Shred. Big air. Gnarly alley-oop backside rodeo nosegrab. Yeah, the Winter X Games have a language all to themselves. Increasingly, the highly acclaimed extreme winter sports competition and festival -- which takes place this weekend in Aspen, Colo. -- has developed quite an international accent.
When ESPN debuted its first Winter X Games in 1997, the participants and their loyal fan bases were predominantly comprised of American snow-kids, Generation X'ers raised on Nirvana, Pearl Jam and the ski slopes of the western mountain ranges. Gradually, the snowboarders and motocrossers reached worldwide, resulting in ESPN's bringing the competition to sites including Tignes, France in 2013. This year's Winter X in Aspen draws athletes from around the globe: Austria, Switzerland, Norway, Japan, Finland, France, Italy, Germany, Bulgaria, Sweden and those long-time skiing powerhouses Great Britain and New Zealand.
And the fans are coming from all points too. A stroll down Aspen's East Cooper Avenue, through the art-and-cafe heart of this impossibly quaint skiing village, yields an international cacophony: Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish, English, French and others all intermingle as the snow flurries gently fall.
That means that everyone involved in the Winter X Games must go with the worldwide flow, lest a well-intentioned action morph into an embarrassing international customer service snafu.
"You have to be careful with how you act, what you say and how you say it," says Winter X Games fan Hanna Talaie, from Germany. "In one country it can mean one thing. In another country, it can mean something completely different."
One group here in Aspen that certainly may attest to that is comprised of our ten Lynn University students whom we have brought to this glorious spot, 8,000 feet above the sea level of our Boca Raton, Fla. campus. The students are here to help to run the Winter X Games as part of our class on sports customer service, the ninth consecutive year that we have run the upper-level course in partnership with ESPN. Like our university itself, our Winter X group is highly international. Our Aspen group hails from Russia, Turkey, Canada, Greece and England. And, for good measure, we have two Jersey boys, a Texan and a real, live native Floridian.
"I'll give you one -- don't stick your tongue out at someone, even if you mean to be funny," says Lynn University junior Alexey Mikhailov, from Russia. "Where I come from, that is a really, really huge insult."
ESPN and Aspen Skiing Company -- the impressive local sports tourism corporation which oversees much of the Winter X Games personnel infrastructure -- have worked hard to keep this all in check. Volunteers are reminded of cultural differences, such as never to point with one finger (to do so in Australasia often is akin to flipping someone the bird). Volunteers with ASC greet international visitors at the Aspen Airport appropriately: A Japanese teen tour group was met with bows, a group of college kids from Germany were greeted with hearty handshakes.
"We have to think globally," ESPN event operations coordinating director Paul DiPietro told our Lynn University group at the base of Buttermilk Mountain. "Everything we do has to be mindful of being international, from our broadcasting to serving our guests."
It's not quite the profound lesson on international diplomacy and cross-cultural understanding so desperately needed in our ever-shrinking world. But it's a gnarly start, dude.
Prof. Ted Curtis (@TedCurtisStuff) and Dr. Chad Barr are associate professors and co-chairs of the sports management program at Lynn University in Boca Raton, Fla.
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
It's Another Trump-Biden Showdown — And We Need Your Help
The Future Of Democracy Is At Stake
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
The 2024 election is heating up, and women's rights, health care, voting rights, and the very future of democracy are all at stake. Donald Trump will face Joe Biden in the most consequential vote of our time. And HuffPost will be there, covering every twist and turn. America's future hangs in the balance. Would you consider contributing to support our journalism and keep it free for all during this critical season?
HuffPost believes news should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay for it. We rely on readers like you to help fund our work. Any contribution you can make — even as little as $2 — goes directly toward supporting the impactful journalism that we will continue to produce this year. Thank you for being part of our story.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
It's official: Donald Trump will face Joe Biden this fall in the presidential election. As we face the most consequential presidential election of our time, HuffPost is committed to bringing you up-to-date, accurate news about the 2024 race. While other outlets have retreated behind paywalls, you can trust our news will stay free.
But we can't do it without your help. Reader funding is one of the key ways we support our newsroom. Would you consider making a donation to help fund our news during this critical time? Your contributions are vital to supporting a free press.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our journalism free and accessible to all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.
Support HuffPostAlready contributed? Log in to hide these messages.