I was amazed.
This marking period I really have been kicking it into gear and this Talk really went to show the hard work I had put in.
My inspiration for the talk began as I watched about 3 TED talks a night for all of spring break. That's about 20 talks. All of them had one huge element that I had never shown in a presentation before, something very simple. They all showed power and control of their ideas. The goal of my presentation was to own it; I wanted it to be mine.
I am imitating the O'Neill K. rubric
Time-
When running through the presentation at home I ran a little long most times (6-7 minutes), but when I present, I always end up leaving something out by accident. I would assume my presentation was over 5 minutes but not into the 6:30+ range.
Visual Components-
Since the rubric said for me to drive the presentation not the slides, I tried to limit my pictures and diagrams. I felt like the pictures and diagrams I used truly aided the presentation, but did not distract. Also, the videos I put in for my product could have been filmed a little bit smoother, but that wasn't me; I apologize.
Content-
I believe my content was strong and evenly balanced. I tried to let the crowd learn about fear just as much as snowboarding. I researched a lot including psychology, rotation dynamics, and snowboarding technique. There was definitely enough content given in my presentation, but I probably could have described things a little bit more.
Organization-
As I've seen in multiple TED Talks, they speaker usually has a full circle ending. I liked this concept so I threw a full circle ending in with a chronological sequence of events. I feel as if this was the best way to build a little suspense whether I landed the 360 or not (and that is not open for debate).
Delivery-
I think my delivery went well. I always end up speeding my words when I present. I tried as hard as I could to depress that a little bit, and I think I did a good job. This project was a little bit different in that I actually had genuine emotion for the subject. I hope this showed through. Some emotions I felt I was displaying were confidence, fear, embarrassment, and a smidgen of cocky-ness. That's the way I am!
Following the TED Commandments-
Like a normal human, I may have not reached some commandments. I don't think I made anyone laugh or cry, but I did show my inner self. I showed my embarrassment and frustration as well as my happiness. My dream was pretty big; I want to rid the world of fear! Could you imagine how successful we would all be?! I also brought a tiny bit of another speakers talk into mine with Jeremy and the NIKE logo. I also didn't read my talk. I knew from the start I was not going to use note cards. I just looks unprofessional, and everyone knows: when you look good, you feel good, you play good (present well). I wrapped up the talk in a good amount of time and was ready for the one question I had so I think I did pretty well overall but could have been funnier.
To be completely honest this is the best project I have ever done. I loved the concept and the presentation. I believe deserve a 27.5/30, I hope I earned it.
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Monday, April 1, 2013
Jose (the self proclaimed crazy Frenchman from Quebec)
When I arrived in Whistler Blackcomb I signed up for the Ride Tribe. It is like ski school, but its for snowboarders who aren't beginners.
My instructor for the first two days was Andy. He was fun, but he liked riding the alpine, (the high part of the mountain) so there was any time to practice rotations and spinning. Then Jose came along.
Jose is self proclaimed crazy Frenchman from Quebec that uses a doll (he also claims its an action figure) to teach some cool stuff. The third day we spent the entire learning how to spin. Surprisingly, the doll he named Terje (after the pro-snowboarder) helped tremendously.
I explained to him the progression I put together and he molded it slightly to his liking.
Since I already could do flat-land 360s, he suggested that we start the morning by doing jumps. All mornings that is all we did whether it was in the park or on the side of the run; we hit jumps everywhere.
The purpose of this was to master the pop or ollie. The pop or ollie highlights the board's contained energy. Once your front foot leaves the top of the jump, you lean on the tail till it bends, and then you release it to get your pop. He said once we perfected the ollie, spinning would become 100 times easier.
After lunch he decided we were ready to start spinning
This biggest thing he emphasized was the setup carve in the approach. He told us to be almost spinning by the time you get to the lip or the top of the jump. He showed us this by making us go off the jump at an angle. By doing this were pre-winding more than we would normally would. This was very helpful. He also mentioned to look over the shoulder and explode the shoulders at the take off.
At this point spinning was getting easier and easier.
This entire day was a 10/10. Jose is the man and he will never be forgotten.
