Procyclist: Training in Tucson, AZ

Once I got my preliminary race agenda from the team director at the beginning of the month, I decided to head south to Tucson, AZ for some warm weather training.

It seems that a lot of cyclists try to find somewhere warm to start off training for the season, it kind of refreshes the mind and gives you a fresh look on things. I actually ran into one of my former cyclocross teammates on one of the rides. She recognized the team kit and ended up riding with me and a fellow cyclist for about 10miles. Friends sure do help pass the miles quickly! Unfortunately she is racing for another team.  I think she is a cool chick and she is going to be one heck of a force to deal with but….that’s racing. We are friends off the bike but on the bike, we have to fight each other for OUR team goals. As long as you can keep the two separate, things are fine.

So I’m headed back to Dolores, CO tomorrow. I’ll have  time to pick up my dog, check out everything at the house and get ready for my next trip.  I miss my sweet Lab, Miller, and I have to make sure after three feet of snow in less than two days that everything at the house is fine. Then either I will head back to Tucson for more warm weather training or hopefully head to Santa Cruz, CA. I’ve never been there before and I love new places! Plus, that is where training camp is in March, so I would like to check it out! Or I guess I can wait and experience it with the team, either way is good with me.

Part of being a professional athlete is being able to go with the flow. People will be late, dinner will take a long time, plans will change…you have to be able to adapt and not let things like that worry you one bit, if not it just adds to the overall stress. We should have enough to worry about with winning, team goals, communication with others, personal goals and failure….yes FAILURE, no one is perfect, no one team is perfect and everyone has to deal with adversity. It is how you handle adversity that can take you to the next level. So think about that the next time someone gets in your face about something e.g. the boss is being a pain or a teacher is asking more than you think you can give…….

Maybe they are just seeing how you can handle adversity and see how you overcome it…..a true leader? Winner? Or someone who caves…….your call.

Me, I love it all and I feel blessed that I believe I can come through anything and  be a winner and a leader no matter what comes my way….

(Editors Note: Lauren Hall quit her job of five years to pursue a professional cycling career. She moved from Mississippi all the way to Colorado for the best training anywhere and has embarked on her first cyclocross season.)

Burton goes denim & plaid to outfit the US Olympic snowboard team

Earlier this month, Burton unveiled the US Snowboard Team Uniforms for the upcoming 2010 Winter Olympics.  And in sharp contrast to other nations, the Vermont based company has  given the team a distinct ‘un-uniform’ edge – utilizing well worn denim plus a special red, white and blue plaid.  When the US Snowboard Team steps onto the World’s stage this February in Vancouver, they will look and feel unmatched with designs that speak to both individuality and heritage, key hallmarks of the Burton brand and the snowboard culture.

The Olympic uniforms feature a fresh and progressive style while also managing to pay tribute to more classic Americana fashion staples. The pants seamlessly integrate the look of real, worn, vintage denim (very cool), and the jackets feature plaids adorned with leather patches and chenille crests with both pieces incorporating the performance benefits of Gore-Tex fabric.

All product development at Burton is rider driven and this Olympic outerwear is no exception. Burton held a roundtable discussion with top pro-snowboarders and Olympic hopefuls Elena Hight, Mason Aguirre, Danny Davis, Kevin Pearce, Jack Mitrani, Luke Mitrani, Steve Fisher, Scotty Lago, and Louie Vito to review design concepts for the outerwear before arriving at the final creation.

“Since its inception, Burton has been a rider driven company,” said Jake Burton, Founder and Chairman of Burton Snowboards. “For the creation of the US Snowboard Team uniform, we listened carefully to the riders’ needs and used their input to ensure that the final fit, fabrics and overall design would maximize their performances and take these riders to the podium. It was also absolutely critical to ensure these Olympic uniforms were worthy of bearing the Burton name.”

“Although we are creating a uniform, our first objective is to express the individuality of snowboarding. As such, we are taking vintage American looks and interpreting them in a very unique and unexpected fashion.” says Greg Dacyshyn, Senior Vice President of Creative at Burton.

Looks like they’ve successfully managed to straddle both patriotic and street-influenced factors for the Games. What do you think?

