Over the past year or so I've been a part of the community that is Newschoolers. I've seen moments of pure love for the sport, and many other moments of hatred and criticism on this site. I'm asking everybody to chill out, sit back, and realize that we are all here for the SAME EXACT reason, we love skiing. Baggy vs. skinny, smooth spins vs. future spins, technique vs. style... I've seen so many endless debates on this site, some as simple as whether some kid is throwing rodeo's or flat spins in his season edit. Quite frankly, it doesn't matter. Skiing is a way of expressing yourself, so god damnit go express yourself and don't worry about how others do it. This should be a community in which we share ideas and opinions, not bash others for them. Instead of hating on kids who have a different style than us, we should be embracing their creativity and their way of expressing themselves.
I feel as though a large portion of NS is giving into the competitive side of this sport we love so much. While skiing is a sport, and is therefore by definition, competitive, not everything has to be. The reason I ski, as well as the reason that so many people ski, is for pure enjoyment. As CR once said, you clip into your bindings and it doesn't matter that you didn't get the girl, that you failed that test, or that your life is on a one way trip down the shitter, your world is right for those next couple hours. My favorite part of edits or skiing movies has never been the super sick triplecork that Bobby Brown throws in the Grand Bizzare, nor has it ever been a super smooth tweaked safety switch 540 or any rail trick ever done. The best part of edits in my personal opinion is to see these pros, the ones we look up to on a daily basis, the ones who compete for thousands of dollars, chilling with eachother and being all-around stoked about their sport and the progression it is experiencing.
While I myself believe strongly in the things I have previously stated, my initial instinct is to click the back arrow on Google Chrome and forget about ever creating this thread for fear of hate and criticism. To think that things have come to such a point is terrible, and I hope I'm not the only one seeing this. Newschoolers isn't about who has the best rail game, who skis the most, or who can land the better rodeo 5. Newschoolers is about experiencing skiing in different cultures, through the eyes of different people, and making connections with other skiers around the world through a common interest, skiing. Have a great summer everybody and I wish the best for the upcoming season to all of you. I know it's going to be the best season of my life so far.