Introducing myself to mcom 258

Hello,
My name is Nick Coletta and I am a senior at Towson University. I love to watch and participate in all different sports, but my favorite sport is snowboarding. During this summer course I hope to become more familiar with the different types of media outlets; as opposed to just print media. I want to learn more about dreamweaver and soundslides because I feel that I did not get a full understanding of the programs last semester. I am extremely interested on writing a beat, and following up all my research with the non linear project. I believe that I will greatly benefit from this course.

Long vs Short

A snowboard should typically be as tall as your chin is from the ground, but sometimes people like them either a little shorter or a little taller. The shorter your snowboard is, the slower you will go down the mountain; thus the longer your snowboard is, the faster you will go down the mountain.
A smaller snowboard would be more preferable in the terrain park because it's easier to control when grinding on rails and going off jumps. On the other hand, a longer snowboard would be more preferable when "cruising" down the mountain. A longer snowboard not only gives you more speed, but it's also easier to control, it gives you a smoother ride, and you are less likely to "bite an edge". Biting an edge would be when your board digs into the snow, making you fall suddenly and very hard to say the least.
The size of a snowboard is completely up to your personal preference, some boards just handle better on different terrains.

Goofy or Regular

There are two different types of stances you can have when snowboarding, and it's all determinded on which foot is your dominant foot. If you ride down the mountain with your left foot guiding you, meaning that it is mostly infront, then you are considered to have a regular stance. On the other hand if you ride with your right foot guiding you, once again it means that it's mostly infront, then you are considered to have a goofy stance.
The easiest way to determine your stance is with a pair of socks and a hardwood floor. Wearing just the socks on your feet, run and slide on the hardwood floor; the foot that is infront of you while sliding will be your dominant foot while snowboarding.
Your stance will be consistant throughout snowboarding, surfing, skateboarding, and anything else requiring a dominant foot.

Jumps, jumps, jumps!

When learning how to go off jumps on a snowboard there is a few key pointers that can make that goal a lot easier to achieve. The first, and probably most important, part is making sure that you are not going too fast because you can overshoot your landing. Your landing is the part of the jump that declines back down onto the flat surface of the mountain, overshooting this can result in injury.
As you are approaching the jump it’s important to be going head on with the “lip” of the jump, going off the jump at an angle can result in you going off the side or spinning in the air. This can be something you want to do once you conquer the basic jump, but for starters it’s best to just go straight off the jump. Going off the jump straight also makes it easier to be ready for your landing, which also requires you to be straight on with the bottom of the mountain. If you land at an angle you will most likely “bite an edge”, which is where the side of your board digs into the snow and you land face first into the ground. Trust me this is no fun, but it happens to everyone when learning how to do jumps on their board.
The last thing you want to do is to bend your knees as you land because it braces your impact. You want to support yourself and take the stress of your knees, which you can do by bending your knees, just as you would by bending your knees when jumping off a chair. This will keep you stable and less vulnerable from hurting yourself.
These pointers will help you out when learning how to do jumps, but it’s really a trail and error process. The best way to learn is by getting out there and doing it, so I suggest you get out and do it!

Dangerous

Snowboarding can be a very dangerous sport, taking the proper precautions is of grave importance, but there is high risk of danger even when you are being safe. As many of you heard, Natasha Richardson died on March 18th from an accident while skiing, she was not wearing a helmet. In Richardsons case a helmet would not have saved her because she died from a freak accident due to the way she fell. But what is astonishing about Richardson's death was that she fell and was not aware of her injuries so she continued to ski; the lesson learned from this accident is that you should always seek medical attention if you hurt yourself when on the slopes.

Though a helmet would not have protected Richardson, it can is in fact one of the most important pieces of equipment to have while snowboarding. Your head is very vulnerable when snowboarding, especially when you are in the terrain park, which is where the jumps and rails are located on the mountain. I have actually been to the mountain where Richardson had her accident at, it's located in Canada and it's called Mount Tremblant. Places such as this resort require you to wear a helmet while in their terrain park because of how much risky it is, and how much safer one is when wearing a helmet.

Richardson's death was a very unfortunate event, but what you can take away from it is that safety should be your number one priority while snowboarding. This sport can be very dangerous, therefore when you fall, always, always, always take the proper precautions before continuing to snowboard.

Handle With Care

The old saying goes, “You get what you give”, and when it comes to snowboarding, you must give your board proper treatment in order to get its full potential. There is no way to avoid it; frequent use of your snowboard will result in damages to its base and edges. On average, the damage done to the base of a snowboard ranges anywhere from small scratches to large gashes.

Maintaining your snowboard can be compared to the way you maintain your car. After a few thousand miles, you get an oil change, tire rotation, and an overall check-up on the car to make sure everything is working properly. All this is done depending on the way you drive your car, and the same goes for snowboarding. It’s wise to check your snowboard for scratches after every use, which can be done by running your hand down the board to feel for any gashes.

