Fight Club on Snow - Part 1

If you’ve seen the cult classic movie, “Fight Club”, then you are already familiar with some themes the characters embrace:

          -       A routine opportunity to fight recreationally (think: physical outlet for competitive efforts)

          -       A chance to break out of the mundane, humdrum life and have ‘real living experiences’ (beyond just being a consumer that lacks a soul, that’s part of a soft and lazy culture)

          -       Development of strong bonds and camaraderie built through intense competition (fighters would routinely hug and thank each other after bouts)

In addition, there were generally two reactions to learning about Fight Club and/or interacting with one of its members:

          -       After watching one (fight) you want to join in

          -       Confusion from co-workers and colleagues as to exactly what it is they were doing (and why) with their weekends/nights

Eager Crowd Waiting to Hit the Course

In a nutshell, before they spun out of control as a large anti-establishment group, the Fight Club members would participate in an activity that people outside of the club did not understand or even knew existed (remember the first 2 rules of F.C.?), and then would show up for work on Monday or return to their families with a few bumps, cuts and bruises which would add to the confusion of their co-workers and friends who wondered what the heck they were up to.

No One Will Notice That, Right?

Imagine this discussion in a typical office break room:

Carl: “So what did you do this weekend?” – Grabs a powdered donut.

SBX/SX Athlete: “I had 2 Boardercross races in the mountains.” – Fills up their coffee cup.

Carl: “You did what…what’s that?” – Munches on a donut dribbling some powdered sugar on his tie.

SBX/SX Athlete: “It’s snowboard racing” - Takes a sip of coffee.

Carl: “Wow, how long have you been doing that?” – Tries to dust off the powdered sugar.

SBX/SX Athlete: “4 Years.”

Carl: “That sounds dangerous.”

SBX/SX Athlete: “It’s fun and yes, there is some risk of injury, but that’s not something you really think about.” – Sips some coffee.

Carl: “So is that why you do all your gym stuff?” – Now somewhat embarrassed to be eating a donut.

SBX/SX Athlete: “Yep, you got it.”

Carl: “Ok, got to get back to my spreadsheets.”

SBX/SX Athlete: “Talk to you later Carl.”

People Are Definitely Talking About This

Other than the fact that the athlete broke the first 2 rules of “Fight Club” (by talking about the weekend activities), and that I’ve substituted our SBX/SX athlete for a “Fight Club” member in the dialogue, that scene could have been right out of the movie.  And it’s not too far off from what some everyday conversations about our racing activities are like on chairlifts, in offices, at schools, etc.  It’s often difficult for observers to understand why we put so much effort, time and funds into racing and risk injury every time we line up at the starting gate.

Falls, Crashes and Injuries Can Happen at Any Time...

Even at the Finish Line
Photos VAST::vastaction.com

Part 2 coming soon…