March 10, 2011

Introducing Snowkiting

By chappy81

Since there isn’t a lot going on lately in the sports world, I thought I’d introduce our readers to what some of our friends are doing these days. Growing up, I was torn between snowboarding and skiing living 45 minutes from North Lake Tahoe it was part of life to be at the ski resorts. I settled on snowboarding by the time I hit the double digits or early teens (I can’t really remember). I was never against skiing, but like anything else, you want your sport to rule the mountain. That didn’t stop me from going up the hill to the Sierra’s with my buddies that skied regularly. I actually had a ton of respect for the freestyle skiers that were busting out flips that I could never do. Anyways, one of my buddies that I used to go up the hill with a lot in high school, Tyler Brown, has taken his two planker pride to a new level with snowkiting. I haven’t seen him a whole lot since college or since he got hitched, but it’s good to know he’s still skiing, and now it’s with a parachute or kite. Although I couldn’t find any videos of him, I’m sure the video below is similar to what he’s doing out there. Here’s his website promoting the sport that I’d never really heard of until a buddy told me that he was doing it. If you live near snow and are tired of the same ol hills, maybe this will spice it up for you.

About chappy81

I'm a dude that just hit 30 years old. Pretty much like everything that is funny, insightful, and has to do with the Warriors, A's, and Raiders. View all posts by chappy81
This entry was posted on Thursday, March 10th, 2011 at 12:06 pm and tagged with , , , , , and posted in Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

26 responses to “Introducing Snowkiting”

  • tophatal
    March 10th, 2011 at 1:53 pm

    chappy

    It depends on what you call not a lot within the sports world ? Tressel just got fined $250 ,000 and suspened for two games in the Buckeyes’ upcoming season for not coming clean on what he knew about players profiting from selling memorabilia . He withheld information not only from the AD and faculty at Ohio State but also from the NCAA as well . And who said that program was clean and Tressel was an honest guy ? I think that sportschump should lay off the salvia and any other illicit narcotics he tends to like ! LOL,LOL ,LOL !!!

    The party is still going on ‘tween the NFL and NFLPA !

    tophatal ………….

    Reply
    • chappy81
      March 10th, 2011 at 2:09 pm

      By not a lot, I meant not a lot I care to write about. I almost wrote about the A’s, but I’ll save that until after I go to spring training from the 18th to the 20th…

      Reply
      • tophatal
        March 10th, 2011 at 2:50 pm

        chappy

        Were you aware that one of Sheen’s goddesses was none other than porn star Bree Olsen (birth name Rachel Oberlin) ? A goddess by other name wouldn’t be worth her weight in gold ! LOL,LOL ,LOL !!!! Still think his career is of relevance after his latest rants against in lambasting the cast and crew of his former sitcom ?

        Mavs’ owner Mark Cuban wants to sign him for him to star his own reality show on his cable programming network HDNet . Those two are like two peas in a pod made for each other …………… “dumb and dumber” !

        Something to bite on Bree Olson

        I’d sent you an e-mail of my most recent pieces have fun whilst reading. I know you’ve been busy .

        tophatal …………………

        Reply
  • tophatal
    March 10th, 2011 at 4:16 pm

    chappy

    I remember you’d stated that you wouldn’t mind seeing an NFL labor stoppage ? Take this into account concerning such a scene …….. a stoppage would cost the cities in which there’s an NFL team in excess of $5.1 billion in economic impact alone and accounts for over 100,000 jobs not inside the NFL . So consider that as what’s like to happen were there to a prolonged stoppage over the entire season . Figures come from an economist well respected within game Rick Horrow who’s also a consultant to a number of teams around the NFL .

    I was simply putting stuff out there for the sake of it when I mentioned about the impact a stoppage would have on the NFL . Imagine the Raiders’ home venue packed to the rafters and then add another 30,000 plus to that and that’s what you’d be looking in one fail swoop in terms of people being put of a job immediately .

    tophatal ……………..

    Reply
    • chappy81
      March 10th, 2011 at 4:33 pm

      The Oakland Coliseum packed!?! That would be a site that only happened once in the last eight years. I understand a lot of people would be out of the job, which wouldn’t be good. At the same time, I doubt a lot of people will be wasting a bunch of money on NFL gear, concessions, parking, and game tickets. That money will go elsewhere to what I feel would be a more deserving part of the economy like stuff people actually need. I’m sure you can crunch the numbers to prove your point either way. Since I don’t work for the NFL, I don’t feel the need to worry about it… I’d still like to see them miss some of the season to get rid of some of the revenue the league generates. Power to the people!!!

      Reply
      • tophatal
        March 11th, 2011 at 8:52 am

        chappy

        You’d be surprised how much money is made by the team off the memorabilia out there. One in every four shirts (jerseys) sold in the NFL is a Cowboys’ jersey …. who the hell knew ? And of course the Raiders’ memorabilia is still a very profitable revenue source for the organization .