"What did the snowman say to the other snowman? Does it smell like carrots over here? No! It tastes like rocks" -Jose (one of his priceless jokes)
My instructor for the first two days was Andy. He was fun, but he liked riding the alpine, (the high part of the mountain) so there was any time to practice rotations and spinning. Then Jose came along.
I explained to him the progression I put together and he molded it slightly to his liking.
Since I already could do flat-land 360s, he suggested that we start the morning by doing jumps. All mornings that is all we did whether it was in the park or on the side of the run; we hit jumps everywhere.
The purpose of this was to master the pop or ollie. The pop or ollie highlights the board's contained energy. Once your front foot leaves the top of the jump, you lean on the tail till it bends, and then you release it to get your pop. He said once we perfected the ollie, spinning would become 100 times easier.
After lunch he decided we were ready to start spinning
This biggest thing he emphasized was the setup carve in the approach. He told us to be almost spinning by the time you get to the lip or the top of the jump. He showed us this by making us go off the jump at an angle. By doing this were pre-winding more than we would normally would. This was very helpful. He also mentioned to look over the shoulder and explode the shoulders at the take off.
At this point spinning was getting easier and easier.
This entire day was a 10/10. Jose is the man and he will never be forgotten.
"What did the snowman say to the other snowman? Does it smell like carrots over here? No! It tastes like rocks" -Jose (one of his priceless jokes)
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Video Tutorials
One of the most common ways to learn any basic trick on a
snowboard is through tutorial videos. Now, there are an abundance of them, so I
have to pick and choose carefully, unless I want a 6-year-old telling me how to
spin.
My favorite sources are TransWorld Snow and Sierra
Snowboard.
TransWorld started out as a magazine, but it has evolved
into making productions as well. They also have TransWorld skate, wake, and
surf.
Sierra Snowboard is a professional YouTube channel that
delves into tricks from a rider’s standpoint.
The first video I watched comes from TransWorld Snowboarding 20 Tricks Volume 5. Sage Kotsenburg hosts
it.
Keys:
·
You don’t need a huge jump
·
Approach
o
When you hit the bottom of the tranny, switch
from your toes to a flat base
o
When you reach the lip you want to be a tiny bit
on your heels, but not too much. You do not need a lot of set up carve for
this.
·
Lift off
o
Pop THEN start to turn your board. This
will prevent you from catching an edge
o
Pop off heels
o
Start with turning upper body then have your
legs follow you in the air
o
Turn your head and look right underneath your
shoulder
·
Landing
o
Spot landing at 270 degrees
o
Land toward your toes (if you land on your heels
you’ll wash out)
·
Trick to
the Trick
o
Make the takeoff perfect (don’t pre-spin or
carve too hard)
The second video I consulted was TransWorld Snowboarding FunDuhMentals 20 Tricks. Pat Moore hosts it.
Keys:
·
Pick a small jump
o
Be comfortable with jump
o
Know the jump’s speed
·
Takeoff
o
Be on heel-side edge, but centered over
board
o
Jump with
the jump (don’t fight the force of the tranny)
o
Rotate shoulders at lip
·
In the air
o
Look over your shoulder
o
Commit through blind-spot; do not hesitate
o
Keep the board centered up under you until you
see the landing
·
Landing
o
Stay relaxed!
·
Trick to
the Trick
o
Keep turning your head
The third video I watched was Snowboard Trick Tips: Frontside 360 by Sierra Snowboard.
Keys:
· Approach
o Have enough speed to get to the sweet spot of the landing
o Have a little bit of pre-wind in upper body
o Take off from heel-edge
· Takeoff
o Extend legs
o Square shoulders with board
o Once you lock your core the spin will follow
· In the air
o Head and shoulders lead the rotation
o Keep looking over the lead shoulder to score the rotation
· Landing
o Stare at your toe-edge
· Trick to the Trick
o DO NOT stare at the landing before you takeoff
My summary:
· Pick a small jump that you have hit before
· Approach
o Keep your speed slightly on heel-edge
· Takeoff
o Rotate upper body before lower body
· In the air
o Keep looking over shoulder
· Landing
o Stomp the landing on toe-edge
· My Trick to the Trick
o Fully Commit.
