Words by Laura Rogoski | Photos by Anna Burch
Free events whose intent is to build up our community and leave each attendee feeling better than before.
For both days the format was loose and based on how the group was feeling. The day starts inside with a We’re All Mental printout with space to write a personal goal, riding goal, and social goal, along with naming someone you could ask for help, and an area to draw yourself or someone you care about. It helps break the ice and set intentions for the day.
Thursday morning we met at Darkside Killington. Kirstyn from Shred Strong led the group through a warmup stretch before we headed outside. After everyone was booted up we did introductions and shared some of our goals for the day. Rain was in the forecast but it didn’t dampen anyones mood. We raked the entire park, set up a new 32 rail, and built a jump to practice spins on. The snow was super soft and easy to work with. People with more experience on a rake spread out so that they could help share their knowledge with those excited to learn.
We ordered pizza and transitioned into riding the park, tweaking and reshaping as needed. Throughout the day more humans filtered in, cars honked as they drove past, and the vibes were high. People cheered just as loud for a 50-50, a fall, or a front board 270. A pond skim formed in the landing of the box. We worked towards our goals and helped remind each other to follow through with theirs, like drinking enough water.
After the session winded down and it felt right we moved to the basement rental area for the days Mental Meetup. The conversation helped us open up, get vulnerable, and share laughter and tears. We all left feeling a little closer to each other than before the day began. Friday morning we met inside the lodge at Vermont Academy Mountain School. It was a bit reminiscent of the old High Cascade lodge. After everyone filled out their goal sheets we headed outside. The soft snow had frozen overnight, classic east coast. We did out best to shave off the ice layer and were able to dig down to some manageable snow. We reshaped the lip onto a rail, set up a barrel bonk to down corrugated, and tuned up the quarter-pipe. Jackson mentioned he wanted to work on switch riding and proceeded to land his first switch front board on a rail. When everyone had their fill of riding we went back inside for the Mental Meetup. The coaches, staff, and campers had an opportunity to get to know each other on a little bit deeper level. At one point a camper asked their coach why he didn’t let them know when his dog passed away, if he had, they would have been able to support him. They agreed to be more open about things in the future.