        With the way the Cowboys’ season went last year the sales of team jerseys might just be the only thing that brought a smile Jerry Jones’ face other than the boxing matches staged at Cowboys Stadium .

        Do you honestly believe that the city of Oakland can withstand losing a $200 million windfall that it gets in terms of the economic impact of a regular season with the Raiders ?

        That money can go in part to improve the infrastructure and services within the city . Or doesn’t it occur to you in such a way ?

        What’d you want to see there be more unemployment , raise in service fees paid by resident or simply them cutting staff within the city and more likely than not seeing a further increase in the crime rate further deterioration of the city’s infrastructure ?

        tophatal …………………

        Reply
        • chappy81
          March 11th, 2011 at 11:29 am

          See that’s what I have a hard time believing is that the organization really gives back to the community. You mention jersey sales, but who really benefits from me buying a jersey? Not the community, it’s Al Davis, and the league. How does that help the community? It doesn’t in my opinion. LA has been fine without the Rams and Raiders. Houston has been just fine without the Oilers. Seattle has been just fine without the Sonics, so no, I guess I don’t see the impacts your talking about. For teams with new stadiums like in Dalllas that have malls attached to them, I can see how not having those shops open would be negatively impacting the economy, but if your a retail worker, I’m sure you can find another job at Target or Wal-Mart…. If the Kings leave Sacramento, I don’t see that impacting the economy in Sac either… Missing a season wouldn’t throw our economy into disseray….

  • tophatal
    March 11th, 2011 at 11:46 am

    chappy

    Do they have sales tax within the state of California ? Now take into account the rates levied by the state , counties or in some cases the municipalities .

    Bottom line you can’t plead ignorance at the end of the day when your community goes to pot through economic blight when the politicians therein are fools and the electorate there is just as apathetic !

    How much is spent on game day by visiting fans coming to see the Kings play and by fans I’m talking of those from out of town spending money in restaurants and other places apart from the venue itself .

    LA is fine without the Rams and Raiders because those franchises never really cared about the community at large. What LA is in love with is the glitterazzi of the idiot movies stars within their midst and the dumb as politicians like Villaraigosa and Schwarzzaneggar .

    What’ll they replace the Kings with ? I tell you what implode Arco Arena and turn it into a community farm as it’d be far more beneficial to the residents there than anything said to be representing an NBA brand of basketball ! There was more crap emanating from there , closely smelling like methane than could found from a pile of dung coming directly from an elephant’s a_s !

    tophatal ……………………………………

    Reply
  • Chris Humpherys
    March 12th, 2011 at 1:13 am

    Nice job by your Warriors tonight exploiting the inconsistencies of my Orlando Magic.

    As stout as the Eastern Conference is, would it surprise you if any team other than the Celtics bowed out in the first round?

    Reply
    • chappy81
      March 12th, 2011 at 3:03 pm

      Yeah, they show up at strange times. They beat teams like Orlando and Chicago, but can’t beat teams like NJ, Minnesota, and Indy. Can’t figure them out…

      I wouldn’t be surprised about anything coming out of the East. I could even see the Celts going down in the 1st round if they lose a few towards the end of the season and drop to the third seed…

      Reply
  • tophatal
    March 12th, 2011 at 9:43 am

    chappy

    Everyone in the know has their wish it’s official now let the finger pointing begin . NFL lockout is here ……….. and for those who think won’t hurt a community think ’bout thousands of jobs at stake as well those stadiums that are city owned . Loss of revenue there will be enormous !

    Like I said be careful what you wish for .

    $ 5 billion ( communities’ revenues in the city where there are NFL teams) now goes up in the air and with it too goes several thousand jobs not indirectly attached to the NFL .

    tophatal …………………

    Reply
    • chappy81
      March 12th, 2011 at 3:05 pm

      I’m still going to disagree that cities are going to collapse without the NFL. Sure, some businesses thrive because of it, but that doesn’t mean they will go out of business because of it. We’ve had a few rough Christmas’s and that has more of an impact on businesses than the NFL ever will IMHO.

      Reply
      • classic17
        March 12th, 2011 at 7:47 pm

        Obviously, chappy, the USA will collapse into anarchy and chaos. You thought the economy was bad before? Pshh, an NFL lockout will end us. This is probably the opening that our enemies were looking for to invade. Expect us all to be slaves to the communists by the end of summer.

        But in reality, yeah, it’s not good for the businesses and stadiums and jobs. Luckily, most of the same people who serve you beer at the Raiders games are the same people who serve you beer at the A’s games. Or Marlins and Dolphins games. Or Cardinals and Dolphins games. Same goes for security, ushers, merch salespeople, janitors, etc.

