FTA2R

I believe that any training really will help. I would think that those that really want to improve will develop plans that target their weak point(s), whether that's cardio, muscular strength, muscular endurance, or even flexibility. I've been inline skating a lot (rollerblading), it's a great cardio workout and can def. improve the musc. endurance of your legs, particuarly your quads. Of course it requires some balance, and much like snowboarding, you can make it as relaxing or extreme as you want (for the serious speed freaks / adren. junkies, you can always bomb long roads (like Gravity games i guess) It's also much more gentle on teh knees than running, esp. on a treadmill. I personally believe weight training will be much more beneficial for me, though (if I ever get back in the gym) --- Barry

This was a great war/ thread, LOL, that happened a few months ago. I remember it getting quite personal, heads rolling, many insults, everyone chiming in. I'm still cracking up. --- Barry

"who cares! If skis work better for you, ride two of em! If a snowboard with hardboots gets your dick/nipples hard? more power! Short board, soft setup, duck stance? ROCK ON!" I couldn't agree more. who cares! go pursue a girl or something... --- Barry

peart, cobham, weckl, rich, holmes, reyes, smith, chambers, gosh there are so many unbelievable drummers. 99% of general musicians will never come close to having the chops, coordination, or style they have. the motor skills they have is astounding, and probably much more developed than those of a bassist, no offense. derf, have you ever layed down a beat (not some simple 4/4 beat either) or belted out a snare rudiment at a very fast speed? not so easy, is it (unless you are a proficient drummer, of course)...i've seen most of these guys live. there are many incredibly talented drummers out there, just as there are guitarists, singers, keyboardists, etc. there are also a lot of very mediocre musicians. go to the next local drum clinic or Percussive Arts Society day and you will see talent (although likely a broad range of skills). or listen to some of the drummers above. or better yet, start taking drum lessons yourself with a private instructor and let me know when you got the rudiments down. Barry

I played semi seriously in high school (private instruction, marching snare, school jazz /concert band, and personal rock/party bands). last year I bought a roland v-club set and it was great while no one was under me but I'm 2nd floor now and since the kick beater goes in a downward motion, my neighbors below hear a thump everytime i play the kick, so basically I can't play (they and cool and I dont' wanna be inconsiderate) been meaning to move it to my folks house, where my old Pearl 5 piece is. also have various other percusive instruments from traveling: maracas, steel drum, woodblock, etc. roland electronic sets can do some cool things

staying hydrated with just a camelback full of water (50 oz i think) definitely helped me ride longer. i also usually chomp on some kind of energy bar. enough sleep the night before helps me too.

nice find here, Captain Jack. :) Barry

What a TOOL!!! First off, he's trying WAY too hard...to be funny, cool, or like one of the guys from "jackass"- or all of the above. He's succedded tremendously in being a dumbass. Second, he's giving himself WAY too much credit for what, I don't really know. It's just dumb, what's the point? Although "jackass" is dumb, at least they have a clue and (one would assume) consult the pros before attempting their stunts and have EMTs there if necessary. It's surprising a respected publication such as NG would print such a dumb article. Not sure who's more desparate for good material, the writer or the mag. if this guy were to injure himself, i really would have very little pity for him. he would just be the undisputed "dumbass of the world." Barry

wow, lol. that's pretty amusing. what is it like riding this? or does it ride you :) what were teh lift line comments like? what is the min. weight for riding this? Barry

hey, though i've seen that many times before, for some reason i'm interested in doing it now. looks cool, looks like you're moving too. i'm planning on going to the longboard/slalom deal tomorrow, i realise this is a different discipline. i havent' skated since i was in elementary school. what level do i have to reach before doing the pool stuff you are doing in that video. thx, Barry

Hey All, I finally shipped the board. took your suggestions and found an obscure FedEx shipping center literally on the grounds of Dulles Airport. Happy to report that it was much cheaper than anyone predicted. Total to ship from Dulles, Va (28 miles outside of DC) to Champlain, NY was $6.51, which included $200 insurance. Thx to all who posted. Barry

Jack, that's an awesome pic, is that you? i'm just not ready to ride one round here yet. Vlad rides around here I think- he also went rockboarding and you saw the outcome there ;). j/k j/k.... Barry:D

it's just funny when you sit back and think of some of the suggested summer activity posts, joke or not: 1. rockboarding ('nuff said)- complete with nasty picture (thx Dalv, lol) 2. pimple popping (even though it was only a game) 3. vegetation (doing nothing) 4. drinking 5. bidding on cigarette boats and old warplanes keep em coming, might as well intentionally try to make this thread ridiculous :) maybe even invent some new activities...

