Snowboarding Dreams Become Reality

By Paula Mitchell, Juliane Bray and Hannah Trigger

This is a story about two Kiwi girls and one Aussie girl on top of their sport for their countries. We are all snowboarders and we are on a halfpipe training camp at Mt Hood, Oregon, USA and this is us chatting about how we ended up here.

PM- Hey, my name is Paula Mitchell, I?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢m from New Zealand and I love snowboarding.

HT – Hey, I?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢m Hannah Trigger from Australia and I also love snowboarding.

JB – Hi, I?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢m Ju Bray and I love snowboarding more than you guys!

How did you end up here at Mt Hood training with your National Team?

PM -I have been snowboarding since I was 16 and then I started competing when I was 17. At that time all I wanted to do was snowboard and become a ?¢‚ǨÀúpro?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢, but it was a lot harder than I thought. I worked hard and would travel overseas with my savings and then I got my instructors certification so I could work and ride at the same time. Last year I meet up with the New Zealand team to compete on some World Cup events and I got selected for the team from my results from those comps.

HT- The first time I hopped on a snowboard I was 6 years old. I bet she was CUTE. In my early teens I began competing, then later I did a talent identification camp and was selected to join the Development Half Pipe Team. Now I have progressed onto the Australian National Halfpipe Team.

JB – I started snowboarding in 1992 and I got sponsored by a Japanese snowboarding company, who help me travel to competitions. Now days I ride for Burton and, thanks to the Academy of Sport, New Zealand has a National snowboarding team which I am part off.

So you are all training together, but then you compete against each other, how does that work?

HT – It?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢s been great having other girls to snowboard with. There?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢s not a rivalry between us. We support and motivate each other to ride better and we?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢re all stoked when we see each other doing well.

JB – I think that this is what makes snowboarding so different and cool and that it?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢s about personal achievement and overcoming fear. Riding with other girls is way more fun than riding by yourself. When you are at a competition, you still support all the other girls that are competing and it?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢s more like riding with them than against them.

How high are you aiming?

PM – I have a few goals, my focus at the moment is looking towards the Olympics 2010 and I would like to compete in the X Games and podium at the World Super Pipe Champs in Park City.

HT – My main focus at the moment is to compete and podium on the World Cup circuit and qualify for the 2010 Olympics.

JB – I am aiming to podium at the Olympics and I want to compete in the x games, I got an invite last year but I could not compete because I had knee surgery.

What sacrifices have you made, and what rewards have you got from choosing this lifestyle?

HT – The rewards of this lifestyle by far outweigh the sacrifices. I missed lots of school, but what kid wouldn?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢t rather be out snowboarding than sitting in a class room. I might never get to uni and earn a degree but I get to travel the world, see awesome places and meet new friends along the way. I?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢m having the time of my life!

JB – The things that I have got from this are travel and earning frequent flyer points, you are forced to travel to stay at the top of your game and compete and to get the time on snow. One of the down falls for me; it is challenging holding to boyfriends in New Zealand. A steady income is a bit of a gamble, ?¢‚ǨÀúcos I rely on prize money and sponsors. Scarifies; I miss my boyfriend and my family.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to end up where we are right now?

PM – I would say, get involved in your local/regional snowboarding program at a ski area near you. That way you can get some coaching and also have a crew to ride with, which is super important. That way you can enter competitions and have a coach there looking out for you. Don?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢t be concerned with getting sponsors just worry about your riding and learning something new or improving something old everyday Keep Progressing and keep loving it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

HT – A good way to start is by entering local competitions and getting to know the other riders. Snowboard with people who are better to you, but most importantly, have fun!

JB – Well I also think if can enter big competitions and don?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢t be scared to come at the bottom of the pack, ?¢‚ǨÀúcos at least you are mixing big guns.

Shout outs

PM – Thanks so much to my sponsors past and present, Hayden at Nitro Snowboards you rock! Rich at Oakley Eyewear, Craig and the crew at Level Gloves, Dale at 540?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢s Outerwear and Skull Candy. Also thanks to the New Zealand Academy of Sport ?¢‚ǨÀúWinter Performance Programme?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢, Tom Willmott, my Mum, my Aunty Eileen, Damion and his family, Cardrona, B.A.M. and PC crews, everyone who has cooked me a meal, given me a place to stay and helped me out . Most of all thanks to all my friends for all their support, I can?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢t name you all but you know who you are, and your all awesome! Q! Thanks!J

HT – I?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢d like to thank Burton, Oakley, Trigger Brothers, the Australian Institute of Sport, The Olympic Winter Institute, my coach Ben Wordsworth, my parents, who I will repay one day (yeah right), my sister and all my friends for their support.

JB – I would like to make a shout out to the guys at Burton New Zealand, Chop, NIXON, and Cardrona who are my sponsors. Thanks to SPARC and NZ Academy of Sport and I would like to thank Glenn Hight, my buddy Rachael Newton and my mum!!!Plus all the people who help me reach for my dreams.

Songs of the trip

Rainy Mondays ?¢‚Ǩ‚Äú Shinny Toy Guns

The Way I Are – Timberland

Lights and Music ?¢‚Ǩ‚Äú Cut Copy

Somewhere over the rainbow ?¢‚Ǩ‚Äú Israel Kamakawiwo

American Boy – Estelle

TOTALS

General Numbers

Days here – 21

Swims in the Lake – 13

Hair washes after lake ?¢‚Ǩ‚Äú not enough

Bottles of water each day ?¢‚Ǩ‚Äú 4 each

Times applied sunscreen ?¢‚Ǩ‚Äú 2 x per days per person

Ratio of boys to girls training at half pipe ?¢‚Ǩ‚Äú 10:1

Number of people who said, ?¢‚Ǩ?ìwow I love your accent where are you from??¢‚Ǩ¬ù – 10

Number of times applied nail and toe polish – 7

Sticks of chaps stick used, lost and brought – 3

Episodes of the golden girls watched ?¢‚Ǩ‚Äú Triggs, on her own achieved 18

Time wasted waited for Triggs to make a decision ?¢‚Ǩ‚Äú Over an hour!

Training totals for all three girls

Hours put in to get you here ?¢‚Ǩ‚Äú Over a million

Times you have wanted to give up but haven?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢t – 14

Times beings so stoked you did not give up ?¢‚Ǩ‚Äú Over a thousand

Reasons for doing this ?¢‚Ǩ‚Äú Over a thousand

Days in this trip – 21

Days riding this 3 weeks trip – 16

Days riding in our lives ?¢‚Ǩ‚Äú Ahhh to many to count

Days resting this trip – 5

Gym and Exercise sessions not including riding – 21

How many times we hikes the pipe each this trip ?¢‚Ǩ‚Äú Over 350 total

Sit ups done this trip ?¢‚Ǩ‚Äú Over 200 total

Number of pro girls also training at HCSC pipe – 10

Number of blisters – 4

Number of bowls of cereal ?¢‚Ǩ‚Äú About 50 total

Number of Crashes ?¢‚Ǩ‚Äú over 40 total between 3 of us

Number of broken bones ?¢‚Ǩ‚Äú 1

Number of Braces bought so can ride with Broken bone ?¢‚Ǩ‚Äú 1 (Bicanical!)

Trips to the hospital – 3

Xrays ?¢‚Ǩ‚Äú 1x Elbow 1 x back and neck

Number of smiles ?¢‚Ǩ‚Äú Millions!