Notes from the X Games: Consistency Pays Off

Now that Dew Tour is over I have had about a week to regroup. I was feeling pretty calm and collected going into the 2^nd stop of the Dew Tour contest, despite the fact I had just been up in Canada riding powder for two weeks. It seems like the snow just keeps following me though, because last week it snowed the entire week in Utah where I was meant to be “training” for Xgames.

Powder riding doesn’t really prepare me for hitting 60 to 70 foot jumps. However, because I am part of the DC team I had a secret weapon -  the DC Mnt Lab, which is located in Park City. This lodge style home is set up with every kind of convenience and I can strap into my snowboard on the front porch and drop into jibs, and most importantly a 50 by 45 foot air bag. Even though it snowed all week long while I was preparing for X Games,  I think all the powder riding was beneficial.

I am now in Aspen at the X Games and the course is amazing but challenging as expected. Unfortunately we’ve been battling bad weather conditions and this has caused continuous changes in the course daily. Tomorrow is our contest day and we all have our fingers crossed that the weather will hold and our minds will stay confident and clear. Tune into ESPN on Sunday for live broadcasts of the event.

(Ed. Note:  Winter X Games 14 is on in Aspen, Colo., from Thursday, Jan. 28 to Sunday, Jan. 31. Much of the event will air live on ESPN and ESPN2. Join us as we cheer Kimmy on and be sure to catch the Snowboard Slopestyle Women’s Final on ESPN on Sunday, Jan. 31 )

Related Posts:

Prepping for the X Games
Bring on winter
Adventures in filming

Winter X Games 14: Bring it on

As temperatures drop, the excitement heats up in Aspen, which is hosting the Winter X Games for the ninth consecutive year. Most of the action will take place over the next four days – and the invited rider list reads like a who’s who of winter sports. This year’s Games should prove to be a showcase for the progress female action sports athletes have made in the genre.

Highlights of WX14 will include snowboarder Torah Bright and freeskier Sarah Burke who are both returning to Aspen in a bid to reclaim gold.

You’ll also see a lot of halfpipe queen Gretchen Bleiler. The only woman to win WX SuperPipe 3 times, Gretchen also has silver from WX ‘07, silver from the 2006 Torino Olympics Halfpipe and an ESPY as 2008’s Best Female Action Sports Athlete.

In boardercross, 24-year-old Lindsey Jacobellis is considered royalty and ranked #1 in the FIS World Cup for 2009. She is an Olympic silver medalist from 2006 and five-time WX Games gold medalist.

Two years ago , Jamie Anderson became the youngest X Game gold winner when she won the women’s snowboard slopestyle. The Two-time WX Slopestyle gold medalist Anderson fractured her hip two weeks before WX ‘09. At the U.S. Open two months later, she ruptured her spleen, bringing a cruel end to the roughest season of her young career. But she kicked off the 2009/10 season right: winning the Billabong BroDown in Aug., Burton New Zealand Open in Nov. and Dew Tour Breck last month.

Also not to be overlooked is Kelly Clark, 26, who is competing in her tenth Winter X Games. One of the most decorated women in competitive snowboarding; Kelly has collected 6 WX SuperPipe medals, Olympic gold from the ‘02 Games, an ESPY for 2002 Action Sport Athlete of the Year and has won the Grand Prix Halfpipe title each of the past three years.

As one of the most X-treme winter sports events in the world, Winter X attracts an international array of gravity-defying athletes. Money (record purses this year), medals and worldwide fame are all up for grabs as athletes compete in skiing, snowboard and snocross so catch all the action today through Sunday.

Get ready to be X-cited for X-cellent performances. Some of the weekend’s highlights include:

Sat. Jan. 30: 2:00 – 3:30 pm Snowboard Snowboarder X  Women’s Final
Sat. Jan. 30: 7:30 – 8:30 pm Snowboard SuperPipe Women’s Final
Sun. Jan. 31: 10:00 – 12:15 pm Skiier X Women’s Final
Sun. Jan. 31: 12:00 – 1:00 pm Snowboard Slopestyle Women’s Final

Winter X Games 14 is on in Aspen, Colo., from Thursday, Jan. 28 to Sunday, Jan. 31. Much of the event will air live on ESPN and ESPN2.

Pretty Tough Trivia: “Superman” is not the man of steel; it’s when a rider lays flat in the air, both hands reach under the board to grab the toe side and or the shin of each boot, both legs are bent and the board is pulled up behind the rider.

