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Are you goofy or regular? Do you know what a Mick Twist or an Indy Grab is? No, we’re not talking Disney here. We’re talking Snowboarding!

A combination of skate boarding and skiing, snowboarding was invented in 1963. An eighth grader named Tom Sims made a plywood snowboard in his shop class and called it a “skiboard”. Later he founded a business to make snowboards.

Others followed with improvements such as Sherman Poppen and his “snurfer”. A snurfer was two skis bolted together. A rope was attached to help the rider steer and keep his balance.

In 1979 Jack Carpenter replaced plywood and skis with his fiberglass boards and in 1980 steel edges were added to the snowboard sides.

Today there are two kinds of basic boards, Freestyle and Alpine. Shorter and more flexible, the Freestyle boards are designed for doing tricks and jumps. With “twin tips” or a nose and tail that are shaped exactly alike, you can ride backwards or forwards.

The Alpine boards are for racing and can only be ridden forwards. They tend to be longer and are narrow and stiff for speed. Their shape is like a tongue depressor but with the tail end cut to a straight edge. This design helps with “carving” or making a turn without skidding.

Snowboarding made its Olympic debut at the 1998 Winter Games in Nagano, Japan. One of the main snowboard events you’ll see in the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics is the Giant Slalom. Gates (usually two poles set in the snow with a banner connecting them at the top) are set up along a snow covered slope. The snowboarder shoots downhill as fast as he can, being sure to carve around (not through) all the gates. If a gate is missed, the athlete is disqualified. The contender with the best time wins.

Another snowboard event is the Halfpipe. Using a U shaped trench with 11-foot high ice walls, the snowboarder builds speed to fly up one side and become airborne over the rim. In that gravity-free moment he performs tricks of skill and daring like a Mick Twist! That’s a half turn (180 degree) with a front flip!

When gravity takes hold again, the contestant heads back down and then jets up the other side of the trench to do another trick.

This time it might be a Misty Flip, a full 360 degree turn with a front flip. The judges take into account the difficulty of the trick and look for the best form when deciding on the winners.

So the question remains, are you goofy or regular?

To find out put your socks on, leave your shoes off and run across a smooth floor and then slide. The foot that you lead with is the one that should be in front when you are snowboarding. If that’s your left foot, you’re regular. If it’s your right foot, you’re goofy.