The source that drives all board sport enthusiasts to seek the adrenaline rush
In ancient Sanskrit language, the prana refers to a person’s life force, life energy, or life-giving force. The prana consists of seven chakras that make up a person’s well-being. A chakra is a power point, an energy center, a spiritual center and a portal between the physical and metaphysical world and are located throughout a person’s body. The word “chakra” refers to a wheel, disk or circle, suggesting that the prana moves in a circular motion within the body.
When one chakra is blocked or not functioning, the prana energy stops circulating and the body becomes prone to diseases and illnesses, which is why, according to this belief, a lot of people get sick and get diseases.
For the board sports athlete who participates in three board sports, a similar principle exists in the form of the Power Triad. Every such athlete has a Power Triad. This power triad is his life force, his life energy, his source of energy and the core or heart of his athletic skills. It is what motivates him to ride, to shred and slay, to go big and perform fancy tricks, and seek that adrenaline rush. It also motivates him to partake in all the shenanigans and customs of the board sport culture: partying, blazing, chicks, etc.
The Power Triad consists of three elements, represented by three action or extreme sports, typically board sports. Each part works off of each other and helps each other for the triad to function properly. For example, a surfer might surf in the summer to keep in shape for snowboarding in the winter, and vice versa. When ocean and snow is not present, he may longboard nearer to his home, to keep his sanity. Each part is a separate sport but the triad works at peak efficiency when all three sports are present and actively participated in.
One can be very good at one or two board sports, but if one is active in three he will improve his performance on those sports more so than if he only participated in one or two. The whole is greater than the part.
Typically if one participates in only one or two sports, he’ll be involved with them only occasionally and most importantly, he won’t have the full potential of the power triad. If he does all three elements of the triad, however, he will more likely be active all year long and have a well-conditioned body. This is the power triad functioning correctly and working at full capacity. The athlete will see unimaginable powers and will slay in all three of his chosen sports. This is why people who actively participate in three sports are generally very good in their athletic performance.
Sometimes though the athlete does other outdoor sports like cycling, hiking, kayaking or rock climbing as replacements in his triad.
Each component or sport, is represented by a physical inanimate object or item. These objects very crucial and gives the participant something tangible to hold on to, something to put memories into or associate memories with, and something to associate with his favorite sport. He uses/wears it every time he participates in that particular sport and in time it will accumulate the
his energies, memories and shred skills, and in return it provides him the necessary skills and sustenance for that sport.
For example, a surfer might wear his favorite anklet, boardshorts or
necklace when he surfs. A snowboarder might wear his favorite goggles, a skater might wear his favorite kicks or denim. He personally hand picks the item or may have received it as a gift but it will always be on his person when does the sport.
Every participant’s personal objects are unique to that individual. No two persons can share the same object.
The power triad is not only designed to make the rider a more well-rounded athlete, it is also designed to protect the rider from any harmful or negative energies. The triangular shape of the power triad forms an impervious shield or barrier which will block out and prevent any negative forces from entering the triad, and thus the rider.
When there is only one or two elements present, the triad is not sealed, leaving the rider vulnerable to negative energies.
Whereas the presence of a third element will complete the triad.
What happens when a component is missing? or two components? If one or two elements are missing, the triad becomes misaligned and unbalanced, resulting in health issues for the participant both physical and mental. He may feel incomplete, naked, lost, upset, stressed out, unhappy – things that aren’t good for one’s health.
Imagine a skateboard. If you remove a wheel, it’s not going to be skateable. Same principle with the Power Triad. Take away one component, and it stops working. All three elements must be present for the board rider to enjoy optimum health, optimum well being, and therefor, optimum athletic performance.
What if person #1 were to wear/use an object belonging to person #2?
Person #1’s power triad will be corrupted and broken. All the shred energy in the object will transfer to Person #2 and will serve his power triad. That is why is it extremely important that one does not let anyone mess with his items and must carefully safeguard them.
Like the seven chakras, the objects must be present and unblocked to receive the triad’s energy. Every time the participant goes out and rides, he “feeds” his power triad. The triad’s energy is the “fuel” for his performance. Shred energy is produced every time the participant goes out and slays or shreds on his board. This energy is collected and stored in the object that he uses/wears while doing that particular sport. This energy is also deposited into his power triad. The board rider’s shred energy from the three sports provide the necessary ingredients for the fuel that makes his power triad powerful.
The board rider could go out and shred on his board everyday and turbocharge his power triad, however most riders have school and/or work. With good time management, he can complete all daily responsibilities and have time to fit in power triad activities, like combining two activities into one, such as skating to and from school/work, then setting aside evenings, for example, for partying/sex.
