I believe in snowboarding. Not just because I love to snowboard, but because it helps me escape through adventure. While snowboarding: I feel happiness, I feel freedom, I feel peaceful, and I feel calm. Snowboarding is a way for me to release any aggression that I am feeling. While flying down the slopes, all my worries just seem to disappear. Snowboarding has made me believe that sometimes the secret of getting ahead is getting started.

My snowboard is about as tall as my shoulders. It is white with purple and blue translucent trees, along with white and blue bindings. My snowboard has many colorful stickers on it of things that I enjoy. Because the surface of my snowboard is smooth, it always rides evenly down the mountain. During the winter season, I ride my snowboard very often. My snowboard never seems fail me. I first learned how to snowboard a few years ago with my brother, my brother's old roommate, and my friend. We all took a lesson at Copper Mountain located in Summit County. During my first lesson, right away all I wanted to do was back down. Snowboarding was one of the hardest things I have ever learned to do. I could not even stand up on the snowboard without falling down every few seconds. The biggest barrier for me while learning how to snowboard was the mental challenge. I did not want to make myself look stupid and I definitely did not want to get hurt. Another obstacle that was hard for me to overcome was learning the snowboarding language. One of the first questions I was asked was, “Are you regular or goofy?”, of course I had no idea what that meant, along with many other questions that they asked me. I now know that I am regular which means I prefer my right foot to be in the back while snowboarding. I also have learned many other terms in my experience of learning how to snowboard. I decided that the only way that I could improve was realizing that failure and rejection is the first step to succeeding. I remember the first time I received my own snowboard. It was an amazing feeling transitioning from a rental snowboard to my own. I received my new snowboard for excelling at my skills. I believe in snowboarding because it helps me escape through adventure. Snowboarding makes me feel happy, gives me freedom, and allows me to feel peaceful and relaxed. The cold wind is blowing on my neck while snowboarding and yet I never seem to be cold because all my worries have vanished. The sound I hear while my snowboard drifts across the snow is indescribable. Listening to nature and doing something that I love makes me smile bigger than ever because I know I am in my safe spot. When I link a smooth turn that I have been trying to achieve for forever without falling, it motivates me to learn new skills and keep giving my one hundred percent best.