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Monday, March 11, 2013
Update 2
So I got to go up to Bear Creek on March 2nd and March 10th.
The majority of the first trip was focused on the flat-land 360s and some straight airs. The jump wasn't that big, but it was very easy to get used to. It was probably three feet high at most with a landing of 40 degrees. Because it was an small easy kicker, we just kept hitting it and hiking back up to avoid the snail of a lift.
Wrap-Up: 7 out of 10. Very good day, but the snow was very slow.
The second trip was centered around the 180. Headed up the lift and found the same little kicker. Since I knew it so well, I figured it would be the best place to start. Now there are two different ways to approaching the 180.
Front side: The positives of a front-side one 180 is seeing your landing the entire time. It is usually the first way to go when learning a spin. This spin requires you to pop off your heel-side of the board opening you hips to the bottom of the mountain.
Back-side: This is harder, in which you are landing blind. Definitely a lot more stylish and you get more respect. This spin requires you pop off your toe-side of the board opening your hips the top of the mountain.
The majority of the first trip was focused on the flat-land 360s and some straight airs. The jump wasn't that big, but it was very easy to get used to. It was probably three feet high at most with a landing of 40 degrees. Because it was an small easy kicker, we just kept hitting it and hiking back up to avoid the snail of a lift.
Wrap-Up: 7 out of 10. Very good day, but the snow was very slow.
The second trip was centered around the 180. Headed up the lift and found the same little kicker. Since I knew it so well, I figured it would be the best place to start. Now there are two different ways to approaching the 180.
Front side: The positives of a front-side one 180 is seeing your landing the entire time. It is usually the first way to go when learning a spin. This spin requires you to pop off your heel-side of the board opening you hips to the bottom of the mountain.
Although the back-side felt more natural to me, I could not keep my balance toward the landing; I would slip out. I ended up very easily doing it front-side. It makes a huge difference when you tweak your shoulders into the position described in the rotational dynamics blog post.
Wrap-Up: 8 out of 10. Super day filled with a little bit of risk taking. Snow was still slow.
http://snowboarding.transworld.net/files/2010/08/radichmtndewjkoiafs360melonseq.jpg
http://img.fotocommunity.com/photos/12025793.jpg
Just Do It... but I'm scared
So far the hardest thing about my
project hasn’t been researching rotational dynamics or getting mountain time;
it is simply sitting above the jump, staring at the coping, and just thinking
what if this goes wrong, and I end up looking like a Barbie that has been abused
for five years.
In realizing this thought is holding me back, I researched the psychology of BASE jumpers. BASE jumpers jump off the top of ledges and at the last second open their shoot and save themselves from becoming a pancake. Now what is crazier than that?
Every time a BASE jumper lands successfully, their experience becomes more and more positive. You can increase your courage and humility by participating in activities that have a chance of death or strike fear. When there is a repeated exposure to the fear, like the ledge of great height, the emotion slowly becomes positive. This can ultimately lead people to seek more dangerous thrills. Eventually extreme sportsmen perceive fear as something positive.
After researching and understanding this concept, I had an epiphany. The rush of endorphins, dopamine, and norepinephrine (your body's natural chemicals that reward you with a good feeling), is something you can get addicted to like drugs! The more you do it, the more you want to do. The rush of safely doing something that could go terribly wrong releases endorphin. Endorphin is 100 times more powerful than morphine.
Now how does this apply to me?
Based on my
research, the more I hit those jumps and land them the more comfortable I will
be with accomplishing more difficult things in the air, but it will not be
until I actually go throw the spin that I will be able to truly see that I can
over come my fear. I guess NIKE is right when they say Just Do It.
When I get to Whistler, I am going to pick one jump and hit it all week. I am going to know the prep, the takeoff, and the landing like the back of my hand. Then I shall throw the mighty 360.
Brymer, Erik, and Lindsay Oades. "The Psychology of Extreme Sports – Addicts, Not Loonies." POPULAR SOCIAL SCIENCE. POPULAR SOCIAL SCIENCE, 15 Nov. 2012. Web. 11 Mar. 2013.
