Our mission in one sentence.

The purpose of education is to teach one how to think, not what to think.
— Manly P. Hall

Welcome!

For the background on what this is all about scroll to the last two posts:
Welcome to Diamond Talk
and
The Sports Diamond™: What it is. How it works.

Have fun with this. Please click the word "comments" below each entry if you have something to add. Discussion is welcome.

Also, check out www.epicski.com for more great ski stuff.

Weems

Doin' that crazy hand jive.

And speakin' of hand jive!!!

Does this fit the diamond. Well yes. But who cares?!!

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xe5w0_ray-charles-jerry-lee-lewis

The Will to Move Forward

Why Charlie skis.

A unique take on skiing.

Edge Change (dot com)

What is it about the edge change?

Tiger Woods

You have to LIVE your sport! This is the essence of the Sports Diamond™

http://www.theonion.com/content/news/tiger_woods_putts_baby_into_diaper

Motorcycle Diamond

Speaking of the diamond, I had an interesting day/night today where, once more, the diamond kept me alive on my motorscoot. Please forgive if I "overshare" it. I just landed, and my adrenalin is only now starting to recede.

I rode from Aspen to Snowbird (400 miles)--leaving in snow flurries and arriving sometime after dark. The temperature never got above 40 degrees, and the wind chill was just breathtaking. (I stayed okay, because I've got some electric heating devices as well as the reasonably warm crash clothes I wear).

Above all, I drew deeply from my Will/Courage resources--even to get on the bike and go. I was scared--knowing the conditions were marginal, knowing that soon the discomfort would set in, but also knowing that I could do this. The Purpose was about joy, discovery, fascination, and staying on the rubber part of the bike. The technical issues (Power) were there on each turn, each passing of another vehicle, each patch of slick road--and the thinking and judgement being constantly challenged by the cold. And my favorite world: Touch--maintaining my sensitivity to the sound, the feel, the suspension in the corners, and the completely light touch on the grips. (Today I learned FINALLY to hold the grips from behind them, pushing forward rather than hanging on them pulling back, so I could really feel all the nuances of the highway.) Moving my mind/awareness from place to place like this....the time went by in an instant, the cold didn't matter, and the feeling of being PRESENT for seven hours was just incredible. It's amazing for me to go more than two minutes without daydreaming. On the dragon, I can do it for hours.

It's an interesting game around the idea of meditation. If meditation calms the mind, letting go of the chattering of my random thoughts, the motorcyling at speed does the same with the added value of threat: if you lose focus, their is no forgiveness, and the crash is very hard.

The biggest and greatest technical moment: I had been riding on dry road for about an hour, and then came around a long sweeper next to the Colorado River, with the sun in my eyes, and knowing that I was going into the shade, I looked up to the outside of the corner and realized that the sun had never hit this section of road today, so I chopped the throttle, grabbed a handful of the front brake, and while lightly rolling back on the throttle, I entered the turn with virtually no lean, and just danced through the corner on the ice. I smiled deeply, aware that the focus had been just exquisite and that this is what I had come for.

Now I happen to know that I'm a pretty intermediate rider, but I'm going to be good--because I really practice and I really focus and I really use all that I've got.

And can you tell that I'm really wired from the ride?

Now look below for the surfing version!

Laird Hamilton gets it!