Preparing for X Games. A journey through the mind of an athlete.

Preparation for X Games is always a little bit intimidating because the expectations are typically so much higher than at any other contest. The jumps are bigger, the crowds are bigger, all the sponsors are there and to top it off it’s a world wide televised event. This year I am switching things up and am going to do my best to maintain a clear, confident, and determined mind, while also remembering that I snowboard because I love it and not because of what others think about me.

My preparation has begun with the 2nd stop of the Dew Tour, which is taking place as I write this at Snowbasin in Utah. I had a few hours of practice on the course yesterday and this morning and we competed in qualifiers this afternoon. Today proved to be a day of transition, in which my mind remembered how park felt in comparison to powder. Considering I was up in Canada for the last two weeks shredding bottomless powder I am feeling rather comfortable back on the slopestyle course. I qualified 3rd and will compete in the Finals on Sunday.

Bouncing from powder back to park can be a hard transition because each task takes different mental planning. Though I have to be really focused for both, the backcountry is really quiet and feels like a giant soft playground with endless options and limited high impact consequences. In contrast, contests are on hard pack snow and the jumps are fairly big and potentially intimidating. Contests also have a lot more distractions, i.e., friends, crowds, judges, event coordinators. These distractions can add to an athlete’s riding or possible take away from their riding. I am in the process of learning how to be in control of my mind during these transitions. With X Games only a couple weeks away I am trying to find a balance between a focused and controlled mind while still being able to push myself to learn new tricks. I want to be having fun while I’m competing and training but I also have to stay motivated to reach new limits.

My current focus is to be calm, collected, and patient with my riding. My goal for this weekend is to turn off my mind and let my body do the work it has been programmed to do.

(Ed. Note:  The Winter X Games 14 will take place January 28-31, 2010 in Apsen Colorado.  Join us as we cheer Kimmy on and be sure to catch the Snowboard Slopestyle Women’s Final on ESPN on Sunday, Jan. 31)

Kimmy Fasani: Welcome to winter – let the adventures begin!

December is around the corner so it’s time to walk ourselves into the gym and get a membership. Let’s get serious about getting our muscles firing for those groomer and powder days. I will be spending November and December dedicated to refining my diet by eating lots of protein and foods packed with energy. These things, with a hearty workout, will hopefully make my body ready to start a quick coming season. I know I’ve mentioned working out in my past posts. Health is a topic that is very important to me and there is always something to discuss.

In order to get the results I want for the early season scramble I need to ensure I am eating lots of protein, which helps muscles grow and expand. I will also make sure to stay away from simple sugars and focus on and maintain a diet high in calories, fiber, and carbohydrates. These items will keep my body going with energy no matter how hard I am working on and off the hill.

In order to find success with this plan I have linked up with a trainer at Snowcreek Athletic Club in Mammoth Lakes, California. This woman is incredible and so knowledgeable about how athletes should sustain their health with an intense gym routine. During this process she is also helping me fine-tune my intake of food so I will become lean and fit with my goals of “strength” in mind. Training with an instructor is making me realize that I am not as strong as I thought I was and that my normal diet is not as effective as I thought it was. She is giving me incredible insight on how to meet my max heart rate and how hard I need to work with a heart monitor in order to see results. Her plan is bringing me to a new level with how I feel and how much energy I have at the end of the day. This plan she created gives me hope that I will have longer endurance and stamina for the coming season.

Some of the highlights of a workout like mine include: Daily cardio, plyometrics once a week, sprints thru a gym, and intervals in between vigorous weightlifting. These exercises are to be completed about 3-4 times a week and will provide a good start for the season. Welcome to winter and let the adventures begin. I hope to see you on the hill. Stay healthy and stay happy.

Watch brand new All Women’s Snowboarding Film “STANCE” – Full video online now!

You know you want to live vicariously through these Pretty Tough gals. Watch the highly anticipated all-women’s film project STANCE in right here.

STANCE FILM from Jmills ENT. Jeremy Miller on Vimeo.

Featuring: Gretchen Bleiler, Hana Beaman, Kimmy Fasani, Lisa Filzmoser, Jenny Jones, Torah Bright, Raewyn Reid, and Molly Aguirre.

Go to stancemovie.com to download the whole film for FREE.

