WOMAN.ca Interviews Tom Chenoweth of MTV's Over the Bolts

Well before all eyes were on Vancouver, MTV viewers had the chance to meet Canada's emerging female snowboarders (also known as "Betties" according to the Snowboarding Dictionary. Back in September 2009, the reality show "Over the Bolts" debuted, revealing an intimate perspective into the journeys of Canada's top boarders as they sought a position on the Olympic team. Woman.ca had the chance to steal some time with B.C.-based Tom Chenoweth, the co-creator, senior producer and director of Over the Bolts.

Can you tell us about the women that you followed? Were there any issues or events that particularly affected the women?
I suppose it's not uncommon for inequality to be experienced in sport - some women on the national snowboard team receive a limited amount of funding. Most of these allocations are based on performance results and prospects of medals, so the younger girls in the system often have to struggle with financial issues.

These gals are on the road 10 months a year with the contest circuit, so there's not a lot of time for a part-time job. Riders like Dom Vallee and Mer Nicoll cash up by shooting photos, video parts and generally hustling to get as much exposure for their sponsors as possible.

How has the sport of snowboarding changed for women in the past few years?
Women are a big part of the machine that is snowboard industry. Females like Dom Vallee, Mercedes Nicoll and Alex Duckworth are all huge vehicles for advertisers and interests in the sport. The popularity of extreme sports for women has mushroomed over the past five years. Snowboard Canada Magazine does an annual all-female issue, and there's a ton of co-ed and all-girls camps and competitive programs (Rad Galz, Billabong's Flaunt It, etc). After Dom Maltais won bronze in Torino, the women in the sport gained a ton of notoriety. Maelle Ricker and Dom M. are a pretty big deal on the world cup circuit, podium'ing at a majority of the events they enter.

Are there any challenges that you think are you unique to women?
Prize money at contest is often less for women then men.

Are there any Olympic races you are really excited to watch?
I'm excited to watch all the athletes compete in their events. Maelle deserves every bit of her success - it's come from a lot of hard work. It would be great if Kimi Zakreski ( a key character in OTB) did well in the PGS on the 26th (that's parallel giant slalom for non-snowboarding experts).

Which Canadian woman snowboarder(s) are you routing for to win the gold?
All the Canadian gals who are dropping in.

What was the best part of this project?
OTB was a great opportunity to tell a story about these athletes over a long period of time. The 15-month period that we were shooting was a really important, stressful and developmental time for these young riders. Obviously getting a chance to travel the world was very exciting as well. But it was the athletes who made that the most fun. Fun personalities tend gravitate towards snowboarding over other more structured sports.

The worst?
Can't think of one thing.

Where did you travel with the Over the Bolts cast and crew?
Korea, NZ, Spain, Italy, Holland, Colorado, Quebec - you name it, we chased these athletes all over the map to get the real drama as it unfolded.

Fashion wise, what's the best fashion trend on the slopes? The worst?
Some punk kids like to snowboard in the same clothes that they wear on the street - skinny jeans, leather jackets, all that. I give it the thumbs up. Snowboarding is born as a counter culture and these young warriors are keeping that flame burning.

Anything else you want to share?
Snowboard more - it could save your life.

Tania Leah Haas
		About the author:
		Born with a nomadic gene and a propensity for talking to strangers, Tania has spent the last three years working as a photojournalist and reporter. Most recently, Tania worked as a writer for Bloomberg Radio in NYC - and covered financial news in the eye of the economic storm. Tania's column will cover health, green-living and other topics that tickle her fancy. She served as a volunteer teacher in Nepal and Tibet after completing her undergraduate degree at Queen's University, and she earned an M.S. from Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism.
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