Celebrity Corner
Barrett Christy - Snowboarding Champ
… a Nike/ ACG Athletic Pro
 Born in Buffalo, NY, Barrett Christy grew up in Bucks County,
PA, although she now calls Vail, Colorado her true home. Barrett
started out winter skiing but switched to snowboarding because
it looked easy, graceful, and fun. Although she admitted that
snowboarding wasn't nearly as easy to learn as it looked. With
lots of effort she has become a true master. Barrett has been
riding boards for 10 years and competing for the past seven.
She recommends, "If you want to try snowboarding, be sure
to get good equipment that's designed for your size and weight."
If you have trouble at first, don't get discouraged, sometimes
it's just your equipment. Board size must be proportionate to
your size. Even with the best of equipment, boarding takes practice.
She recommends to be sure to always have fun, and not to get too
caught up in concentration. According to Barrett, "It's easy
to concentrate so much that you loose sight of the fun, but it's
important to always have fun."
At 5'2", Barrett Christy is a true icon in snowboarding with
wins dating back to the 1997 Vans World Cup, Winter X Games, and
U.S. Open. With numerous big wins in 1988, including the CBS Masters
of the Board 1st Overall, and the U.S. Open Half-pipe,
Barrett continued her string of wins in 1999, winning the Winter
X-Games overall snowboarding championship and the Big-Air competition
in both the Winter and Summer X Games.
Barrett had a great season last year taking silver in the Halfpipe
and bronze in the Slope Style competition at the 2000 X Games.
Also in 2000 Christy took 3rd place in the Halfpipe
at the US open, 2nd in the Mount Baker Banked Slalom
event and 3rd in the Gravity Games Big Air Division.
Rounding out the season, Barrett was named Female Rider of the
Year by TransWorld Snowboarding Magazine for 2000 while at the
same time being nominated for a Teen Choice Award. She can also
be found gracing the pages of the Guinness Book of World Records
as the holder of more X Games medals than any other athlete.
 Off snow, Barrett's name and face can be found in the media spotlight.
She is the first Nike ACG athlete ever to have her own signature
shoe. She said it was a lot of fun working with a team of other
women to develop this shoe. "It's a shoe I use for a lot
of different activities … mountain biking, trail riding,
hiking, and it has good tread for snow and traction for dirt.
Barrett's other recreational activities include: mountain biking,
tennis, surfing, golf, and trail running.
Teen Adventure congratulates Barrett on her many athletic accomplishments,
and wishes her continued success in upcoming board events.
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