Final Essay

This essay is about a very exciting trip with a friend to Colorado. Once there my friend and I took snowboarding lessons, and honestly, they changed my life. I learned to be more patient with myself, and I also became more independent. Jessica and I not only learned to NOT go on Black Trails, but we learned to a lot about each other. I chose to write a multi-genre essay about my trip because when the sun is directly on you, and your soaring down a mountain, you have a ton of different emotions running through you. This essay is going to try and express those is new and different ways.

Below me, I see nothing.

Nothing that matters, that is.

White. All I see is white.

But I don't look down.

Why must it be so cold?

I can see my breath quicken.

In the air, it doesn't matter if you’re sunburned.

It doesn't matter if you’re the best.

It doesn’t matter if you’re the worst.

All that matters is landing.

Landing will get you that much closer to what you want most,

Nailing it.

Female participation in snowboarding is estimated at 25% by the Ski Industries of America.

Snowboarding, once considered the domain of poorly dressed, rude and radical rebels, debuted as a medal sport at the 1998 Olympic Games in Nagano, Japan.

As skiing continues to lose participants, snowboarding has soared into an $800 million dollar a year industry.

Snowboarding ranks as the fastest growing sport in the world, with huge companies like American Express and Baby Gab using snowboarders as marketing tools. Transworld Snowboarding called it "steroid like growth".

In fact, there are four ski resorts in the US that has banned snowboarding!

Snowboarding was first invented by Sherman Poppen in the year 1965.

Courtesy of http://www.powproductions.com/facts.html

MARCH 17TH, 2008

today was the coldest day yet. As I write this, my magenta lips tingle, as they defrost from the spring frost. Something about St. Patrick's Day makes me want to be back in Savannah, and not with this awful ski instructor, Christian. There are kids dressed up in festive goggles and hats, skis and snowboards, and I have to wonder what's going on at the beach back home. As Christian was yelling at me, all I could think about was the Savannah greenery and humid air. After lunch I got a little happier, because Sara, who is only 16, played with her food the whole time and got our instructor mad. After our lesson, Dr. Schlafstien took us out to dinner at this sushi restaurant. We arrived to calming music and a Zen atmosphere. Dinner was funny because Alli, a picky eater, tried sushi for the first time and loved it! She is about to go off to college soon, so we used that as an excuse to try something new. Midway through the meal, Alli got up to go to the bathroom, but we only took it lightly. Before she came back, the waiter came and Dr. Schlafstien asked for the bill. Confused, the waitress looked for Alli and said, "That young lady already took care of it.", meaning Alli had paid for our whole dinner when she went to go to the bathroom! At first the Schlafstien’s were mad, but then they laughed and we went back home. The look on Alli's face was so funny!

AN INTERVIEW WITH MADDIE LEFFLER, FIRST TIME SNOWBOARDER.

Q: Hey! How was your first trip to Vail, CO?
M: It was so much fun! I had never been to such a cold place before, and I had never seen that much snow! It was so cool learning how to shovel snow out of the driveway and learn how to snowboard.

Q: I heard you had a weird snowboarding instructor...tell us about him.
M: He was so creepy! The first time I was going on a chairlift I was so nervous. I guess he could tell, so he started talking about TV shows. Too nervous to think, I said I don't have any favorites. He then explained that the best shows were the ones like "Rock of Love" and "A Shot at Love". He started telling me about one episode that was his favorite, and he got so into it he totally forgot to help me get off the chairlift! The man inside the booth didn't notice us, so he didn't slow the chairlift down and I fell! Not only was it embarrassing, but he didn't even help me up! He then said that I wasn't very good, and that I might need to stay behind while the rest of the group goes down the first mountain. It was awful!

Q: That's awful! But I'm glad you had fun!
M: Thanks! I did!