Have a little faith…

Although not deeply religious, I would consider myself a deep believer in the power of faith… my father would tell me growing up that I could do anything as long as I put my mind to it, and to a large degree, I have to say… he was right. I will admit, it is easier said than done at times; especially when it comes to things like walking on water, but when you have the focus, persistence and truly believe that you can do something… your chances for success increase exponentially and that’s a fact.

It is no secret that pro athletes have used the tactic of envisioning the task before them to prepare themselves mentally. A perfect example was the past Winter Olympics… I am sure almost everyone remembers Lindsey Vonn winning the Women’s Gold Medal in downhill skiing. What I remember more than anything is seeing Lindsey standing at the top of the hill before her run… somewhat bobbing and weaving. She had memorized the course and was going through the turns in her head. Combining this with muscle memory enables the body to react faster and more accurately when under stress.

The power of this exercise is unmistakable. I am not sure what is going on as far as your neurons firing and such, but there is definitely some connection that takes place between the metaphysical to the physiological capabilities of a human being. It is proof in my mind that training, both mind and body is much more powerful than just pumping iron so to speak.

This is nothing new really. You may have also seen master illusionists like Houdini and David Blaine push the limits a of what the human body can withstand by submerging themselves without air for hours or encasing themselves in ice for days. Both illusionists say they were able to do these feats by going to a trance, controlling their breathing and training. Many discount this as trickery, but pro athletes like freediver and World Record holder Carlos Coste of Venezuela make you think twice. Athletes like Carlos, who in 2003 dove 102 meters (312 feet) underwater without assistance or an oxygen tank are also pushing the limits of what was previously considered impossible by training their mind and bodies.

Other Examples?

A. FMX poster child and Nitro Circus ring leader Travis Pastrana wowed crowds at X Games 15 last summer with his rodeo 720 attempt on a 250lb motorcycle.

B. Big Mountain Skiers like Titus Engelborg, Leo Brayman, and Jamie Pierre are doing front flips off cliffs in excess of 200ft, without a parachute!

C. And now Sebastian Vanderwerf, Miguel Delfortrie, Ulf Gartner and their buddies are… walking on water?

Although the Hi-Tec liquid mountaineering video has finally been claimed as a viral marketing hoax created by Amsterdam creative agency CCCP, the believability of it can not be denied… the accomplishment is not a physical win, it is a creative win. The video topped the YouTube charts as one of the most viewed videos in less than two weeks.

I guess my point is this… when you feel challenged in life, just remind yourself of these conquering moments in each of these individuals personal history and think about how many people told them it couldn’t be done.

Remember… mind over matter, anything is possible as long as you put your mind to it. Use the force!

Case in point: Describe your idea of a good time,

A. Jumping off 40′ cliffs into 3 feet of fresh snow

B. Base Jumping from a 2500′ foot cliff in the Swiss Alps

C. Doing double gainers off 80′ cliffs into emerald pools of water

D. All of the above

If you are looking for E. None of the above, this might be a stretch for you to appreciate, but for many of my friends, local acquaintances and Squaw Valley fixture, J.T. Holmes the answer without reservation would be D. All of the above. I have to say that it must be something in the air around Tahoe because J. T. is considered by myself and most of the folks who know him to be just as normal as they come and just an all around talented good guy who enjoys pushing the envelope wherever it may be and having fun while doing so.

Whether you’re willing to stand side by side with J. T. or not you will definitely enjoy watching him show off his wing suit in this 60′ Minutes feature which aired last night:

Watch CBS News Videos Online

Do you love the feel of snowboarding, but live in a warm weather climate? Well now you can carve your favorite hills like it is the dead of winter in your skivvies! Check out the Freebords with the 3G truck system. They are soooo sick!

PS – my birthday is saturday if you are feeling generous!

As reported by The Southland Times, a newspaper out of Queenstown, New Zealand, “Two high-profile United States snowboarders, one understood to be a Winter Olympics double medallist, will appear in court next week charged with possessing cannabis.”

The Wanaka police department, who stopped the snowboarders for a random roadside breath test, did not release the names of the snowboarders, only ages: 26 and 21. They also disclosed that the pair allegedly had in their car “not an insignificant amount” of marijuana.

