X Games 16
Wow, so its totally official now. I have received my invite to the ESPN Winter X Games 16 in Aspen Colorado. This will be massive for my riding with international exposure at the worlds biggest extreme sports event.
I cant wait to line up on the 29th January against the best adaptive snowboarders to really push our limits on the huge course that the X Games will have.
After the disappointing news in August that Para-Snowboarding was turned down by the Sochi committee for inclusion in 2014 Paralympic Games the X Games gives me a new focus for my snowboarding career.
Funding has played a massive part in how much I can ride this Northern Season and a huge thanks goes out to SPARC and High Performance Sport NZ for their ongoing support to get me enough funds to travel to North America for these events. Its awesome that people are now recognising my talent as an Adaptive Snowboarder in NZ.
I will once again be on the back foot going into these events with only arriving in North America 2 weeks before X Games. However, I am use to obstacles like this and I still have high hopes of a podium at X Games and the World Champs in February.
If you are wondering how a snowboarder with one leg can ride a course like the X Games one then check out Evan Strong in last years X Games. Evan is a single below knee amputee similar to myself. He totally smashes the course!
As always I am in need of sponsors to help me podium at X Games. Not just financial sponsors but also any equipment sponsors that are interested please email me carl@snow.co.nz
Watch this space to follow my season and hopefully a Podium at the X Games.
Again a huge thanks to my current sponsors - Smith Optics, Base NZ, High Performance Sport NZ, Snow Sports NZ, SPARC, Skeggs foundation, Snow.co.nz. You guys make a massive difference in helping me to achieve my goals.
Hope you are enjoying the warmer weather....
Carl
