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Just got back from skiing in New Mexico a few days ago and that was both scary and fun! How does a person who is afraid of heights, hates being cold and wet, is over 6'2" tall and 250lbs get the nerve to strap on a couple boards and slide down hill? I'll never understand me, I sware.
BUT... I had fun and learned a little bit along the way:
* Tenkan helps in turning! Yup. True story. Whenever I wasn't too paniced about my speed, etc. I would decide to turn and think to myself "Tenkan" and it helped! Moved much better from the hips, was able to relax a bit more, stay over my hips better, concentrate on One Point. Then my speed would pick up and everything would go out the window and I'd be back in panic mode.
* Ukemi is a good thing! I only fell once, but I slapped out on a side fall. Thankfully it wasn't a breakfall... that would have been a very bad thing. Of course, with skis on, theres no "rolling out of it" and keepin on keepin on! LOL
* Randori: Being the holidays, everybody and their dog (Yes, there were dogs on the mountain, believe it or not!) were out skiing over this particular week. Being able to manuver around and through everyone came easier with past randori practice. When your getting off a lift chair and there are 5 punk snowboarders piled up at the bottom of the ramp... and you're moving 20mph... you learn that moving those punks is better than crashing into them. Better yet, tuck and duck through two of them and get on past them is even better.
All in all it was a fun trip. I enjoyed trying something I haven't done in 18 years and see that yes, aikido can be useful even with boards strapped to your feet! (Even if my feet are big enough to not even need skis! LOL)
01-04-2005 09:50 AM 
