Bixler Lake, and they threw down.  Keep your eyes posted for some video of these guys.  Until then I will entertain you with a few pics of my own!

Adam Wensink

When you have a chance to meet people like Adam, you will never forget it.  With an outgoing personality, and a willingness to pull everyone who shows up, you can’t go wrong.  I was lucky because I had the chance to be on the boat while Adam killed it.  Watching him fly through the air is sick, and having the chance to learn a few things from him was worth the drive from MI.  Thanks Man!

Clayton Underwood

Clayton started off the show for the crowd.  He went huge with many different raley based tricks which were all crowd pleaser.  It is sweet to hang out with people who love the sport of wakeboarding, and ride as hard as Clayton does.

Air Chair Rich

Rich is a master of the Air Chair.  This guy is nuts, and I think the Air Chair was an extension to his body at birth.  It was hard to keep this guy in the frame as I tried to shoot pictures of him, but so fun to watch!

Louis and Grind Water

I had the chance to sit down and talk with Louis for a little bit before I had to hit the streets.  This guy is everywhere, and be sure to stop in and say hi the next time you see him.  Talking with people like Louis, who know so much about the water industry, is always a good time.

The Beach at Bixler

Have to give it up to all of the fans/riders who came out to Crush the Ice for life.  Without them events like this would not happen.  It was great to meet everyone that I could and for those of you who I did not get to talk to; I hope to see and meet you at another event.

From what I experienced by going to this event, I can’t wait to join in on the festivities next year.  If you have never been to an Ice Breaker Wakefest, be sure to get there next year.  I can only imagine that it will grow, and that this will be an event everyone in the Midwest will know about.  Thanks to everyone who was a part of putting this together.  I had a blast and will be back for more next year!

With unreliable winters in the Midwest our snow season seems to come and go like it was never here.  Some winter seasons are two months long and others we can maybe stretch out to four months.  Does this piss anyone else off?  I love the sport so much, and as soon as I start to get into a groove it seems like it is over.  It ticks me right off.  The good thing for us is that there is an answer for it all.  SNOWFLEX folks!!

A fellow snowboard blogger David Z. at shredding the gnar snowboarding blog has touched on this subject a bit, and  I would like to continue where he left off.  For those of you who do not know what Snowflex is, here is a quick explanation.  Snowflex is a engineered materiel that allows you to snowboard 365 days out of the year.  It is a carpet like material that provides you with the ability to snowboard down a hill with the same feeling that you would get when you are on snow.  Brilliant!

What does this mean for those of us that live in BS climates and only have snow on the ground for a small portion of the year?  It means we have to combine forces and get a Snowflex complex in the Midwest right now.  These complexes can cost any where from 1M to 14M dollars, and can be open 365 days a year.  Those of you who are looking to win the X GAMES, The Dew Tour, and possibly go to the Olympics.  You need this.

As of now there is one Snowflex complex in the US which is located in Lynchberg, VA.  Check it out.  How sweet is that?  The possibilities are endless and with a force of people who are as passionate about snowboarding as I am,  it can happen.  It might already be happening and we don’t even know about it.  If not we need to push this idea to the max and get it going.

Throughout the Midwest I have heard of a few new hills that are about to open.  Why waste your time on only being able to be open four months out of the year?  Why not invest your money in something that people can come to all year long.  It is new, innovative, and something that is not around.  Do you see this as an extension to winter, because I see it as another way for the Midwest people to board all day, everyday.

The day I originally stepped onto a wakeboard, I knew wakeboarding was going to be a part my life forever.  My passion for water sports spawned from my childhood years growing up in Minnesota where I had the Mississippi River as a backyard playground.  My first memories are bright pictures of my dad pulling me kneeboarding for countless hours behind a 12ft fishing boat powered by a 10 horse Johnson.  As I grew older and moved on with my life, I was not always blessed with the luxury of having a boat and a dad that would pull me everyday.  Heck, I have been away from home for over five years now, and I still do not have a boat.  My goal is to have a boat in the near future; however, since I have never owned a boat, I had to find different techniques to get myself out on the water.  I am going to share my techniques with you; and if you are willing to put in the effort and give them a try, you will find your way to a boat and a life full of wakeboarding in no time.  I have been doing it for years, am still doing it today, and so can you.

Google

The first technique you need to use, is that you need to start feeling out your area.  Google is a good source for this.  Search your area for people wakeboarding, search for lakes around the area, and search for shops and organizations that people have started around you.  These sources will be the ground work for your journey.

