BOARDING FOR BOOKS

WASILLA — For teens consumed with the latest Nintendo Wii games, what’s hot on cable television or after-school sports, reading a book can seem time-consuming and rather boring.

At Wasilla Middle School, more than 700 students chose to read books for nine weeks and were treated Monday to a rare VIP show with a Shredfest snowboarding demonstration. Shredfest is the mastermind of Wasilla Middle School’s eighth-grade science teacher Jason Moore and professional snowboarder Jason Borgstede.

In 2004, Borgstede and Moore got together and decided they wanted to promote reading literacy through snowboarding, with hopes they could help raise reading scores for the school’s students.

“That first year Jason and I hand-shoveled nine truckloads of snow and set up a mini terrain park in the back of WMS,” Moore said. “I handled the logistics while Borgstede arranged the riders.”

In its first year, 170 students read their way to the outdoor snowboard event. In 2005, Moore and Borgstede again sat down with the school’s administration to discuss making Shredfest a full-blown demonstration.

“We envisioned ramps off the roof of the school and heavy equipment used to make a 45-foot tabletop,” Moore said. “The administration liked the idea and advised us to run with it.”

Since then, Shredfest has become WMS’s most anticipated spring event, with students having an opportunity to meet their boarding idols. Moore said students visit his classroom early each school year asking about Shredfest and how many books they are required to read to attend.

This year, 708 of WMS’s students participated, reading 6,015 books over three months. This year’s total exceeds last year by more than 1,000 books.

To attend Shredfest, students had to read seven books at their reading level for general admission, or 12 books for VIP seating at Monday’s meet-and-greet lunch held before the outdoor event.

“Parents have told me time and time again that up until Shredfest, they had tried everything to get their children to read,” Moore said.

Moore, an 18-year snowboarder, said snowboarders in general have a bad reputation of being lazy and not concerned about education. Over the years, Shredfest has changed that reputation locally with the community and school.

“I have had more then one of my teaching colleagues comment on how their view of snowboarding has changed because of these riders and their continuous dedication,” he said.

Monday, students stood outside and cheered as professionals of the snow sport took to the long 450-foot ramp extending from the school’s roof to a snow jump and small boarding course below. Another smaller ramp was set up across WMS’s ice rink where boarders took turns showing off their tricks.

Moore said Shredfest has consumed much of his free time with planning and logistics, but that it’s worth it each year.

“It has been a long and interesting road with lots of red tape and weather issues, but each year we find the drive make it happen,” Moore said.

Riders Jason Borgstede, Travis Parker, Matt Wild, Jay Liska and Travis Reid devoted their afternoon to showing off their stuff — “shredding” in snowboarder lingo.

“Kids need a positive push to do things they normally wouldn’t,” Borgstede said. “I’m not sure if it’s had a huge impact on those who don’t read, but once kids see that could pay off, they could very well get into it.”

Former pro boarder Parker said he’s enjoyed participating in Shredfest for the past few years and always gets a kick out of performing for a good cause. No longer in the professional snowboarding world and back in school in Lake Tahoe, Parker said he hopes he’ll now have the time now to read more himself.

“These kids actually have inspired me to read,” Parker said, signing prizes for students. “Kids watch your actions to see if they match your words, so it makes sense to me that when I say they should read more, that I am too.”

Parker and the other boarders performed various aerial tricks, including “ollies” and “nollies” for the cheering audience watching from the sidelines. Each trick earned cheers as boarders flipped, spun and plummeted to the snowy knoll below. For many, the hour-long demonstration was worth the hours of reading it took to get there.

Brianna Pierwola, 13, a WMS seventh-grader, said Shredfest motivated her to read more books than usual, and win cool prizes.

“My brother snowboards,” Pierwola said. “It’s fun watching him. I’m definitely doing this again next year.”

Pierwola said she read 15 of her favorite books to attend Shredfest, like the Harry Potter series and “The Magic Tree House” by Mary Pope Osborne. Students were allowed to read any books at their grade level to participate.

In addition to the show, more than $6,000 in prizes were given away from Shredfest snowboarding sponsors DC, Capita, Signal, Northern Boarder, Future Snowboarding Magazine, Red Bull, Burton, Airblaster and Dakine.