Director, D.P., Editor: Jeremy Miller
Producer: Stan Evans
Motion, Assistant Editor: Ian Rigby
Additional Cinematography: Justin Turkowski, Ian Rigby

Kimmy Fasani: Keeping fit in the off-season

(Ed. Note: Winter X Games veteran Kimmy Fasani is a  Pretty Tough Team Rider. This is one in a series of exclusive blog post for the site. )

The 2009 to 2010 season is just around the corner and as an athlete, a healthy lifestyle is the glue that holds my body and mind together. When I feel strong physically, I typically feel a lot more confident mentally. Each year from June until November I have to find my rhythm again with how I’m going to get my body back in the best shape. This summer has flown by and I’ve been on the road a lot so I have hard a hard time finding my groove for getting into the gym. However, even when I’m not able to hop into the gym I find ways to get active.

When I’m on the go, and not in a place long enough to get a gym membership, I try to do some kind of cardio workout at least four times a week. During this hour workout I will do three sets of lunges, squats, pushups, and sit-ups. This gets my muscles firing and keeps me fit, while also not taking up too much time. I notice a big difference in my endurance levels on the hill when I make time for this quick workout.

When I am home in Mammoth Lakes, CA and don’t make time to go to the gym I have found a good routine that will make me strong going into the 2009-2010 season. I am an early riser and prefer to get my workouts done in the morning, so I don’t have to worry about doing later in the day. Plus anything I do after my morning workout will be an added bonus. About five days a week I hop on my road bike before I eat breakfast giving my body a chance to burn off more of ‘last nights’ dinner. Later in the afternoon I may go rock climbing with my boyfriend, if we are both in town. About three times a week I do yoga, which keeps my body limber and stretched out. The three of these together lengthen, strengthen, and stretch my body making me feel rejuvenated and ready for another season.

If you’re an athlete or not it’s very important to keep your body moving. This will keep your joints lubricated and healthy, which will make your body happy for the rest of your life.

Snowboarder Kimmy Fasani talks to Transworld

Pretty Tough Team Rider Kimmy Fasani will be appearing in the new all-girl shred flick STANCE. While she rehabs a tweaked spine up in Mammoth, Transworld Snowboarding sat her down to answer some questions. Kimmy talks about the film, her recent injury and her education.

TW: How did your filming go for the new all-girl movie Stance? 

KF: Filming for Stance opened up doors that I never thought would be possible. I was excited but also a little skeptical, that I could dedicate a lot of my season to filming. After X-games [sponsor] DC gave me the okay to go out to Utah and hang with the Stance crew for a couple weeks—which turned into a couple months. As soon as I showed up, we headed into the backcountry and to my surprise that’s where we did most of our filming from February until April. The guys had a lot to teach me because I had only taken my sled out in springtime conditions. I also didn’t have too much experience in powder, so I had a lot to learn in a short period of time.

Throughout the few months I was with the crew, I was introduced to all new aspects of snowboarding. We hit cliffs, pillows, and jumps all over the Wasatch. A couple of the highlights throughout the season include hitting the Heber jump, which is about 60ft long with a gnarly in-run. Another highlight would be the trip to Jackson Hole to meet up with Travis Rice and Dan Brisse.

TW: How are you recovering from your back injury?

KF: My back is healing up nicely. I’m in my 6th week of recovery and have been discharged from Physical Therapy, which means I can start pacing myself at the gym. Here’s what I did to hurt my back: I was out in Utah trying to wrap up the last couple weeks of filming for Stance and we were trying to find cool, unique shots to add to the movie. The weather was milky so we (Jenny Jones, Lisa Filzmoser, Raewyn Reid, Molly Aguirre, and I) went to Park City to hit a dirt gap. As we were building the jump and filling in the landing we tested the run-in for speed for this 30ft step down. My board was running slow, so I knew I had to go a little faster than everyone else. The landing only had about 5 feet of tranny and then we would ride into a groomed run that was dead flat. After a couple more speed runs I was feeling pretty confident that I could hit the landing. In my mind I was thinking, “Just don’t come up short.” I decided to guinea the gap, and as I dropped in my adrenaline was pumping. As I popped off the take off I knew I was in trouble. I was going a little too fast and popped a little too much. My back foot landed in the last foot of tranny and the compression made me wash out onto my butt. Everything would have been fine, but as my momentum brought me onto the groomed run my butt hit the grooming curb.  Immediately I felt my back crunch and I had the wind knocked out of me. I had Molly Aguirre take me to the clinic in Park City and sure enough I had compression fractured my T11 vertebra. The next day was my birthday and I had to make the 8-hour drive back to Mammoth with a fractured back. No fun! Once I got back to Mammoth I got a second opinion. The doctor in Mammoth informed me that along with the fractured vertebra, my 12th rib was out of place on my right side.