The paper also states that “The 26-year-old man has been called an influential snowboarder, while the younger man, who has visited New Zealand before, is vying to represent the US at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver next year.”

Based on the information released by the authorities and what the paper has reported, here’s what we can only speculate from what we know to be true: both Grenade founder and pro snowboarder Danny Kass, age 26 and a two-time silver medalist, and Louie Vito, age 21, are presently in New Zealand and have been since July 30th.

It is also confirmed that Kass and Vito, who are close friends, are traveling together as told to ESPN by a source close to Kass, though the source (who requested anonymity) could not confirm the arrest. Vito has also made several comments about the trip on his Twitter account: “Made it to NZ. Dan picked up an ILL van, pics coming soon.” As well, Kass wrote a Twitter post about his trip to New Zealand on July 28: “Heading to New Zealand going to the South Island.” Wanaka, the town where the snowboarders were arrested, is located on the South Island.

Corrections to be made to this speculation as official news becomes available…
via: Southland Times

The action has been non-stop after draggin my ass 6 hours to socal…. worth every ounce of gas to get here though. I was able to catch much of the FMX and rally events and the semifinals for the skate sessions and big air and have been absolutely blown away.

I mean it is one thing to sit from the comfort of my leather couch with a John Daly in one hand and a bucket of KFC in the other, but seeing these athletes defy the nature of gravity in person puts a new perspective on the dimension of lunacy that these folks live in. I am no stranger to catching 50′ airs, but usually have the comfort of 4+ feet of powder to cushion my fall if something goes wrong. These folks are huckin their meat over hard ground, and “without a net”!

Sooo many new faces this year, names I had never heard of and the old standards… Lasek, Burnquist, Twitch, Pastrana, Deegan and Foust were turning it out just the same. Although there were numerous upsets this year, there were some truly amazing moments as well. Despite coming up short, Travis Pastrana made my facial expression go from a jaw drop to a major wince during his FMX run when he threw his rodeo 720… yep! Couldn’t take my eyes off him while shaking my head in disbelief. Word has it, he had never even done this trick before…

And then there was the big air contest… where veteran skater Danny Way took a win with his switch 50/50 on the massive rail which had not been there during previous years… as if the ramp wasn’t big enough Danny won on a injured knee and rolled ankle which rumor has it is broken. The ramp itself simply made your throat swell and go gulp at the site of it, the only words that came out of my mouth when I saw this thing was, “are they seriously gonna jump that thing”? Amazingly nobody was seriously hurt or impaled on the enormous rainbow rail this year despite ridiculously absurd runs from the likes of Andy Macdonald and 21 year old Rob Lorifice who pulled of a 540 Rodeo which he landed, no doubt disappointing a few spectators after the excitement of numerous near death experiences from Jake Brown and Way the past few years. Did I mention this thing is frickin massive! Several skaters who were on the roster backed out at the last minute due to the shakey shakes… lol. I can’t say that I blame them one bit!

So much good stuff I wish it could never end…

Big Air Photos: Chris Tedesco

In her much-anticipated X Games debut, motocross teen sensation Ashley Fiolek didn’t disappoint.

Fiolek, who has been deaf since birth, took first place in Women’s Moto X Super X on Saturday night. “X Games are a big deal for women and anyone in action sports,” said Fiolek through her translator and father Jim. “So to come here and do this well, I’m very excited.”

The 18-year-old Fiolek’s debut was delayed after an injury forced her to withdraw from last year’s games. She made up for it with a strong performance in what was the highest billing a women’s X Games event has received on ESPN.

“Last year I was really bummed, I wanted to come here and do good,” Fiolek said. “This year I was really motivated. I came out here and had a great race.”

After not getting out of the gate particularly well, Fiolek worked her way into second place. She spent the remainder of the race locked in a matchup with Jessica Patterson for the top spot.

On the second turn of the final lap, she made her move, overtaking her competitor and not looking back. Fiolek crossed the finish line in 372.47 with her left fist pumping through the air.

“I knew it was white flag, I knew I had to hurry,” Fiolek said. “I got out front and just wanted to stay steady.”

Patterson came across in 375.83 and Elizabeth Bash finished third at 397.32.

via Associated Press