SNOWBOARDING

Snowboarding is the fastest-growing winter sport. It's catching on all over the world and is now included in the Olympic Games.

Did we say sport? Snowboarding is also a way of life, with its own equipment, style, music, clothing and even language.

The "father" of snowboarding is Jake Burton. He became hooked on the idea when he was a teenager and took 15 years to develop the perfect snowboard. Now he owns the largest snowboard business in the world.

Snowboarding is different from skiing. "The only thing skiing has in common with snowboarding is the snow," says one snowboarding fan.

A snowboard looks like a big skateboard without wheels. While standing up with both feet on a board, a snowboarder slides down a slope, controlling the direction with the same small movements that a skateboarder uses. The most difficult thing is, of course, to keep balance.

Skiers, however, aren't happy about the latest craze. They say that snowboards ruin the surface of the snow, and snowboarders can be intimidating as they fly down hills at amazing speeds. Besides, their baggy trousers, baseball caps, bright shirts and Walkmans playing Hip Hop music are not what traditional, conservative skiers are used to.

But snowboarders will give you a long list of reasons why snowboarding is better than skiing.

Snowboarding is especially popular with teenagers and college students (some say as many as 90% of snowboarders is between the ages 10 and 25). "Skiing is for old people," says a student from Colorado. "Snowboarding is for the young. You can go crazy when you snowboard and that's cool."

(from Speak Out, abridged)

SURF'S UP!

Surfing is popular all over the world. It's practised on lakes and rivers, seas and oceans — anywhere with good wind.

Some people think that it's a new kind of sport. But it is not. It was first reported by the British explorer Captain Cook in 1778. It became popular with the introduction of mass-produced, lightweight boards made of fibreglass in the 1960s.

The birthplace of surfing is Hawaii and today it's home of the most famous surfing competition. Huge waves crash along mile after mile of beautiful sand, and every surfer dreams of experiencing surfing in Maui or Oahu.

The best time for surfing is when the waves are high. Serious surfers must be very brave, love adventure and have lots of energy. Once they've experienced the excitement of a ride on top of the waves, they never want to stop.

It takes time to learn to catch a wave at the right moment, stand up on your board and stay there. But during a hot summer day, who minds practising?

(from Speak Out, abridged)