When I’m 65, I want to ride like Duke

. . . I will be able to ride as well as Duke, if I’m lucky.

After conducting an introductory lesson for two middle school students, I took in some recreational riding. I noticed a guy standing on the top of a hill, with some snowboard students sitting on the ground near him.

Eventually (after a few runs intervened), I caught up with this group. Wanting to learn more by watching someone else teach, I asked the teacher if I could shadow him for the rest of his class. He said that would be fine. He, by the way, is Duke, who is 65 years old. A long-time skier, he added snowboarding to his skill set a few years ago. (He teaches both).

Duke had a class of sixth graders, who were in some sort of 6-week program through their school. The first thing he had them do after I joined up was to ride from point A to point B, through point C. Point C was a spot on the side of a knoll, in between two patches of dirt.

Targeted riding? That got my attention.

The next thing he asked the students to do was to follow him over a small kicker. He instructed each rider to ride over, but not off, a small bump.

Most of them did, and met up with Duke a short pace beyond the bump. I joined them as well, but only after riding far clear of the bump.

At this point, Duke reviewed some of the progress that the group had made in the four weeks so far: 180 jump turns; catching a little air; carving. Then he showed how to ride off a picnic table, offering “you don’t have to do this if you don’t want to.” I was one of the few who did not.

We joined up for a little meeting again, and Duke put them through a drill emphasizing rapid edge-to-edge changes. Oh yes, and next week’s topic? Bumps.

Did I mention that these kids had (with perhaps a couple exceptions) never been on a snowboard before the four lessons with Duke?

Or that he had not just 2 or 3 kids, but . . . 16?

After the edge-to-edge drill, their time was up. Duke and I rode together for perhaps another 45 minutes after that. Like I said, I hope I’m that good when I’m his age.