Some JMU students embraced the cold and their love for extreme sports last weekend. WMRA’s Kate Bean reports.
[Students cheer on snowboarder, Zion Estes]
This weekend, members of JMU’s Young Life chapter took advantage of the wintry conditions to snowboard –
[sound of snow board stunt]
– right outside their own doorstep. The house is appropriately named after the California skating neighborhood and documentary, Dogtown. College sophomore Zion Estes says that’s who they are.
ZION ESTES: Dogtown at its core is Z-boys. We’re surfers, skaters, snowboarders, if it’s got a board we’re on it.
Like Z-boys, the pioneers of skateboarding, Estes and his housemates are thrill seekers. They built a ramp right under their porch awning. Several Dogtown occupants, including Estes, took turns as Young Life members and neighbors watched.
ESTES: It’s awesome. Who doesn’t want to snow board off their roof? It’s on Main Street too, everyone just enjoy it, have a show a little bit.
Dogtown’s adventurous nature is a core part of the housemates’ shared beliefs and spirituality.
ESTES: We love to live life, we like to live it to the fullest…We want to enjoy life and what God has given it for. That’s kinda how we think about it. We want to take advantage of what we’ve been given. … I mean it's fun to be inside and read a book and drink hot chocolate or drink a coffee, but it’s also a lot of fun playing out in the snow and being crazy.
While some wipe-outs were inevitable, no injuries were reported, and overall Estes says they were having a blast.
