High school senior Rebecca F. says she snowboards at Olympia every winter to fulfill her hunger for the sport. She started snowboarding four years ago at the age of 13. She currently uses a Burton Barracuda snowboard.

Rebecca said, “I had to save up for so long to buy that board, but I’m so glad I did. It’s awesome!”

She says her passion for snowboarding grows each winter and that her skills have improved greatly since she first began.

Rebecca said, “I sucked at first but now I’m like WHAM BAM BAM! Yeah, that good!”

Rebecca first began snowboarding after skiing with her uncle. She hated skiing and found it boring. So, she traded her skis for a snowboard and instantly fell in love. She always watched the Winter X Games and found the snowboarders to be the most fun to watch.

Rebecca said, “I always thought it was so cool seeing all the tricks. After watching for a couple days, I decided I wanted to try it someday. So it was super convenient when my uncle offered to take me.”

One particular experience she remembers is a wipe out that happened when she was 15-year-old. She was going off a jump and lost her balance. As she was flying through the air, she knew it would be a hard landing.

“I hit the ground straight on my back. The wind was knocked out of me and I was freaking out. I didn’t feel immediate pain but the next day I couldn’t sit at all,” Rebecca said.

She went to the hospital and found out her tailbone was broken. She says she could not sit for three weeks without feeling intense pain.

Rebecca said, “It was the worst! I couldn’t snowboard for the rest of the season because movement hurt so much. It was a major bummer.”

But, she was back up and boarding the next season. She hasn’t taken a bad fall since.

She thinks says it was a learning experience and helped her become a better snowboarder.

Rebecca said, “I can’t wait till winter. I plan on boarding till I fall and break a hip.”