What Do You Get

WHAT DO YOU GET when you combine snowboarding, surfing, and skateboarding? A severe head injury? Close . . . just kidding. It’s actually the sport of mountainboarding.

Mountainboarding began in the 1990s as the popularity of snowboarding and skateboarding skyrocketed. Mountainboards are basically the same size as a snowboard with a few big differences: They have tires, a suspension system, and brakes. The larger surface, bindings, and big wheels allow riders to attack difficult mountain terrain. But you can also find mountainboards on city streets, dirt roads, BMX tracks, and grassy ski slopes. Mountainboarding was first highlighted during the 2000 Summer Gravity Games, but U.S. Olympic Snowboard Team members have trained with these supersized skateboards since 1996.

Of course, you can’t have a sport without competition. Mountainboarders compete in boardercross (where at least four racers try to reach the finish line first while navigating a sloping dirt course with jumps, turns, and berms), downhill (where speed and clean, rounded turns are key), and freestyle (where 360s, grabs, and flips earn top honors).

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POINT When your grandparents were your age, they probably didn’t have a lot of choices when it came to athletics. Baseball, football, basketball—the big three—ruled the sporting landscape. But today the choices seem endless.

Mountainboarding takes the best elements of several popular sports and brings them up a notch. The changes made to a mountainboard—especially the hand brake—make it a viable sport for athletes who want to snowboard year-round.

Change is a natural part of life, just like it is in sports. You’ve probably noticed that few things stay the same. Families can separate. Friends move away. Teachers come in and out of your life. But there is one thing that never changes: God. You can count on him and trust him to be the same loving, caring God forever.

GOAL! Do you ever feel overwhelmed by change? Change can be good, but it comes in many flavors. Sometimes change hurts. At those times it’s good to know that God never changes. You can thank God for being rock solid in your life.