What You Probably Forgot You Learned in Kindergarten

Hello everyone out there! Well this is my first article for YoBeat, so I’m gonna choose an interesting topic. Respect. Yeah, that thing everyone wants from everyone else. I’m asking for respect.

I’m going to give you a warning. You can rant and rave, bitch at me and stop reading. I’m a skier. I’ll admit it. I’ve snowboarded but I still love skiing. So if you put two and two together here’s what this is all about. Getting respect for skiers from boarders.

First, we were here first. I’m extremely willing to share my turf with you boarders. I’m not putting any boarders down at all. It’s your turf too, now. I like you very much after all. Sure there are the old folks that can’t stand to have boarders around but what about the cool skiers? I’m one of ‘em and I think having boarders around is great diversity (and killer jumps).

I’m pretty sure most of you watched this year’s Winter X games (those who didn’t, do you live out of the reach of television. Even Antarctica can get TV!!!). One of the big events this year was the skier big air, with big names like Johnny Moseley and Canada’s New Air Force. Admit to me or at least yourselves (so you don’t get dissed by your "buddies"), some of you probably thought those guys were cool to be pulling such awesome tricks. I know I was in awe of J.F. Cusson’s perfect jump. And backwards at that. Makes me proud to be Canadidan and a skier. See, us skiers can be cool, doing amazing things in a snowpark. Many snowboarders can’t even pull tricks of that calibre. I believe that makes skiing cool, too.

I’m gonna use a personal example. My friends and I, actually. Of all my friends who I meet at the mountain, every weekend, I’m the only skier. So why are they still sticking with me? Because I am cool (not to boast or anything…). Even if ski. I asked one of my friends why? And he answered: " Cuz you’re stark raving mad and you come in the park and stomp jumps with us." I, as skier, can be cool to boarders. Think about it.