Wow, this winter has been totally epic! I’m Zazi, and I’m 12 years old. Guess what? I’ve been snowboarding in Laax! It’s my first time here, and my first time trying the halfpipe. It’s HUGE! But I have the coolest and best coaches ever, so it’s kinda less scary.
First up is Iouri Podlatchikov. He’s my personal snowboard trainer. He’s super famous! He won an Olympic gold medal in the halfpipe in Sochi in 2014. Oh yeah his nickname is IPOD. Seriously! He’s really nice and helps me a lot with my tricks. Sometimes I fall, a lot actually, but he just smiles and says, “Again, Zazi!” He’s also teaching me to skateboard in the afternoons at the Laax Freestyle Academy. Skateboarding is a lot of fun. He is really good at it as well. We practice in the bowl, on rails and on the vertical ramp. It helps me with movement and getting more feeling on a board. Itโs also tough, and when I fall on the skateboard! Iouri just laughs. He’s funny.
Then there’s Simon Progin. He’s my trampoline coach. Jumping on the trampoline is SO much fun! It feels like flying. Simon helps me get all bouncy and learn how to twist and flip in the air. He’s really good at explaining things, even when my brain feels like scrambled eggs. He always makes sure I land safely, which is good because sometimes I get a little too excited and go a bit crazy.
And last but not least, there’s Pepe Regazzi. He’s the head coach. He’s like the boss of my entire program. He knows everything about snowboarding and makes sure all our training is going well. Actually he used to be the coach of the Swiss National Snowboard team for 13 years. So he knows a thing or two, and more. He makes sure the training program stays on track and looks at the long term goals and objectives. He’s really serious about us getting better, but he also jokes around sometimes. He has this really loud laugh that makes everyone smile.
It’s been amazing working with Iouri, Simon, and Pepe. They’re all super cool and they’re helping me learn so much. Even though falling is part of the deal (a big part!), I’m having the best time ever in Laax. Maybe one day I’ll be doing those huge halfpipe tricks just like Iouri! That would be totally awesome!
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