The human body requires a variety of nutrients and vitamins to stay healthy. Similarly, the power triad requires shred energy from the rider shredding on his board. If one fails to partake in his power triad sports, the triad won’t receive shred energy, and the triad will become unstable, weak and ill. If one intends to maintain his slayer powers, he must continue to shred to keep his power triad fed, otherwise it will starve.
A physical inanimate object can be chosen by the rider to represent his power triad. This object can be anything – a clothing item, piece of jewelry, a rock, a wall fixture (like a dream catcher) or any personal item. Generally, this object will be very close to him at all times and preferably, it will be on his body whenever he is participating in a power triad sport.
This object serves as a “receptacle” for all of the rider’s shred energy. In time, the more he rides, the more energy is stored and eventually it will amass a huge amount of shred energy and become very powerful. In return, this shred energy is reflected back to its owner in the form of good healthy vibes, positive energy, and shred powers to improve riding performance. The object can be thought of as a guardian angel or good luck charm.
It is possible that this energy can be transferred to another person if that person gets a hold of it. That is why it is important that the rider must safeguard this object as well.
Destroying the object does not get rid of a person’s power triad. The object is merely a physical symbolic representation of his power triad, not the power triad itself.
The board rider can replace a missing object, but it will take time to build up and absorb memories and shred skills from the rider. In time the object will become very valuable and may be a suitable replacement. The Power Triad components are all interconnected and is an integral part of his shred abilities and board riding lifestyle.
The Power Triad is very important to the board rider. It provides him balance, stability, good health, happiness, protection, shred skills, shred powers, endurance, strength, and fuel and motivation to become a high performing board riding athlete. When one or more components are missing, the Power Triad falls into disarray.
The Power Triad Hierarchy
In modern day America, we have a caste system where people are placed in a certain status within society based on the level of contribution that they provide to it and the amount of compensation they receive. This caste system is the job title. Someone making minimum wage is generally not perceived as having a “prestigious” job title as, say, compared to someone who has a job title that brings in a 6 digit income. The former would then be located at the bottom of the caste system.
Within the board sport culture there is also a caste system. It is called the Power Triad Hiearchy. Every board rider can be classified by a particular level within the hierarchy based on a variety of factors ranging from what brand of underwear he wears, how skinny his pants are, how high he jumps in the park, his athletic skills or lack thereof and the amount of distance between his headgear and goggles.
Starting at the bottom of the hierarchy are those with no to little board skills. These people are brand new to the sport. They are total beginners. The group that falls into this category is the gaper, so named due to the large gap between their headgear and eyewear. They typically have no clue what’s going on. Usually don’t have an athletic background. Sometimes they’ll come ill-prepared, with improper gear, ill-fitting gear, gear that is lower end, lower quality, rented or second hand. But perhaps the most tell tale sign of the gaper is that on the mountain they tend to get in the way of the higher skilled individuals. In surfing the equivalent would be called “kooks”.
The next group above this group is the ripper. These are kids that have a little more improved riding skills. They are beyond the beginner stage and they can ride faster with more confidence.
As we move up the hierarchy we move up in board riding abilities. At the top of the hierarchy is the slayer and the shredder. The shredder may be proficient in one or two board sports, whereas the slayer is well experienced in three of more board sports. The slayer is the one that slays the park, slays double black diamonds, and the first to finish any race or freestyle competition.
The slayer in effect is at the top of the food chain. The top dog. He gets what he wants, does what he wants. He commands respect. He gets all kinds of perks and hookups that the lower levels don’t get. His is popular, social, and well liked. His social media always have huge amounts of followers and subs. His phone, computer, gopro and all electronics are always more advanced than those of the lower levels. He always knows what’s going on. He is independent, confident and fearless.
His gear is top notch. He always rides name brand high quality gear designed for his preferred style of riding.
The higher levels will get gear that will be more technical in its construction, be of high level of quality, made by a well-known manufacturer. Likewise, their preference in underwear brands also reflects that philosophy. They may wear a well-known fashion label (Calvin Klein), a sports label (Adidas), or a lifestyle name (PSD, Ethika). Regardless they will avoid cheap, generic, department store quality.
The Power Triad Hiearchy might look something like this. All levels of the heiarchy end with an “er”.
_______________________
Slayer
Shredder
Player
/\
\/
Sender
Slasher
Ripper
Gaper
Examples of types of riders and where they might be in the heiarchy:
Top end
- park rats
- multi-board sport riders
- locals
- resort employees
- pro riders
- old school riders who’ve been riding since they were very young
Middle
- weekend warriors
Low end
- grommets and preteens
- newbies who are pressured by family or friends to try a winter sport
- group lesson attendees
- city dwellers and flatlanders who have little experience driving on the snow and cause all the back ups and accidents on the highway
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