        I’d be willing to give you that restaurants around the stadiums would suffer, but most stadiums are either part of complexes or have things like convention centers attached. Arrowhead Stadium in KC is right across the parking lot from Kaufman Stadium. There’s nothing but a Drury Inn and Taco Bell out there. No bars, no nothing. They won’t be hurt by the 8 Sundays that the Chiefs aren’t there. The Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis has a massive convention center attached that hosts events all year. Those people need places to stay and eat, etc. etc.

        So, Al, you’re right and you’re wrong: it’s going to hurt a little but it will hardly cripple communities, jobs and economies. The people who need to worry are the season ticket sellers and other seasonal positions with the actual organizations.

        Reply
        • tophatal
          March 13th, 2011 at 8:51 am

          classic 17

          It’s going to hurt a lot more with over 100,000 jobs indirectly attached to the NFL . You can’t gloss over this by merely saying that it hurts this sector and it won’t hurt another. What about the cities where they ( cities) actually own the venues the revenue losses for an NFL season ? And less you forget the broadcast companies have shelled out billions to the NFL for the rights to televise the scheduled games . Now in return they have nothing to show for it having already sold ads at premium rates to advertisers. Now it’s not beyond the realm of possibility that those advertisers can come back and ask for a rebate again adding to those networks’ problems .

          In terms of the communities the cash strapped cities rely on the revenues gleaned from the games to meet much needed expense for the services that they have within their communities . Think about it for many of the so called small market teams ?

          This lockout hits right a across a whole panacea in terms the fallout and not just within one industry.

          It’s not unlike the fallout of the domestic auto market where there the talk was not to bailout GM and Chrysler . People seem to forget there that for every one industry sector job there , there was another 10 to 15 that’d be affected albeit the moron execs at the companies in question (GM and Chrysler) were so damn naive ! Never mind the idiocy shown by Geithner as Treasury Secretary !

          The season ticket holders were already screwed once they paid their PSL’s which in most cases is none refundable and as such it doesn’t necessarily guarantee the fact that they’ll actually get that seat or suite. The faux pas here is that the NFL with its antitrust exemption status does as it damn well pleases but yet when it comes to showing accountability it fails to do so . Look at the mess at the SB 45 ( SBXLV) and the fact that both Jones and Goodell knew that fans who’d bought tickets weren’t going to be seated get to see the game . Instead they offer refunds (at three times face value) at or they say that they’ll guarantee a ticket for next season’s event . Well now that there won’t be a season what’s next ?

          tophatal

        • classic17
          March 15th, 2011 at 1:38 pm

          Alright, Al, once again, we agree in principle here just not in scope. The NFL lockout will hurt things. I just don’t think it’s going cripple anything.

          I’m curious where you come up with the 100,000 job number. I’m also curious just how much money you think the stadiums make the city. Most cities get 8 home games. Obviously, their revenue will be affected. Again, they will do other things that make up for some of this. Also, their operating costs will be lower. This has been in the works for a while now, it’s not like a lockout surprised anyone. People take measures to prepare for these things.

          As far as the TV networks go, think about that for a minute. You don’t pay a whole contract up front. No games, no pay. The networks will put on some less lucrative programming and not pay the NFL for anything. Same goes for the advertisers. Come on, that’s common sense.

          So once again, just so we’re extremely clear on this: The lockout will make some people lose money, jobs, etc. It will not cripple entire economies. No way, no how.

      • tophatal
        March 13th, 2011 at 8:25 am

        chappy

        The small businesses will much like a number of them did in ’87 when the last stoppage took place. And what about the revenues lost to the cities where the stadiums are owned by them ? I don’t think you even thought about that as a consequence at any juncture ? There’ll be millions lost and for a city like Oakland which I’m sure is already hurting this only adds to their burden.

        tophatal ……………..

        Reply
        • chappy81
          March 14th, 2011 at 1:31 pm

          They’ll have to fill the Oakland Coliseum with Justin Bieber concerts instead I guess. I’d thought about that, but in the end, I don’t see it having as much an impact on the economy since Cali is already billions of dollars in debt. I’m holding firm on my stance of wanting the lockout regardless of the financial implications on communities…

  • tophatal
    March 14th, 2011 at 4:35 pm

    chappy

    It impacts the cities especially where they own the stadiums because they rely on that funding by way of the NFL to offset much of their discretionary spending . When those funds aren’t available to them then they cut more services which in the end hurts the community even more . It’s that plain and simple it’s not rocket science . Goodell (lawyer allegedly by profession) was never that smart to begin and with him having served his apprenticeship under Paul Tagliabue and NFL President Jeff Pash ( also chief legal counsel to the NFL)it amazes me that the guy hasn’t learned a damn thing since becoming commissioner !