Role of a Sub

A player who shows envy or jealousy toward the starting team is often judged to have a poor attitude. In truth, envy and jealousy are natural feelings. It’s how a player handles her feelings that determines whether she is team-oriented.

Not wanting to sit on the bench is perfectly acceptable. If you’re a player who has given everything you’ve got, and it’s not good enough to be a starter, you can either quit the team and take on another challenging project, or accept the role of being a substitute, knowing you will have opportunities to contribute to your team’s success.

A substitute must learn to take satisfaction in performing steadily and reliably each time she steps on the floor including 100% effort in practice. A team can only be as good as the players they practice against. If the starters practiced against a group that was not giving it their best shot, they’d have a tough time improving. But if they have to scratch and fight every day to beat the subs, they’ll improve easily.

How a substitute handles feelings of jealousy or disappointment determines her attitude and her team spirit. A substitute should never:

Start or listen to gossip that alienates the team against another team member

Sulk or act disinterested while on the bench

Put a damper on everyone’s spirits after a game because she didn’t play, or

Grumble about having to practice with the weaker players.

The role of the substitute is difficult to master, but its rewards are worth the effort.

My 2009 BMX Racing Season…

So my 2009 racing season didn’t start well and is ending worse.

The first ABA national in January in Reno, NV  I crashed in my pro race and broke my right clavicle again. I probably should have listened to my doctors and not raced, but a passion has its risks. After that I haven’t done much riding since.

It’s now almost the end of the season and I’m barely having my surgery for it coming up in a month. Insurance companies are evil. So I’m already disappointed in my 2010 season because I know it’s going to start out rough, but I’m hoping it gets better and better.

Hopefully by the 2011 season I will be back at the top of my game. When I have my surgery they’re going to cut off the portion of the bone that’s sticking up towards my neck muscle and then put in plates and screws to support the clavicle.

After the surgery I will have at least six months of intense physical therapy which I’m not looking forward to. I’ve always been able to handle the surgeries, it’s the physical therapy that gets to me everytime. On top of that physical therapy I still have to continue with the therapy on my left knee for a tear. Hopefully I won’t need another surgery on that knee because I’ve already had two. I’m not too sure if my knee could handle three surgeries and still be able to race.

Anyways, that’s my little update of the past, present, and future. Even if I won’t be able to ride for a little bit I am still going out to the nationals to support my team and friends so I will see you guys out there. Good luck to everyone trying to get those last minute points.

(Ed. Note: And good luck to you,  Christian!)

Cierra Smith – Mountain Biking

Sport: Mountain Biking – Downhill
Home: Nevada
Birthdate: 8/9/95
Other Sports/Accomplishments: volleyball, soccer,  and I get good grades. (or I can’t race)
Favorite Athletes: Steve Peat, Racheal Atherton
Favorite College Team: UNR – University of Reno Nevada. Go Wolf Pack!
Favorite Pro Team: Well, for bikes. Santa Cruz Syndicate.
Favorite Sports Drink: Gatorade!
Favorite Workout Music: Rap
Favorite Place to Shop: Hollister, Aeropostale
Hobbies and Interests: Listening to music, hanging out with friends, and riding my bike
Superstition: Hmmm, I don’t go to the bathroom before a race because I think it makes me go faster.
Best Moment: winning my first natioanl title
Dream Job: Professional downhill mountain bike racer.
Favorite Books/TV Shows: I have so many I can’t narrow it down.
Pet Peeves: Really thick socks

What has been your biggest accomplishment?
Getting on the team I’m on and winning three national titles.

What advice would you give to up and coming female athletes?
Don’t get frustrated. If someone tells you you’re not good enough or fast enough make that your motivation to prove them wrong.

Competitive Highlights: 2009 USA Cycling MTB National Championships, 1st Place; 2009 Mammoth Bar Downhill, 2nd Place Pro Women; 2009 National Gypsy Downhill, 3rdPlace  Pro Women; 2009 Northstar Downhill Series Race, 1st Place; 2009 Spring Thaw Downhill, 1st Place Expert; 2009 Sea Otter Downhill, 1st Place; 2009 Fontana City National, ist Place.