Colter, Steven. "The Addictive Nature of Adrenaline Sports." Psychology Today. Psychology Today, 15 Mar. 2008. Web. 11 Mar. 2013.
McGrath, Patrick B., Phd. "Do Something That Scares You." Psychology Today. Psychology Today, 12 Feb. 2012. Web. 11 Mar. 2013.
Friday, March 8, 2013
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Update
Spring is getting busy and I really want to get out to a mountain to start practicing. This project is a really good lever to get my dad to let me go snowboarding!
Lacrosse is starting, and this is the last Friday and Saturday I have off. I have talked to my friends and we already anticipate to head up this weekend. I am going to make a video documentation of my entire experience.
This weekend I'm and going to master the flat-land 360 and introduce myself to prolonged air jumps. I'll let you know how it goes.
Lacrosse is starting, and this is the last Friday and Saturday I have off. I have talked to my friends and we already anticipate to head up this weekend. I am going to make a video documentation of my entire experience.
This weekend I'm and going to master the flat-land 360 and introduce myself to prolonged air jumps. I'll let you know how it goes.
Rotational Dyanamics
This is a struggle.
I would have never thought that this concept would be so hard to understand. I love science, especially physics. so I assumed this would come easy to me. I've talked to two science teachers, Ryan and MacMinn, and both started writing formulas on the SMARTboard that, to me, looked like hieroglyphics.
I've been surfing YouTube and have found a some videos explaining torque and angular momentum, two huge parts of rotational dynamics. These videos are extremely helpful but I still need some guidance. Later today, I am going to try to get switched out of my I/E and head into the 'Physics Support' one instead. MacMinn told me he'd help me and I feel as if he would be a wonderful source for my investigation.
While talking to my Dad about the project and telling him about how hard the concept of rotational dynamics was, he made a good point. He told me that spinning is spinning so think of other things that spin and research the technique how to do that. BAM a whirling figure skater comes bashing into my brain.
What I have found out about spinning from figure skating:
*Corking is when the snowboarder starts to spin vertically instead of horizontally. This is applied in very extreme tricks.
I will apply this to my technique by opening my shoulder the way that is explained by the skater and also condense myself as much as possible to maximize my angular velocity.
Putting the science into a more familiar idea really helps me understand the concept. I'll probably end up trying this in the classroom as well.
Technical Figure Skating: http://web.dit.upm.es/~jantonio/personal/patinaje/
Steve Spangler Experiment: http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/experiment/ice-skating-spin
I would have never thought that this concept would be so hard to understand. I love science, especially physics. so I assumed this would come easy to me. I've talked to two science teachers, Ryan and MacMinn, and both started writing formulas on the SMARTboard that, to me, looked like hieroglyphics.
I've been surfing YouTube and have found a some videos explaining torque and angular momentum, two huge parts of rotational dynamics. These videos are extremely helpful but I still need some guidance. Later today, I am going to try to get switched out of my I/E and head into the 'Physics Support' one instead. MacMinn told me he'd help me and I feel as if he would be a wonderful source for my investigation.
What I have found out about spinning from figure skating:
- If your body is not balanced in the air you will travel off center causing what is called corking* in snowboarding. To address this they say it has nothing to do with the placement of your arms, it has to do with a bending of shoulders. One shoulder should be slightly bent forward while the other is bent slightly backward. This will keep your body in a balanced state and maximize your revolutions.
- The more center the object rotation is the faster it should spin. That is the reason the skaters hold their arms close to speed up and reach them out to slow down at the end of their spin. This all has to do with the conservation of momentum.
*Corking is when the snowboarder starts to spin vertically instead of horizontally. This is applied in very extreme tricks.
I will apply this to my technique by opening my shoulder the way that is explained by the skater and also condense myself as much as possible to maximize my angular velocity.
Putting the science into a more familiar idea really helps me understand the concept. I'll probably end up trying this in the classroom as well.
