Once
again, our favorite ski shop has come through for us. I love those
guys. The kids have been skiing and snowboarding this winter, and
they've been on used equipment, as usual, at least until they decide
they like it. With N, he has enjoyed learning the boarding but he is
still a skier at heart. Besides, his board is pretty cool, with a
slick dragon on the bottom deck, which I'm learning is what it's all
about - the key to snowboard coolness is how the thing looks.
Which
brings us to A. She is becoming increasingly interested, not to
mention skilled, at snowboarding, and all this time she has used an
old board that put together over the years. It's not sleek and cool,
but it was fine for learning on. Of course, you learn soon enough
that fine for learning on is not only "not cool," but
downright embarrassing. To her credit, A never complained, she just
pointed out certain facts, like when her snowboard instructor told
her the board was so old it came out decades ago, probably in the
80s. In fact, it is apparently one of the earliest incarnations of
snowboards ever made.
Talk
about retro. Now I know I could have ignored these facts and just
told her to deal with it, but at some point you have to move into the
21st century. I also know this is a frivolous concern, but image is
important to kids and it's worth it for parents to give it some
thought, whether you agree with it or not. So I went looking for a
newer board, nothing fancy and definitely nothing expensive, but
maybe something made after the year she was born. Of course I went to
Henderson's and asked if they had anything lying around, so they went
out back and came out with a board that was a little thrashed but
nicer and more importantly, cooler looking. I didn't need bindings,
so they sold me the board for $20. How cool was that?
I
came home and switched the bindings over and now A has a board that
she's not completely mortified to ride. In fact, she might even think
it's sort of cool. I love when that happens.
Until
the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to Sean Tubridy for the pic.
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2 comments:
Our son took snowboarding lessons this year via the Windsor School Program at Whaleback and he really liked it. It's his first snow sport.
We'll be on the hunt for good, used, value-priced gear next year so thank you for the Henderson's recommendation.
Dave, yes, you can get great deals at Hendersons and they are a great bunch of guys. I would also look into yard sales as well as the Listen.
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