Snowboarders need to follow rules too
By David Wilson Special to the Kansan
When they first invaded the slopes in the mid-to-late '80s, decked out in shocking neon outfits, snowboarders were such a minority that they went almost unnoticed by skiers.
Today, as their numbers increase, so does the intensity of skier-snowboarder conflicts. But the conflicts are beginning to level off, thanks in part to joint efforts by the skiing and snowboarding industry, said David Grenier, manager of the Snow Creek Ski Area in Weston, Mo.
Ninety-five percent of snowboarders are good kids, Grenier said, and the other 5 percent can be rambunctious. The most common offenses include not following rules and using profanity.
"We don't have a big problem," he said.
Many of the skiers of yesterday are the snowboarders of today.
Greg Gay, a snowboard instructor at Snow Creek, said he recently taught a 46-year-old woman how to snowboard.
The source of most skier-snowboarder conflicts,he said, is a bad attitude on the part of snowboarders and skiers,but mostly snowboarders.
"The 14-year-old is a problem," said
Gay. "He thinks he rules the hill.
"They'll mouth off, and some rich guy gets flipped off."
Gay said that snowboarders could cut across a hill much faster than a skier, making collisions more likely.
But the more mature snowboarder doesn't zigzag as much, he said.
"Older snowboarders, they're not interested in mixing it up," Gay said.
Max Clifford, Lawrence junior and snowboarder, said he had never had much of a problem with skiers.
"I like hanging out with skiers," he said.
The best way to get into trouble, Clifford said, is to look for it.
"If you go out with an attitude, you'll run into it," he said.
And the best way to avoid running into both trouble and other skiers is to be careful.
Gay said that most skier codes of responsibility now apply to snowboarders and that the codes place the burden of responsibility on the person highest on the fall line. That means that when careening down the hill, a snowboarder is responsible for everyone below him or her.
"When overtaking, you have to avoid," said Gay.
Fiesta mucho in Mexico, but stay within limits
By Erika Rasmusson Special to the Kansan
Students planning to spend Spring Break partying in Mexico had better make sure that their fun does not get out of hand, or they might find themselves doing time in jail instead of time in the sun.
Students should not expect to get away with things in Mexico that they would not get away with in the United States, said Mike Hoff, American Consul in Tijuana. Mexico. Fighting, drunken driving, possessing drugs and having open containers of alcohol on the street would get students busted just as fast in Tijuana as it would in Topeka.
Hoff said students traveling to Mexico needed to know certain things.
The inalienable rights of U.S. citizens are not valid in Mexico — where a person is presumed guilty until proven innocent, not innocent until proven guilty, Hoff said.
"For the most part, the drinking age in Mexico is 18," Hoff said. "Students come down and drink and get a little more rowdy. They make the assumption that Mexico doesn't care — and we do."
Ray Christensen, assistant professor of political science, said that laws between the two countries differed.
"Usually, other countries have more stringent laws," he said. "Drug abuse and possession is one you always hear about."
Penalties for breaking the law in Mexico range from small fines to lengthy jail sentences. A U.S. Department of State report stated that sentences for drug possession
could run up to 25 years and that sentences for firearm possession could run up to 30 years.
"Do not, under any circumstances, bring a gun into Mexico," Hoff said. "Firearms in Mexico are a big no-no."
Hoff said that about 100 U.S. citizens were arrested in Tijuana every month, two to three a week for possession of marijuana.
In Tijuana, Hoff said students often were fined and kept in jail overnight, unless they were minors. A legal guardian must get minors out. He said that fines differed among Mexican states, but that they generally were between $30 and $35.
Students who find themselves arrested will be strip searched, Hoff said. In Mexico, Miranda rights do not exist.
Hoff said that students should let the police know they are U.S. citizens and should not resist arrest.
The American Consulate, a branch of the U.S. Embassy that helps U.S. citizens in Mexico, is the office that deals with U.S. citizens who get into trouble with the law. They call the jails daily, Hoff said.
"In all probability, within 24 hours a consulate tries to get there or at least call," he said.
If a student is in serious trouble, the Consulate will provide a list of English-speaking lawyers.
"We're not lawyers," Hoff said. "We don't represent them. What we do is make sure they are not being mistreated because they are U.S. citizens. We also make sure they know what they have been arrested for."