    Smith and the union simply ran rings around Goodell’s a_s !

    tophatal …………….

    Reply
  • tophatal
    March 15th, 2011 at 3:34 pm

    classic 17

    Noted sports consultant , and professor Rick Horrow * who’s a consultant with the NFL came up with the figures as it relates to the jobs and cost to those communities where the NFL has a presence. I don’t doubt his word for one minute. My field of expertize is economics and finance (work in corporate law as analyst ) and his figures are definitely on the mark when you take in all of the various dichotomies involved . What he hasn’t taken into account however is the loss the broadcast networks in terms of revenues there in terms of ad revenue. You simply looked at what it meant to the NFL without looking at the monies that comes into the economy on game day the economic impact overall. And like I said what about the losses to the cities where they’re in fact the owners of the stadiums in question.

    * Click on link to read his biography for further clarification as to his credentials if you doubt my word .

    Also if interested see the links shown below as to my own thoughts on the matter ?

    http://abritishman.wordpress.com/2011/03/14/it-aint-what-you-do-its-the-way-that-you-do-it-thats-what-its-all-about/

    It Ain’t What You Do It’s The Way That You Do It …….. That’s What It’s All About ….

    Click on either of the links to view .

    tophatal …………………..

    Reply
  • tophatal
    March 15th, 2011 at 3:42 pm

    classic 17

    Since when did the NFL prepare for this ? They opted out of the cba in September and then thought that the NFLPA would simply accept it. What industry operatives other than the idiot federal government acts in such a way and then not expect major fallout ?

    Goodell is a damn retard along with Smith ! Perhaps that’s an insult to the mentally challenged so I should substitute they’re as stupid as one of the dumb ass members of the Senate or Congress !

    Not only have the NFL got to deal with the resentment of the fans but what about the broadcast networks that’ve shelled out their monies to televise games that now won’t be shown ? You think that they’re happy with the situation ? They’ve also got obligations to the advertisers who’ve paid them ………… so tell me why don’t feel that there’ll be any serious ramifications across a whole area ?

    tophatal ……………………

    Reply
    • classic17
      March 15th, 2011 at 4:47 pm

      The NFL made a mess of this all. I was referring to the business and hotels and economies that you think will go bankrupt. They’ve been preparing for this. And the owners tried to put away 4 billion dollars over the last two years to prepare for this.

      And again, the broadcast networks have not paid anyone a dime for the upcoming season. The advertisers have not paid the networks a dime for the upcoming season. Are they happy about it? Of course not. Will they be lining up to pay their money when the NFL returns? Of course they will.

      Think of it like this: Does the company you work for you your entire salary in January? No, that would be dumb. If you stop working, they stop paying you. Why would NBC pay the NFL 600 million dollars in 2004 for the games in 2011? They didn’t and if the games don’t play, they won’t.

      Reply
      • tophatal
        March 15th, 2011 at 7:17 pm

        classic 17

        $4 billion ? And what of the broadcast outlets and the monies they’ve paid to the NFL to see that brand on the field of play ? You think that’s going to cover it ?

        It’ll be the small lodging business and bars that rely on the NFL on game days for the greater part of their revenues during the season. How many business and employees do you actually feel will be hit by this less than 50,000 ? You seem to forget about the venues and the fact many of the employees there aren’t NFL employees but in large part either contracted part timers or employees of the municipalities where those venues are . That 100,000 figure is accurate …………

        They (broadcast outlets) do in part …… and it’s not simply season just season by season as the contracts are done in advance so the NFL can meet certain expenditure needs.

        When the tv contracts renewals come up it’s not done a year by year basis but multi year and they outlets will pay in part upfront with a balance by a certain agreed upon date .

        tophatal ……………….

        Reply
        • classic17
          March 15th, 2011 at 7:48 pm

          They pay each year of their 7 year contract in quarterly installments.

          Since literally every single other part of your response has been addressed in previous comments, this conversation is now over.

          Have a nice day.

  • tophatal
    March 16th, 2011 at 5:32 am

    classic 17

    And you don’t think they’re entitled to receive in part some of that money back bearing in mind that the agreement won’t be honored ?

    As to the $ 4 billion set aside by the NFL is that before or after Federal Judge David Doty informed the NFL that they’d have to place $ 2 billion into escrow . The league has been lying to the fans and union as to their finances and they’re now being exposed as frauds .

    The one thing we can certainly agree on here is that both sides misjudged each others’ tenacity. And it’s going to end up hurting both their images in the eyes of the public and fans.

    And seemingly the $1 billion a year rollback (for 7 years) that the league itself asked of the unions as part of the concessions sought . This whole thing has been one big cluster f_ck from the start with no apparent end in sight.

    tophatal ………….

    Reply

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