Technical Figure Skating: http://web.dit.upm.es/~jantonio/personal/patinaje/
Steve Spangler Experiment: http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/experiment/ice-skating-spin
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Introduction
Snowboarding
is the way I get high up in the mountains and let the snow guide me down. My
love for snowboarding comes along with the fact that I enjoy learning new
things. I’ve come to a point where I have mastered everything I need to ride
the mountain, but now I want to take it to a new level. I want to learn the
most efficient way to execute a 360 spin. This will involve researching
rotational dynamics, watching or reading professionals explain how they do it,
practice and commitment. Before I present, I am traveling to the home of the
2010 Vancouver Olympics: Whistler Blackcomb. There, I shall take a high-quality
video of me putting all my knowledge together and attempting the trick. After I
complete it, I will officially become a snow-bum.
I was fortunate
enough to be up in the mountains since the age of two. I started skiing in ski
school every year. I’ve traveled to Whistler Blackcomb, Park City,
Breckenridge, Canyons and Killington. In each different place I kept learning
and eventually became swayed to the side of snowboarding.
I started snowboard at the age of
eight in Breckenridge, Colorado. I liked the concept of having both of your
feet attached to the board at the same time. In my mind, it looked harder to
get hurt. Plus ski boots are like big bricks tied on to you feet and shins. I
also watched snowboarding on TV and the tricks looked so much more extreme.
Now, I’ve been snowboarding for
about seven years and a friendly competition has erupted. My friends and I (the
ride crew) send each other videos of us doing a trick, or getting some air; then
we all try to mimic it, or exceed the last video. If I am able to execute a 360,
I will have the best trick in the ride crew.
Everyone seems to be concerned with my safety. I can assure you that my father has required me to wear plenty of equipment, which includes a helmet, wrist-guards, etc. Safety is the number one priority, and with my research I should be able to conquer the trick and not fall at all.
I am aware that the 360 is a underestimated trick and I will have to progress by doing simpler tricks before I complete the entire rotation. I should be comfortable spinning before I even enter the air, so I am going to learn how to flat-land 360. This first step is a full rotation without ever leaving the ground. After mastering spinning on the ground, I shall take it into the air. Before I go for the entire trick I am going to get used to being in the air for an extended amount of time. I plan to hit jumps and try to get a minimum of two seconds of air time (this should be enough time to spin in the future). After I have both spun on the ground and done some straight airs, I will combine them into a 180 (half of a three sixty) to introduce myself to spinning in the air. Once I feel comfortable spinning in the air, I'm going to give myself an motivational speech going up the lift, my boys will cheer me on as I attempt the 360. If I follow this plan, this will be a a piece of cake.
The resources I plan to use are my science and math teacher to learn about rotational dynamics and angular acceleration, and I will use TRANSworld magazine to refer to for tutorials and articles regarding the trick. On YouTube and other video sites I will look for X-Games clips to use for evaluating professionals and applying their moves to my attempt.
Everyone seems to be concerned with my safety. I can assure you that my father has required me to wear plenty of equipment, which includes a helmet, wrist-guards, etc. Safety is the number one priority, and with my research I should be able to conquer the trick and not fall at all.
I am aware that the 360 is a underestimated trick and I will have to progress by doing simpler tricks before I complete the entire rotation. I should be comfortable spinning before I even enter the air, so I am going to learn how to flat-land 360. This first step is a full rotation without ever leaving the ground. After mastering spinning on the ground, I shall take it into the air. Before I go for the entire trick I am going to get used to being in the air for an extended amount of time. I plan to hit jumps and try to get a minimum of two seconds of air time (this should be enough time to spin in the future). After I have both spun on the ground and done some straight airs, I will combine them into a 180 (half of a three sixty) to introduce myself to spinning in the air. Once I feel comfortable spinning in the air, I'm going to give myself an motivational speech going up the lift, my boys will cheer me on as I attempt the 360. If I follow this plan, this will be a a piece of cake.
The resources I plan to use are my science and math teacher to learn about rotational dynamics and angular acceleration, and I will use TRANSworld magazine to refer to for tutorials and articles regarding the trick. On YouTube and other video sites I will look for X-Games clips to use for evaluating professionals and applying their moves to my attempt.
Example:
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