Drop in with Jenna at Bear.

Rapid-Fire Jenna

  • Epic or sik? Epic.

  • Goofy or regular? Goofy.

  • Mammoth or Tahoe? Bear!

  • MySpace or Facebook? MySpace.

  • Low-rise or straight leg? Straight leg.

  • Hello Kitty or Ugly Betty? Hello Kitty.

  • Corn or flour tortillas? Flour.

  • MTV or MTV2? VH1.

  • Britney with or without Kevin? Pre-Kevin.

    Interview: Derrik Chinn, SignOnSanDiego

    Photo: Marc Balanky, SignOnSanDiego

  • This month: Jenna Klein
    Who she is: Local snowboarding star

    Jenna Klein's bedroom looks like any other 20-year-old's, except for the six or seven snowboards piled up in the corner. Then there are the retired boards she's tacked to the walls commemorating wins at various competitions. Third place at USASA Nationals. Second at Roxy Snow Classic. First at Bear Mountain's Open Women's Slopestyle.

    You wouldn't expect a San Diegan who grew up mere blocks from the coast to be one of snowboarding's most promising up-and-coming female slopestyle riders. She has the big-name sponsors to prove it, however — Oakley, Rome Snowboards, Freestyle Watches, Pro-Tec Helmets, Bear Mountain and Leroy's Board Shop, to name a few.

    She's been riding for only six years, but Jenna's already carving her name into powder history and paving the way for board Bettys everywhere.

    How did you start snowboarding?
    At first I really didn't like it. It was cold and I wanted to be inside. I met this kid who was like, "You need to figure out how to make it work for you. You have to play with your snowboard." From then on, I was riding and hitting jumps. I found out snowboarding is so fun and so playful.

    Do you have a favorite trick?
    I think basic tricks look good. Basic, really clean tricks that are real simple. They remind you of when you just started to snowboard, but you put your own flair into it.

    Do you get beef from riders because you're a girl?
    You get dropped on a lot. You'll be standing for a jump and you know you're on deck and some guy will just fly right by you. It's a little upsetting, you know. I'm waiting my turn. I can drop. I can take a run. Being short isn't that rad because I look like a little girl.

    How do you deal?
    Sometimes if there's a big pack of guys, I'll sneak up front and go because if I have a trick on lock, guys don't like to be shown up by girls. Ever. There are a few girls in snowboarding who are better than I'd say 90 percent of recreational snowboarders. Everyone deserves a shot. It should be "give respect, get respect."

    What do you want to be when you grow up?
    I won a writing contest with Snowboarder Magazine to cover Air & Style (a snowboarding competition in Munich, Germany). It totally opened doors with Snowboarder, and I've been writing some stuff for them. It makes me want to stay with snowboarding but at the same time go to school for journalism.

    Currently keeping Jenna company while strapped to her snowboard: The Shins.
    Any visions of Olympic medals dancing in your head?
    I'm not much of a halfpipe rider, but the Olympics are definitely huge. It would be really cool to be in the X Games or the U.S. Open. When I'm done with school, then it would be super cool to take the time off to ride full time and try to be the best that I can be.

    Tell us some new snowboarder jargon.
    There are some funny-named tricks, like "hot garbage." "Pretzels" is when you're in the trick and instead of continuing the same rotation out of it, you come off the rail and you push your body around. I think people make snowboarders seem like they come up with all this crazy language. There's a tight-pant crew and a big-gear crew. That's where the real split is.

    Where do you hang out in S.D. if you're under 21?
    Nowhere. It's like, you're 5 feet tall. No one's going to take a fake from you. Going out's really cool if it's for a good reason, but I'm not going to go out just to go out. I'm not a big partier. I get so much happier sometimes getting some sleep and going snowboarding really early.

    Would you ever move someplace where there's snow year-round?
    Living here is cool because I get enough of snowboarding. Some kids go to school five days a week but still bring home bad grades, but some kids maybe only show up on test days and they nail it. It's the same thing when I go to the mountain. It's a lot more motivating than being there every day because I want it so bad.

    What would it take to get more girls involved in snowboarding?
    Take a lesson. Learn the basics. Don't come to the top of the mountain and try to go all the way down. You're going to be upset and you're going to be cold and you're probably going to be yelling at your boyfriend. I've seen it a million times. Go with a friend that wants to learn. I think people want to see girls ride better because it's cool to know that they're progressing. It definitely has a lot to do with what kind of person you are. If you really like something, you'll go back to it no matter what.

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