Since she was around the age of four, junior Addison Moore has been dealing with arthritis, a disease targeting pain in the joints.
As time went on, she realized that every other sport she indulged in would worsen her symptoms of pain.
“I used to play baseball,” Addison said, “and a lot of the vibrations from the bat were really bad for my wrists. The running would also really hurt my ankles.”
After spending five years searching for a hobby, Addison began her embarkation on her career with snowboarding.
She would spend her time on the slopes of various ski resorts, snowboarding while her dad would ski.
“My favorite memory with my dad,” Addison said, “[was the time] we went up north to Mount Bohemia in Copper Harbor last February. We did backcountry skiing and snowboarding through the powder and the trees.”
Although snowboarding wasn’t as draining on Addison’s body, it still affected the way she would perform. Frequently, she needs to take breaks while on the slopes to ensure the health of her joints and ease the pain.
“Arthritis definitely makes it so I need to take more breaks,” Addison explained. “I can’t always perform at the highest level that I would like to. I have to take it easy a lot of the time.”
When she isn’t snowboarding, Addison likes to transform her love of the sport into other seasonal activities.
Addison will spend the warmer months of the year wakeboarding and longboarding while still practicing her favorite tricks of board grabs and terrain park activities.
“There is just so much variety,” Addison said. “You can always do a different trick on each [part of the park or a different kind of grab].”
Similar to snowboarding, these other activities inhibit Addison’s abilities while she is performing various techniques pertaining to each sport. Sometimes, Addison has to stop and think about whether she should continue with the move she is doing or stop and rest for a moment.
“A lot of the effects from these sports are the same as ones from snowboarding,” Addison said. “Sometimes I just need to take more breaks. Some of the moves that cause mobility issues, I just can’t do.”
Although Addison has been snowboarding for around six years, there was another snowy sport that occupied her before that first introduction.
Around the same time as her diagnosis, Addison started learning how to ski by the teaching of her dad.
“I have skied since I was about four,” Addison said, “but I had always wanted to try snowboarding; it looked so much cooler than skiing. I was finally allowed to try snowboarding on my ninth birthday; I was so excited.”
Since that first moment of the switch, Addison has remained enthralled with snowboarding. She has spent many moments on the slopes, traveling around the country to experience different terrains.
“We went out to Park City, Utah, for spring break one year,” Addison said. “We had spent about a week there, and it was the most I had ever learned about snowboarding. It was so much fun.”
While having to deal with the various pains that arthritis brings her way, Addison has found an escape that allows her to express herself and have fun whether she is in pain or not.
Snowboarding has shown Addison that a person doesn’t need to succumb to their disease; they can live through it and find different ways to accommodate their needs.
“There are always ways to do things that you would like to do,” Addison said, “even when there are other things that stop or inhibit you from doing what you love.”