Similar to a car, you can take your board to a mechanic or you can fix the damages yourself, if you have enough expertise. I prefer to take my board to a mechanic for certain types of maintenance because I trust their skills over mine. The type of damage and maintenance that is best left to a mechanic is large gashes in the board and the grinding of your edges. It’s best to have the edges of your board grinded after about one hundred uses; this has a huge impact on the performance of your snowboard. Grinding the edges is when you, or a mechanic, sharpen the metal around the base of your board which increases the speed and overall performance of the board.

You can usually handle smaller scrapes with wax that you can purchase from a snowboard shop. Waxing your snowboard is something you should do before every use because it keeps debris from collecting on your board and it also reduces the friction between the board and the snow. As well as waxing your board, you should tighten the screws in your bindings because they tend to loosen up easily. Tight bindings are important for safe riding.
All of this standard maintenance has a dramatic effect on the performance of your board. After all, a snowboard is an expensive purchase and tedious maintenance is the best way to protect your investment.

What Do You Need?

Snowboarding requires a hand-full of materials that vary in price and quality. The basic components needed for this sport are:
-A Snowboard
-Snowboard Boots
-Gloves (Quality is very important)
-Waterproof Pants
-Waterproof Jacket
-Beanie (Hat)
-Goggles
-1 Thick Pair of Socks

The quality of these basic components will vary based on the snowboarder, but its extremely important to have a good pair of gloves. Glove quality is key because you will find that your hands have a lot of contact with the ground, and having wet, cold hands is not only uncomfortable but it's starts to become painful. I have found that the brand Columbia makes great gloves for a reasonable price.
The mountain at which you are snowboarding can have an effect on what you wear. For instance you may be in a place such as Vail, Colorado where all the basic components are needed, plus two extra thermal shirts, a double layer of pants, and a ski mask. Or you could be in a place such as Whitetail, Pennsilvania where you find the temperature to be warmer, warm enough to the point that a jacket makes you overheated.
Now that you know the basic components . . . . go snowboard!

The Story Behind The Story

I was introduced to snowboarding in the winter of 2004. Over the past few years, snowboarding has become more than just a sport to me. It’s a passion. In the beginning, I could barely make it five feet down the mountain without falling, but that didn't matter because I was in my element when I had a snowboard strapped to my feet.

Of all the sports out there, snowboarding has been my one love for about five years now. I am so passionate about snowboarding that I feel like it’s a relationship to me. That may sound odd to some, but if you have ever done something that you absolutely love, and you focus time and energy to continually grow and make it better, then it is like a relationship. For me, it’s been the best relationship ever! All reality gets put on hold when I turn on my Ipod, strap into my snowboard, and hop on the chairlift to head up the mountain. Snowboarding gives me an opportunity to put all my worries behind me for a couple hours, and I have found that it's one of the best stress relievers in the world. No worries, no stress, and lots of fun...what more could anyone ask for?

I set a goal every time I hit the slopes. Whether it's attempting a new trick or just trying a new run, I won’t leave the mountain until I reach my goal for that day. The adrenaline rush I get when accomplishing my goal is almost indescribable, and it leaves me with a great feeling of satisfaction. One of my most recent goals is still a work in progress. I am teaching my nine-year old brother how to snowboard, and he is doing very well. Snowboarding seems to come naturally to him, and he gets right back up when he falls. He keeps a good attitude and doesn’t give up. These are very important qualities to have when learning how to snowboard. I am having fun coaching him, and I hope that his passion for snowboarding grows as mine has over the years.

I love to push my limits in life, testing the capability of my body and mind, both of which I can do through snowboarding. I can see snowboarding always being a part of my life because it keeps me in competition with myself, and I believe that a person’s strongest competitor is him or herself.

Trial Run: Seaason 1

Snowboarding has been a sport that has always fascinated me, even before I ever tried it out. I actually stumbled across my first chance to snowboard in the winter of 2004 when my buddy, Cliff, offered to hand down his old snowboard to me.
Most beginner snowboarders start off with a rental board they get from the mountain or resort where they are skiing. Rental boards are typically a common name brand and are of average quality. In my case, I lucked out because I started off on my own board which was made by Burton, an upscale name brand of higher quality than rental boards.
Usually a beginner snowboarder starts with a snowboard lesson, but my first day was already planned out by my friends, all of who were experienced snowboarders. As I stared down the face of the expert slope at Wisp Mountain, I felt way in over my head, but I knew I would be fine because I had my close friend’s right beside me.
My trial run at snowboarding was great! I ended up falling a lot, and I even took out a few people in the process; but, I walked away from the experience in one piece. I had such an adrenaline rush leaving the mountain that day, and I couldn't wait to get back on the slopes!