Local Pro Shops

The second technique for you to try is to go to your local pro shops.  People who work in the local shops usually have a wealth of knowledge, and might even have a boat for you to come out on.  They are usually the first to know of any events, shows, or organizations that you can get involved in.  Who knows you could get lucky and you could be the person they need as a third.

Wakeworld

After you stop into your local shops and ask around, jump on Wakeworld and go into their forums.  In the forums you will see a topic that says Find a Third/Be a Third.  Look through the posts to see if anyone has posted anything about your area, and if they haven’t, feel free to start your own discussion.  I have met some great people in the Midwest through Wakeworld, and have been invited out many times.  This will also help you meet new people in your area who have boats.  It is very important to get involved.

Lessons or Camps

If you still have not found anyone to ride, try finding a camp or someone giving lessons in your area.  This is a good way to get yourself into the sport, and these people will also know many other people in the area with boats who love to ride.  Ask them questions, and I am sure you will be able to find someone who you can get in contact with.  If you are in the Midwest check out WakeBoard Clinic.  The owner Brian Snabes is a cool dude, and he is more than willing to help you get out on the water.

MeetUp and Boat Shows

Two more techniques I have used are MeetUp.com, and attending every boat show that I can.  With MeetUp.com you will find groups of people that love to wakeboard.  Join the groups and start talking to everyone that you can.  By going to boat shows you will be able to communicate with people who are very involved in the boating and wakeboarding industries.  Do not be afraid to talk with these people and ask them as many questions as you possibly can.  They are more than willing to talk with you, and I have had some of the best conversations about wakeboarding because I attended a boat show.

Most importantly get on the mighty internet, and look into the many different forums that are out there that deal with the wakeboarding industry.  It is going to take some work, you are going to have to be a good person, and you can get out on the water if you want it as bad as I do.  Like I said in the beginning, I have never owned a boat, but I am still able to get out on the water and wakeboard more than most people have time for.  You will be amazed at how many people actually need a third person just to get out, and you will meet some great people throughout your journey.  Take my advice and you will be one step closer to boarding everyday, all day!

One last thing, if you end up finding someone to go out and ride with; make sure to bring some gas money.  Boats are also a lot of work so help the people who invite you out in anyway possible so that you will be invited back on their boat again!

There are certain things in our lives that prevent us from snowboarding as much as we might want throughout the year.  Things such as lack of snow, weekend parties, vacations, significant others, and hangovers cause us to miss the few days that we have in the Midwest to snowboard.  The more of these we can get rid of, the more days on the snow we will have.  One way to do this is by getting your spouse or significant other to come with you snowboarding.  In doing so, I want to tell you that you should never teach your spouse or significant other to snowboard for the first time.

If you are looking to get your significant other into the sport of snowboarding, or maybe they want to come snowboarding with you, you need to get them into a lesson before they ever snowboard with you.  Believe me, this will save your marriage or your relationship.  Because snowboarding is a very frustrating and brutal sport to learn, it is important to leave the pressure of teaching and learning on someone else.  I know this from experience.

After living in Colorado for a bit, my girlfriend and I thought that it would be a great idea to teach her how to snowboard.  So what did I do?  I took it upon myself to train her.  Seeing that I have taught many different people how to snowboard, I thought that this would be a perfect chance to become closer to my girl and teach her something completely new.  This could have been the worst decision I have ever made!

Usually being a calm and go-with-the-flow type of person, I want you to know how I ended up feeling and treating my precious girlfriend this day.  One quote can explain it all, “Kelly, you are going to make me break my goggles and stab myself in the eye if you keep saying you want to quit and that you can’t do it!”  I know it sounds crazy, and we laugh about it today, but honestly this is how I felt.  I promise that if you try to teach your significant other to snowboard, you are going to go through the same frustration.  I can only imagine what my girlfriend wanted to say to me.  I am sure that she was not going to tell me how much she loves me.

To sum it all up, pay the extra cash that it takes to get your significant other a snowboarding lesson.  I know it is not cheap, but I promise that this little act will save your relationship.  One lesson is all it usually takes, and from that time on you will be able to snowboard more, your spouse or significant other will love the sport, and you will never want to gouge your eyeballs out.  Snowboarding is a sport that everyone can enjoy, and one that most people love once they are able to go down the hill without killing themselves.  Get your spouse a lesson and you are one step closer to Boarding the Midwest All day, Everyday.