Phenomenal Women Everywhere

(Editor’s Note:  Pretty Tough Team member Heidi Johnson-Fry is a champion duathlete from Montana. This is her account of the recent World Duathlon Championships).

Phenomenal women everywhere!

I just returned from the World Duathlon Championships, in North Carolina, thinking just that. The weekend was an amazing experience. Women, of all ages and from all over the world, worked incredibly hard to get there and we all shared a similar passion.

I finished the race, in the pouring rain, 4th in my age group and was the 1st American. I was ecstatic, thrilled and totally pumped about my race. However, I personally thought there were women there who were so much more impressive than I.

Participating in the World Championships,  I realized that a role model doesn’t have to be older than you, faster/better than you or famous by any means.

During the course tour, I met a woman from Canada who was racing in the age group above me. She had a full time job, is the mother of two young daughters and here she was, pursuing a dream. You working moms have my utmost respect. How on Earth do you do it?

As I was stretching, on race day, I saw two older women from Great Britain. They seemed so excited to be racing and I glanced down at their calves (where they mark your age group) to see that are in the 65-69 age group.  In that moment, I thought, “how cool are these two!”  These women are officially role models to me.

As I silently mouthed the word “wow” I glanced to my right. There was my own daughter, mimicking my stretching. I smiled and threw back my invisible cape as I hugged her and she gave me a high five on the way to the starting line.

There, I met a fellow American who was worried about her uniform because she was self conscious of her belly area. I asked her why and her reply was “I just had a baby.” Mind you, this race is a 10K run (6.2 miles) followed by a 40K bike (24 miles) and a 5K run (3.1 miles) AND you had to qualify to get there.  In absolute awe, I ensured her that she looked great and reminded her that she was, after all, at the World Championships. Wow, again.

By now, I was just smiling at the oh-so-impressive company I was in.  In complete and utter amazement, I focused for my race start.  It was raining like crazy and I was feeling so blessed to be surrounded by the athletes participating in the competition. Before, during and after that race I thought to myself, “wow, phenomenal women everywhere” just like the ones I am writing about now!

Race Report: Altitude Cup Mountainboard Challenge

(Ed. Note: Pretty Tough Team Rider Melissa (Becker) Ponce de Leon is a pro mountainboarder with multiple U.S. Championships. Here is her account of the recent Altitude Cup Mountain Board Challenge.)

The Altitude Cup Mountainboard Challenge was held in Empire, CO on September 11-13th, 2009. The event consisted of a Learn to Ride on Friday, Dirt Slalom on Saturday and, Dirt Boardercross, Slopestyle and a Piñata Bonk on Sunday.

We had about 35 contestants at this year’s competition with some new faces on the course. Eleven of the top men in the Mountainboard community came out and did some amazing things. The guys from Altitude Sickness decided they would make it a little more interesting and pay the top 10 overall pro’s and top 2 women. The key to success was to compete in all three required events and go home with some cash. Sponsors for the event included: Altitude Sickness Boardshop, PowerBar, MBS, Hard Rock Café, Lewis Sweet Shop, Billy Goat Moving and Banchee bungee.

Friday September 11, 2009 we taught a Learn to Ride all day. We ended up teaching 6 people throughout the day. Since they arrived at different times we had the luxury of providing individual lessons which is the best way to go. Everyone caught on quickly and we had everyone riding in the park by the end of the day.

On Saturday the 12th we planned on doing the Dirt Slalom and Boardercross. As soon as we finished with the slalom course it started down pouring. We had everything from rain, to snow, to hail, it was intense and we had to call it for the day. The original Hard Rock Café in Empire, CO set up this amazing spread of BBQ and cobbler for us, just what we needed after being in the cold all day. We made it an early night in hopes we would have a better day Sunday.

When we woke up Sunday morning, the sun is shining. The ground was still wet but drying up nicely. We went down to the park and started to sweep and rake the track. The rain ended up being a blessing in disguise; the track was even harder and faster than before. By 11 am we were ready to race. We set up the brackets and decided on double elimination. The track was fast and super fun to watch, a lot of passing was happening everywhere.

