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INTERVIEW WITH SNOWBOARDER STEPH HICKEY
by Dan [December 29, 2009]
xsession's Dan Linsell was fortunate enough to catch up with pro snowboarder Steph Hickey via email. Read the interview below:
[xsession] First of all, congratulations on some amazing results over the last few years! How are you feeling going into the last couple of events before the Olympic team is announced in January?
[SH] I’m feeling excited. I’ve worked really hard to get to this point and now I’m just trying to enjoy the journey, it’s a long, demanding, exciting, painful and exhilarating one, but I would not change it for anything!
[xsession] In the eyes of many people, like myself, you are living the dream lifestyle. How do you keep it real and not lose focus on your goals?
[SH] Indeed the traveling and the wonderful friends I have met a..... [read more]
Extreme Sport News
World Records Fall at AIDA Freediving World Championships 2009 [December 7, 2009] [Diving]
World records fell at the AIDA Freediving World Championships 2009 Thursday, December 3, with William Trubridge (NZL) and Natalia Molchanova (RUS) setting new marks in the men’s and women’s Constant Weight No Fins (CNF) categories at Dean’s Blue Hole .....
[read more]
Athlete Profile - Adam Harvey [December 6, 2009] [Whitewater Kayaking]
Name: Adam Harvey
Age:16
Occupation: Student
Sport: Surf Kayaking
Well where can I start?.. I first started kayaking when I was about 7 years old, I went out with my family on Sunday afternoons and it has just grown since then. Some of my fir .....
[read more]
MARKO GRILC NEW SWATCH TTR WORLD TOUR LEADER [December 5, 2009] [Snowboarding]
Innsbruck, Austria – December 5th, 2009: After a night full of action on the big
air jump at the 6Star Billabong Air & Style 2009/II at the Bergisel Stadium in
Innsbruck, Austria, Marko Grilc (SLO) took the top spot on the podium and is now
the ne .....
[read more]
Extreme Sport Articles
History of Surfing [Surfing]
Surfing originated along time ago in and amongst the Hawaiian Islands. Men, women and children surfed for pleasure and great festivals and competitions were held to celebrate the art of wave riding.
Surfing was introduced to Australia by the Duke .....
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Whitewater Rafting - Exhilaration And Adventure All Rolled Into One! [Whitewater Rafting]
Are you someone who loves adventure and or extreme sports? Do you love the challenges of the water? If you have said yes to these two questions then you will love to try whitewater rafting. And if you have been adventurous enough already to have trie .....
[read more]
Beginner Mountain Bike Skills [Mountain Biking]
Mountain biking is an exciting sport that can be enjoyed by anyone who knows how to ride a bike. Compared to the average bike ride, it does present some danger. Therefore, you should master these basic skills before you hit the trails or the dirt.
.....
[read more]
xsession Files
I did it!
I'm boring. I have a very boring job, live in a boring house, never get drunk, don't smoke, have a long term boyfriend etc etc. Boring!!! Well I realised just how dull I was when I was on holiday recently in the Caribbean. I was laying on a beach when these people began dropping from the sky! How amazing, I thought as they landed next to me. I chatted to them and they told me they were skydiving from a place nearby. I got the details from them and set off to have a look. Somebody started talking to me and I got drawn in. It seemed sooo exciting. Before I knew it, I had an extra hundred dollars or so on my credit card and was being 'suited up'. I got aboard the helicopter and stared straight ahead at the opening - watching the ground disappear. Suddenly I felt sick. What was I doing? What if I died? No one knew I was doing this? They'd be grieving for me! They'd be mad at me! I had to get off! Too late. I saw loads of people in front of me standing up (about 10). Great, loads of time to say I don't want to do this. Suddenly, they all disappeared! They'd done a group jump and I was next! The guy I was attached to began walking forwards. I was frozen to the spot. Before I knew it I was plumeting through the air (faster than I thought it would be!) and unable to breathe. The wind was rushing up my nose and into my mouth. I truly thought that I was going to suffocate 3,000ft up in the air! This went on and on for ages. I tried kicking my legs to get my partners attention but he wrapped his around mine to keep them still. That's it - I thought - I'm dead. Just then, he tapped me on my shoulder. My cue that we were going to release the chute. Thank God!!! Although, the jerk of the chute was painful (but that was due to my sunburn), we finally slowed down. It went deathly quiet and I have never been more at peace. I began to cry. When I landed I was still crying. Not through fear or sadness but through sheer delight at what I had experienced. It really was THE most amazing time of my life. I rang around hugging and kissing everyone ... and then promptly threw up. Still, I have jumped three more times since then (still tandem) and am looking into saving up to go it alone! I would recommend it to anyone - if I can do it, so can you! And you should... .....
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