My recovery started with four weeks of physical therapy, where I walked on a treadmill in a pool, did some stretching, got massage work, and did some core exercises. Once I was discharged from physical therapy I started riding my road bike, walking my dog, swimming at the pool, and doing yoga. I should be back to normal within a couple weeks.

TW: Lots of riders blow off their education during their shred years, but you got a degree.

KF: College was always a huge goal for me, despite the fact that I was a snowboarder, so after I graduated from high school I moved down to Mammoth and started attending Cerro Coso Community College. My goal was to get an Associates Degree, then consider getting my Bachelors Degree when I had more time. In order to make the community college work with my schedule I took both online and classroom classes. I also only went to school summer and fall from 2002-2005. After I graduated with my Associates degree from Cerro Coso in Mammoth in December 2005, I decided to take a year off. However, in June of 2006 I got antsy and decided that finishing my Bachelors degree “now” would be better than putting it off for later. I had to make time for school if I wanted to finish. So in July of 2006, I registered for school at University of Phoenix online. Committing to this next level of college was not easy, especially with the random schedules we have as snowboarders but UOP made traveling and education possible. I could be anywhere in the world and as long as I had Internet I could submit assignments. I only had to take one class at a time, and each class was only 5 weeks long. I could take breaks in between each 5-week class, and I had 7 years to finish my degree through UOP.  This school made education possible for those of us that are too busy to think about school.

Juggling snowboarding and school was difficult because I wanted to put 100% into both. In the end, I couldn’t do that so I ended up giving both school and snowboarding 50% each. Also, committing to the schoolwork while my friends were out partying or even snowboarding was really difficult because I knew I was missing out on other opportunities. It was also common for me to get extremely stressed if I could not find Internet on trips because not being online could cost me my grade in these classes. I had to sacrifice a lot to get my degree but all my hard work paid off when I graduated in July of 2008 from UOP with a 3.76 GPA and a Bachelor in Science. Now that I have a Bachelors degree, I have definitely thought about going back to get my Masters. However, I am in no rush to continue my education, so I may wait until I have a job outside of snowboarding and see how necessary a Masters [degree] is.

For the rest of Kimmy Fasani’s interview – visit TW Snowboarding.

Kimmy Fasani – Snowboarding

Sport: Snowboarding
Home: Mammoth Lakes, CA
Birth Date: April 25, 1984
Year Started Riding: 1992
Year Got Sponsored: 2000
Year Turned Pro: 2007
Board Specs: DC BFF series 148
Bindings: Burton Escapade
Outerwear: DC
Boots: DC Mora (double boa)
Favorite Music: Coldplay, M.I.A., Young Love, Lil’ Wayne, Tupac, Cut Copy, The Beatles
Heroes: “Superwoman” A.K.A. my mom
Favorite Movies: Dirty Dancing, Gladiator, Dumb and Dumber, A Knights Tale, Pretty Woman, Walk the Line
Favorite Word: Happy
Favorite Food: Sushi
Favorite Video Game: Old School Mario Brothers on the first-ever Nintendo
Favorite Snowboarding Mag: They’re all favorites…
Favorite Trick: Smooth basckside 180
Favorite Up and Comer: Raewyn Reid, and Bryn Valaika
Other Sports: Hiking, Swimming, Gymnastics
Video Appearances: Runway Film’s See What I See in August 2008, and Float in 2007
Snowboarding Influences: Chris Benchetler, the DC team, girls that step-up to a challenge
Music, traveling, and friends
Inspirations: Knowing that anything you put your mind to, you can accomplish
Favorite article of clothing: Underlayer’s and clean socks
Best thing about snowboarding: Being outside everyday with friends
Worst thing about snowboarding: Injuries
Best place to ride: Anywhere with snow
Worst place to go: A cave filled with spiders
Words of wisdom: Don’t ever become so busy that you fail to realize how very happy you are.

Competitive Highlights: 2009 Winter X Games Slopestyle Women’s Final, 6th Place; 7th, 8th and 9th respectively in the three 2008/2009 Dew Tour competitions; 2007 Rookie of the Year.