Greetings fellow shred-o's,

Sitting here in front of the fire re-adjusting my stance in the hopes that I will able to land a trick that I have been working on for sometime. The glass-in my mind-is half empty, and I probably won't land it even with the new stance but whatever… there will be powder in the morning, and I am really looking forward to this.

I went down into my garage this evening to wax a board for tomorrow’s endeavors. While waiting for the iron to warm, I flipped through my quiver of old boards and came across a tattered sticker that was given to me by Scott 'Upside" Downey. I got this sticker from Scott when I was up at Mt. Hood Snowboard Camp. I applied it to my 1988 thirty-five pound Burton Cruiser 165 below the rear binding, centered of course (it’s an o.c.d. thing I guess) with great pride. “I got this from a pro!” after all.

Scott was and remains a great inspiration to me. He took me under his wing and really pushed me in a way that made me un-aware of the focus and work that is required to learn new tricks, like 180’s and 360’s (what “Upside” Downey was helping me conquer during my camp session), by just having fun and laughing at my weak attempts. I was only thirteen at the time, and this guy made me feel like I was on top of the world. Now that I am older and slightly more mature (although only in a “Flowers for Algeron” kind of way), I realize that Scott was not only gifted on the snow, as well as on a mountain bike and a kayak… he was talented in the art of humanity.

Being understanding these days is in short supply. Our world is going at such a rapid pace. So much so that is seems like we, as a whole, are forgetting who we are and why we should look out for each other. Scott made such an indelible impression on me as a camper-he always looked out for everyone with a huge smile.

Scott, I am not sure where you are these days (some say Oregon), but wherever you are, thank you. Thank you for showing me the way to this lifestyle that we are all so lucky to be apart of… I have re-applied your Sorel sticker to my board-cannot wait to shred tomorrow with you (kind of) there.

JAF