Many people find winter a gloomy time of the year and dread the return of it every December. Personally, I love the winter months. It’s a time of coziness and holidays, but most importantly, it’s the time of year when I can snowboard!

A lot of people have been enjoying snowboarding since the late 70’s and 80’s and it’s become more popular the last five or so years. The thrill one gets from riding down the slopes is unexplainable. My co-shredder Emily Costello loves snowboarding because it gets her out of the house in the winter time.

“I used to play basketball, and that took up most of my time during the winter. Then I stopped playing basketball and I didn’t have anything to do! I was bored out of my mind,” said Costello. Then one fateful day, I started talking to Emily about my new love for snowboarding. I started boarding because my parents bought me a snowboard for Christmas in 8th grade. I didn’t like it at first, but then I got into it more when I started going with friends. Emily was really interested, but didn’t have a snowboard. Then it was like a prayer had been answered, because Emily’s cousin gave her his snowboard for free!

“I was really bummed out because I couldn’t get my hands on a snowboard, and then my cousin overheard me talking about snowboarding and said I could have his because he didn’t go anymore!” said Emily about her new gift.

Once Emily got the new board she instantly text messaged me and informed me of the breaking news. We made plans to go the next weekend and it turned out to be a really great time. The only bad part was that winter was nearly over, and there were only a few weeks left of winter weather. After shredding a few times together, Emily and I made plans for the next winter. We were going to be shredding buddies for every winter of our next two years of high school!

Snowboarding has brought me closer to a lot of people and I’ve made new friends. I’ve also gained some common interest with people at my school. I’m glad that I’ve gotten involved with snowboarding, and every time I’m on the slope with my friends, I have a grand time! The next time you’re sitting at home this winter, thinking you’re the biggest loser because you don’t have anything to do, come out to the ski hill and you’re guaranteed to have a good time. You’ll have a lot to learn, but it makes for a fun experience and there’s nothing better than learning something new!