Snowboarding

2024/06/06

My friend Ken has enjoyed snowboarding for fourteen years.

He talked about snowboarding’s strengths: improving snowboarding skills,

gut challenges, and the importance of interactions with his snowboarding

colleague; and he also mentioned some problems relating to snowboarding.

Today I will share his story of how he has been involved in snowboarding

and has continued snowboarding for a long time.

I will further share with you a broader view of snowboarding as an occupation

in my next post. 

Snowboarding

Ken is in his middle thirties.

He started working in a hospital in a local city fourteen years ago.

Since then, he has enjoyed snowboarding with his coworkers.

After the COVID restrictions, none of his coworkers resumed

snowboarding, so Ken went snowboarding by himself. 

He was excited to practice some snowboarding techniques.

He was satisfied when he succeeded in sliding a snowy slope and

making circles.

He also was excited when he stopped wherever he wanted to.

While Ken is snowboarding, he forgets everything about his daily life.

After sliding a slope, he feels happy and he gets a sense of

accomplishment.

Every time Ken improves his snowboarding skill, he gets more attracted

to snowboarding.

Ken’s favorite way of snowboarding is to pass over obstacles while

sliding down a slope.

While passing over an obstacle, it felt like being in a roller coaster ride

as he went up on it and then sliding down rapidly on the other side.

He concentrated on and passed over tree stumps and jumping slopes

that appeared before him one by one.

At the time he was learning to do this, he easily fell and got injured

because he was accelerating down the slope and his body was

attached to the snowboard.

His shoulder was once dislocated and he even broke his helmet.

But he likes the thrill of it.

He also has the feeling that his body flies after he kicks the slope

with the edge of his snowboard to make a turn. T

he sense of floating appeals to him a lot.

It’s addictive. He can’t quit snowboarding.

 Ken’s post in the application

for snowboarders

Snowboarding is a solo sport, but Ken discovers other snowboarding

strengths while interacting with his snowboarding colleagues in ski resorts.

The snowboarders respect each other a lot, share important information

about the weather, ski resorts, and snowboarding goods and coach

each other about a new skill.

They proudly let other snowboarders use their snowboards.

Ken records his jumps and distances using an application (phone app)

recommended by one of his snowboarding colleagues.

He is happy to enjoy the praise of his colleagues while reading their posts.

Thanks to his colleagues, he is motivated to continue snowboarding.

Ken doesn’t always improve his performance, but he is inspired and

motivated by his colleagues to continue snowboarding.

He particularly enjoys what he calls a "session," like a jam session:

a couple of musicians improvisationally enjoy playing music.　

Two snowboarders slide down a slope side by side or in front and behind.

Throughout the session, Ken concentrates on both his performance

and the other’s.

While sliding down, each snowboarder coordinates his own movements

and speed according to the performance of the other snowboarder.

At the end of their slide, they praise each other’s performance.

Sessions such as this with other snowboarders inspire Ken to continue

snowboarding and to enjoy it even more than earlier.

Ken feels confident as a snowboarder. He has enjoyed snowboarding

and grown as a snowboarder.

He and his snowboarding colleagues have supported each other.

Thanks to snowboarding, he can refresh and it makes it easier to

continue his daily life.

Ken has recently married and will become a father and he has decided

to prioritize family life. So, how to organize his new family life but still

to continue snowboarding, is his biggest assignment right now.