FFS with Jenny Jones
Jenny Jones smashed out a series of X-Games wins before finishing her competitive career with an Olympic Bronze at Sochi. We caught up with Jenny, in-between her Tignes and Niseko snowboarding workshops, to discuss her relationship to Fear, Failure and the great Success she’s achieved.
BACKDROP - What do the concepts of Fear, Failure and Success mean to you?
Jenny Jones - Fear to me is a reaction your body has both mentally and physically when it perceives something as a threat. There is a release of adrenalin and loads of varying other sensations - both physical and mental - depending on the person and their perception to the situation. Often known as flight, fight or freeze. Fear is something natural to all of us, it is how we interpret it that makes the difference.
Failure happens when someone has set out to do something and it isn’t achieved. I don’t believe you can have success without failure. I see mistakes as lessons that help me be better at what I do.
People measure success in lots of different ways, it can be achieving happiness, money, stability, adventure or freedom, it’s all down to the individual person. In snowboarding, success to me was mastering tricks, landing a jump, and pushing myself to see how big a kicker I could hit!
Fear
BD - What’s your personal relationship with Fear, and how do you use it/overcome it?
JJ - Fear has always been a part of my snowboarding, and has driven me forward. I would often feel fear when snowboarding in competitions, but would manage it the best I could. I’d accept that it was there knowing that I could still operate just fine. I learnt to embrace the fear and use it to help me. The fear I have towards spiders is another thing!
BD - Can you tell me what was going on in your head on your last run in Sochi, was fear a part of your motivation at all?
JJ - Fear was not part of my motivation. My motivation was to land the cleanest possible run and execute each trick on the rails and jumps as best I possibly could. I was focusing on the process and the techniques I needed and the rhythm I wanted to feel through my run.
BD - What is your biggest fear when snowboarding?
JJ - To no longer enjoy it.
Failure
BD - What was your best failure?
JJ- My best failure was coming back from a winter season in the alps and then trying to ride a dry-slope with my friend and thinking I was invincible. I broke my arm very badly that day, extreme pain, arm surgery, two six-inch metal plates, two big scars and 10 days in a hospital ward. I was never cocky on my snowboard again.
BD - How can/do you take failure and use it to your advantage?
JJ - Consider why you failed, and ask what you’d do differently, so you can improve next time. It’s your attitude to failure which makes the difference. If you view it as a lesson to be learnt from and get better then its fine. If you view it as a threat and fear failure then you will always find it hard to step out of your comfort zone.
BD - Was there ever a time when an injury or failure made you doubt yourself and your life choice?
JJ- All the time, hahaha. But I love snowboarding and the feeling I get when I am out riding, I always want that feeling!
Success
BD - You’ve had notable success in your snowboarding career, what snowboarding moment are you most proud of and why?
JJ - Landing my first 360 was satisfying, everyone remembers learning their first 360, then sticking a 900 was a real feeling of personal progression.
Winning the Japan Nippon open, as this was the first major open event I won. Until then I’d consistently come 2nd or 3rd. It felt like I had broken through and confirmation that I was able to win International contests.
Fulfilling my personal goal of being the first British snowboarder to win an x games medal was a very proud moment.
Winning gold X games in Tignes France 10 years after my first season in Tignes as a chalet maid was a great feeling.
Winning a bronze medal at the Olympics. It was the only chance I would have to go to an Olympics, as I was already at the end of my career, so to come back to full fitness after previous injuries and then injuries during the two year build up was a good feeling. I was proud to simply represent my country in a sport I love. To actually win a medal was a wonderful experience.
BD - Can you tell me what’s been your greatest success away from the sport?
Finding happiness through friends, family and loved ones.
Away From Competitions
BD - Splitboarding -What do you think of it, do you do it?
JJ - I think it’s fun and super invigorating to get yourself up to the top of a mountain independently of any lifts. It is a wonderful way to experience the mountains and get away from the resort for some adventure and powder further afield.
BD - Where would you like your snowboarding journey to take you next, including the workshops?
JJ - I really enjoy hosting the workshops as they are so varied and seeing people progress both on and off the mountain through each week is super rewarding. Whether it is backcountry confidence, technical snowboard ability, the psychology of snowboarding, restorative yoga or simply the fitness training. Each course is bespoke and provides a unique experience for the client.
With my own snowboarding I like to ride powder, where ever possible, and I still enjoy trying to progress my backcountry skills. Quality over quantity these days.
BD - What’s the best bit of advice you could give anyone who’s looking to succeed in any competitive field?
JJ- The man who waits for roast duck to fly into mouth must wait a very long time.
For winter 2020 Jenny Jones is running a series of unique snowboard workshops aimed at intermediate and advanced riders. During Jenny’s Snowboard & Mindset Workshop, in March, Louise Jones - who was Jenny’s personal sports psychologist for over ten years and guided her to Olympic success - will hold a series of insightful sports psych sessions, to help clients challenge their mindset and learn how to deal with fear and failure, both on and off the mountain.