Once we finished racing, the Slopestyle comp started; clouds were headed our way again so there was no time for a break. Everyone in Slopestyle had three runs and the judges combined the best two runs. I counted at least 20 different hits throughout the park, and we could take any line we wanted to score points. The youth, sport, women’s and master’s classes all competed this way and everyone had a great time. The judges had the Pro’s take five Slopestyle runs – two from the main line, two from the pro line and one from the hip. We got the chance to see all of the guys hit different lines throughout the competition. Everyone was throwing down their best style and landing all their tricks, it was fun to see.

The event concluded with a Piñata Bonk. Yes, just as it sounds we bonked the piñatas! We hit a jump and hit the piñata with our wheel. It was definitely a first and hopefully not a last.

Women’s Results from the 2009 Altitude Cup Mountainboard Challenge

Women Overall
1. Melissa Ponce de Leon
2. Ari Coats
3. Emily Smith-Zurawski

Women Slalom
1. Melissa Ponce de Leon
2. Ari Coats
3. Emily Smith-Zurawski

Women Slopestyle
1. Ari Coats
2. Melissa Ponce de Leon
3. Emily Smith-Zurawski

Women Boardercross
1. Melissa Ponce de Leon
2. Ari Coats
3. Amanda Poindexter

Samantha Brunner – Pro Kayaker

Sport: Freestyle Kayak
Home: Tennessee
Birthdate: 3/24/87
Occupation: Full time student
Other Sports/Accomplishments: I skydive, rock climb, and snowboard.
Favorite Athletes: Nikki Kelly, Emily Jackson, Clay Wright, Jessi Stone
Favorite College Team: Memphis Tigers!!
Favorite Sports Drink: I actually like the PowerBar electrolyte mix that you put in water, but I also like Gatorade.
Favorite Workout Music: Oohh, thats a toughie! I like the Bravery and Pendulum.
Hobbies and Interests: Photography and music!
Best Moment: Learning a trick right before my first competition and using it to win 1st place!
Dream Job: Traveling the world with my camera, kayak, and boyfriend.
Favorite Books/TV Shows: Nature Girl is a funny book and I like The Office.

What has been your biggest accomplishment?
Getting the first female descent of a creek in Colorado.

What advice would you give to up and coming female athletes?
The only way to progress is if you set reasonable goals and focus on them with hard work. Don’t get caught up in comparing yourself to other people, it only gets in the way of your progression and can get you down. Stay positive and stay strong.

Competitive Highlights: 2008 USACK Women’s Pro, 1st Women’s Descent of Upper Daisy Creek, CO; 2008 North Alabama Whitewater Festival, 1st Place Pro Women’s Waterfall Freestyle Comp; 2007 North Alabama Whitewater Festival, 2nd Place Overall Pro Women’s Athlete.

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.

Katie Wharton – Motocross

Sport: Motocross
Home: Battleground, WA
Birth Date: 1/7/91

Favorite Athletes: Ricky Carmichael and Ryan Villapoto
Favorite Sports Drink: WATER or Gatorade
Favorite Workout Music: My ipod playlist
Favorite Place to Shop: Anywhere in the mall
Hobbies and Interests: Racing motocross, working out, hanging out with friends and family
Superstition: Every winter I break a bone (back, leg, other leg, etc..haha)…so I have become superstitious about winter time….
Best Moment: Traveling around and meeting new people at the track is always a best moment for me.
Dream Job: Super fast professional mx racer..
Favorite Books/TV Shows: I love Marry Higgens Clark books.
Pet Peeves: When people think they are all that… Oh and styrofoam!

What has been your biggest accomplishment? Racing in just this last year’s WMA cup was probably my biggest accomplishment thus far. With crashing in both motos I didn’t get solid finishes but in the end I still accomplished a lot…just the same, there are so many other accomplishments that I am also proud of as well.

What advice would you give to up and coming female athletes? I would say don’t let anyone tell you it’s a guys’ sport and you can’t succeed. Work hard and have fun!

Competitive Accomplishments: 2009 Portland International Raceway, Women’s Open 1st; 2008 Trans Cal National, Women’s B, 1st; 2008 Oregon State Championship, Women’s Open, 1st; 2008 4-Stroke Motocross Nationals, Women’s B, 1st.

Next Page »