Vlad, that pic is quite gross, esp. the black and blue shoulder. you'll have to tell me about that whole exp sometime. i thought mtn boarding (down a ski slope) was a little nutty, it's got nothing on rockboarding. please let me know when the next skating event is. Looks like i'm going out Sunday to a hare scramble / motocross in southern maryland to see what that's all about. guy at work was familiar with the scene. i'll look for my fav. mesh hat :D j/k. Barry

Steve, funny signature Barry

hi C5. i'll politley pass for now on the fishing and golfing. perhaps occasionally but not as a hobby. thx for the suggestion though. speaking of driving things, your 'Vette sounds fun to drive. my pops used to have a 77 was a great lookin car. i'd like to test the limits of the golf cart that might be fun. or getting a ride in the driving range ball collection cart would be cool, like the bud "real american heroes" radio commericials. cliffh, where'd you get that awesome pic, your avatar i guess. i saw it's on stoked.at, too. anyone know any info re: that pic? barry

we have some characters here, some funny stuff, good reads. thx to all who responded. here are my responses: re slalom skateboards longboards: I owe it to myself to at least try one. Vlad, I may take you up on teh offer next saturday. Do I need to bring any kind of gear or wear anything special? i've got a few protective pads from when i was younger) re: sport bike, honda cbr, i'm fam. with it, great looking bike. one of my co workers gave me a ride on his bike this past summer (gsx-r 1000 i think) b/c i had never really been on one and I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. guy got it up to 120 mph on a service road w/ me on the back (no leathers might I add, of course I had no idea he'd get it up that fast). it was sssccarrry, yet sorta fun i'm sure once you get used to the speed and obvouisly a ridiculous rush. so several of my friends are serious sport bike riders (racing @ summit point, buds creek, etc) and one of them was telling me that guys are hitting pavement almost every weekend in this area, not newbs either. if i lived somehwere with less traffic and more rural, i'd surely get one. i took the msf course and did ok in it and i'm sure i woulnd't be wreckless, but i'd like to see 30 (I'm 25) and i just dont' trust riding in this area. but i do have tons of respect for the non-squid riders ,esp. those in this area or any heavily congested area for that matter. Miguel, I am curious about kayaking. thought about it before. can i "try:" it out before spending 1000 on something i'm not even sure i'll like? we see them everywhere here around Great Falls. hell i think there is even some crazy dude who goes down great Falls park! pro i think. on the lighter side of things, have you even seen the "jackass" guys do "urban kayaking?" it's amusing. re dirtbiking, I just called local bike shop and they wree like "nah, not many public trails here." I'm gonna inquire more about buds creek (MD) i have a compact car, i'd have to get some special hitch first i'll worry about finding somewhere to ride. i did a big bungee jump in europe and i'd like to run with the bulls in spain maybe this summer. can't wait to see what the next round of answers holds :) barry

sandboarding - there's an answer I didn't expect. unfortenuately the closest dunes are the outer banks of NC, which is not real close. and i dont' have a board to mess up. it's a cool recommendation, though. =). i'm calling the local bike shop tomorrow get the skinny on the dirtbiking scene. keep the suggestions coming. the cicadas will soon be here. barry

hey Jack, I forgot about those articles, checking them out now. I forgot to mention that I actually did go mountainboarding a few summers ago and it was pretty scary (we were on an actual ski slope). glad i tried it though. The bindings where basically non-existent, rubber straps. definitley easier if you are already a skater. going to look into these "new skool" boards a little more. thx, barry

is that those just aren't very accessible to me, unfortuneatly. closest thing would be the chesepeake bay in MD, but I don't know many people with boats. not that my 1.5 hour drive to the slopes of PA is overly convienient, but wakeboarding would be even less accessible. Thx for the suggestion , though, I appreciate it and it does look fun. I'm thinking about buying a dirtbike, although I'm not sure how accessible that is either. oh well, where there's a will, there's a way. does anyone dirtbike? barry

hey all, season is over for me and I'm sorta looking for something new to do, preferably outdoors and gives a rush similar to riding. I really want a motorcycle, but too nervous to ride one in the DC area (plus I' d probably go way too fast), with excessive traffic, crazy drivers (inc. large amounts of "ricers") etc. What do you all do during the summer as a substitute? mountain bike? I heard longboard skateboarding is fun. Vlad, I know you slalom skate. Anyone have any of those boards that are supposed to simulate a snowboard? just curious to hear what you all do. Barry

Thx all for the advice. I checked out that link on shipping boards and then click on the "horror" links. Tails sticking out of the cardboard and other ugly pics, largely due to people not following their packing directions I'm sure. Maciek, yes the guy from UPS and USPS told me $50. Now I know that's excessive. thx for the advice, Barry

Hey All, Which company do you all recommend for shipping a board? To ship from the DC area to upstate NY costs ~$50 w/ both USPS and UPS, seems a bit pricey, perhaps I'm just naive. If you've shipped your board to a winning ebay bidder, i'm especially interested in hearing from you. btw, the board i'm looking to mail is only 157. thx, barry

"carvers for Kerry" "carvers now recognized political demographic" yeah right. Can we please keep to no politics. I'd like to read about riding here. PLENTY of other forums, sites, etc for politics. some of the arguments have been amusing to read, though.

Nils, The filiming is great as always. I know you apologized to the Floydians, lol, and I really hate to be negative on bomber, but I can't hold this back. That's a painful cover of "comfortably numb" and I've heard a number of them, including all The Orb's complete album remixes. I did like the intro, however, as it sounds like the guitar intro from "Run Like Hell," which may be a cool song to use if you are looking for something dark sounding and with a driving beat. I have really enjoyed all your films a lot, but the singer's voice was hitting totally different notes than the original and it just doesn't sound right. May I suggest you try something from Swayzak, specifically the aptly named "Snowboarding in Argentina" album. It's deep house with some catchy, intense grooves. Again, sorry for the negative feedback, but I had to get that out.