Practice Day 1

This past Saturday we spent the whole day working on 4 of the Push Sports. Surfing, Stand up Paddle boarding, Mountain Boarding and Skate Boarding. To see what we did check out the Video Ryan edited.

Surfing:
After 2 months without getting in the Ocean , Ryan finally got in the ocean and
did some surfing while I shot video of him. He did good and made some sick drops. After a few hours he got out and we got some lunch at our favorite local grid in la Jolla, Wahoos Fish tacos.

Stand-Up Paddle Boarding:
After eating we went next door to our surf sponsor, Mitch’s Surf Shop and picked up 2 stand-up paddle Boards. We went out at Big Rock where it was only 2’ and had a nice left peeler. I rode a giant 12' Laird as seen in the photo and Ryan rode a 9'8" Slider. We both rode stand ups when we went to Fiji in December so we were able to get up pretty quick but it is still not as easy as it looks. Unlike regular surfing where you put one foot in front of the other, you place your tow feet side by side which feels totally wrong in comparison with sports like surfing, skateboarding or snow boarding. I caught a few waves in the first 10 minutes but had a hard time getting into the waves after that. I think the hardest part is the standing transition from a paddling stance to a surfing stance, that’s where I fall the most. After shooting some video and some photos, Ryan joined me and we paddled around for a good while, laughing at each other and hooting as we rode waves. Later we paddled to Wind an Sea and caught a few more waves.

Mountain Boarding:
We then headed home and picked up our Mountain boards that were sent to us at no charge from MBS. We loaded them up in my Toyota FJ and I towed Ryan up an asphalt road near our house. After a few runs we went to another road and Ryan went down a mellow trail and did pretty good. I then went down a steep hill and made it without any falls but I can tell that we really need to have a brake installed. I will be calling our sponsor Mountain Board Sports and see if they can help us out. These boards are amazing and I love the feeling, its a lot like snowboarding.

Skate Boarding:
Later we went to the Poway Skate Park and watched a bunch of guys rip it up. I must admit, it was intimidating watching all these young kids just shredding up the cement bowls. Braydon and I dropped into some small drops and looked like a couple of skate dorks, but hey, at least we did some drops. Ryan on the other hand sat watching and pondered his approach. After about 20 minutes I looked over and Ryan just stood up on his board and dropped into the large pool, I was in total shock! Unfortunately, it did not go as he had hoped and his board slipped out from under him and just before coming up the other side, he fell on his right side hip and it wasn’t pretty. He came up after wards embarrassed and eventually we left re thinking whether or not we should keep skateboarding on the Push list or take it off. I have a feeling that we may remove it but then again, the Push is all about overcoming your personal fears and doing things that you would otherwise never do. We'll see what happens.

In summery, it was a good day and we feel better prepared for the Push.

A day in the snow

I just got back from a business meeting in Utah and the next day my business partner Randy and I went snowboarding up at Solitude with no lines.  The weather was perfect, sunny and cool and perfect for playing in the snow. It was my first time ever to Snowboard and to be honest, I have always been afraid of snowboarding because of the possibility that I might re-injure my back after having two back surgeries in the early 90's. So for the last 12 years I have avoided any sports in the snow in total fear that a bad fall would put me under the knife again.  That was a dumb decision because I had no idea what I was missing for all these years.

After getting our boards and boots from the shop we hit the bunny slope, and one the first few runs i was frustrated on my lack of ability to gain control of my board. this seemed much harder thats i thought it would be. Then Randy told me that i really needed to dig in my rails deeper to gain control and that is when it all started to turn around and get better. After about 5 embarrassing runs, I was ready to move up and try something bigger. On the first run down a decent sized hill I only fell a few times and stayed at a medium speed most of the way. Then on the next few runs Randy and I went faster and I began to get the hang of it. It's kind of like surfing but much different on how you dig a rail and steer with your front foot. Randy was a great first time coach and we had a blast.

After some lunch of Chili beans and Pork sandwiches (dangerous when consumed together) in the lounge we went back to the slopes for more and eventually ended over at the jumps. I went first and took a few photos of Randy getting some air and on the next run he shot one of me getting baby-air. It wasn't very impressive but air none the less and it revealed how much room I have for improvement. The whole time I was there I was wishing that Ryan was with me. 

Over all, I loved snowboarding and cant believe it took me this long to try it out. I guess thats what the Push games are really all about, pushing you out of your comfort zone and commit to do something you never thought you would try. All I can say is that I can't wait to do it again, but next time it will be with my son.