Jodie Nelson’s Winter 2005 Team Journal
by: Sarah | Saturday, February 19, 2005 | 0 comments
Jodie Nelson has had a crazy 2005 already, and it’s only February! She kept this journal and took these photos on her trips to Senegal, the Sundance Film Festival and the Winter X Games, and when she filmed for the TV show “Summerland” in L.A.
Senegal
This year started out pretty hectic for me. Shortly after Christmas, I left for a place called Senegal, West Africa, on a nearly three week trip for Surfer Magazine. I was the only girl on a trip of all boys, which can be really rough considering we were also in a Third World country.
The first night when we pulled up to where we were staying, I was tripping out. We pulled to the side of the road to wait for the other car, and we were in the ghetto for sure. I yelled up to Art Brewer (our photographer) and said, “Hey, Art, this isn’t lookin’ too good, bud.” See, Art and I had been sent on a really bad trip for Surfer Magazine about a year and a half prior to this trip. We went to a place called Vanuatu, which is near the islands of Fiji, and none of us got our luggage. For seven days, we were in the same clothes with no surf gear or even swimsuits. We ended up pulling the plug and aborting the trip without even going in the water once. So I had a little apprehension going into this next trip with Art to Senegal.
We drove down a really narrow dirt road with run down half-built cinderblock structures on both sides. We got to an opening and there was a three story, fairly decent building and that was us. We unloaded the cars and got settled. The next morning I was woken by the loudest yelling over the loud speakers. See, Senegal is a Muslim country, so they do these really loud calls to prayer five times a day, and sometimes five times at night. I didn’t know what was going on, but I was scared! With traveling anywhere, you start out apprehensive and then you become part of it toward the end. Like, when I first got there I was scared to walk around by myself, but then after a couple of days that’s all I did.
I’ll get to the part you are all interested in, and that’s the waves. The water was not as warm as I had hoped it was going to be. Full suits were the call. We did a lot of searching for waves, and throughout the trip we discovered some waves that no one had ever surfed before. The swell never got big enough for us fully to explore some of the better spots, but we made due with what we had. It was definitely a tough trip. The morale was very low because of the lack of waves and the state of where we were staying. It was just a lot to take in, and it was very dirty and a lot of us got sick from the food. So it was hard at times to keep my head up and focus.
My New Year’s Eve was very interesting; I spent it in the city of Dakar. Art, our host, Boubacar, and I went into the city to see the fireworks. The rest of our crew passed, and they made the right decision. I have never been so terrified in my life; people and kids were shooting off fireworks into crowds. Art got a hole burned in his shirt, I got one on my pant leg, and there was a building on fire and everyone was going about their business like nothing was happening. It was just utter chaos, and I wanted out of there. It was so crowded... dangerously crowded. But I can say that I was in Dakar for New Years 2005 and you can’t!
Really, though, there is so much to write about this trip, but I will leave you with this: It was a hard trip, but I’m so thankful that I got to experience the Senegalese culture and people. Though they are poor—with an average annual income of 300 U.S. dollars—they are some of the most kind, genuine and hardworking people I’ve ever been around. They are so happy and beautiful! I took many pictures to share with you, but all I have to say is that you are lucky that these pictures are not scratch and sniff because I also smelled some of the worst smells I’ve ever smelled while I was in Senegal. Keep your eyes out for more on this story in Surfer Magazine.
Sundance Film Festival
When I got home from Senegal, I was happy to be home, let me tell you. (I couldn’t wait to eat food when I got home!) I was only home for about five days before I had to leave again. While I was in Senegal, I was asked to host a TV show for FUEL at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. So on Jan. 22, I flew to Utah and hung out at Sundance. It was a little bit of a culture shock after being in Africa, but I adjusted. I always have trouble when I go to a place like Africa, or any Third World country, and then come home and see how good we have it here and how much people waste and spend on themselves. Sometimes I get really bothered by it all.
At the same time as Sundance was the X-Dance Film Festival, all the best action sports movies. After the films are shown, there are Q & A sessions with the filmmakers and some of the athletes from the films. Toward the end of the festival, there was also a big awards show where filmmakers were awarded for best editing, movie of the year and best cinematography. My job was to hang out and interview various filmmakers for a 90 minute special on the FUEL channel. As you will see from my photos, I got to hang with some cool people. But I will have you know that I never take pictures of myself with celebrities or stuff like that—I just don’t like doing it. But for you guys I did it! I even broke down and got a digital camera. (And I hate digital!) But, again, I did it for you guys so I can be a little quicker with my journal entries.
So let’s see, who did I get to hang with? Oh, yeah! Ross from “Friends” (but I didn’t get a photo), Pedro Sanchez from “Napoleon Dynamite” and Perry Ferrell from Jane’s Addiction, who was there as DJ Peretz. I also got to go to some sick shows like Snoop Dogg and Cake. It was very much a celebrity affair, with lots of free stuff. One of my co-hosts, Danger Aaron from that MTV show, “Jackass,” was going to all the houses and lounges that were for the celebs, and he was making out with all kinds of free stuff. I went down to the Premiere Magazine Film & Music Lounge to find none other than etnies Girl putting shoes on such celebs as Jenny McCarthy, Bijou Phillips, Shannon Elizabeth and Taryn Manning. Sundance was fun! We wrapped the awards party at 3 a.m., I went back to my place to pack quickly, and the airport shuttle was at my door at 4 a.m. to take me to the airport for my 6 a.m. flight to Aspen for the Winter X Games.
Winter X Games
I’ve done some stuff for the Summer X Games because they added surfing to the X Games (but guys only) and asked me to do some interviewing for the surf. They liked what I did, so they asked me to do Winter X. The only thing is that I was not as familiar with the events they had me cover. I did interviews for Boarder X men’s and women’s, Skier X women’s, and UltraCross, which has snowboarders and skiers teamed up together. Needless to say, I was completely out of my element, but it was fun. I have a lot of friends who do pipe and slopestyle, but I didn’t know any of these athletes. It was fun, though, and I pulled it off on live television. I didn’t know this going into it, but the first two hours that I was on TV I was on ABC’s “Wide World of Sports” LIVE! I’m glad that I didn’t know that, ‘cause I probably would have choked.
I have to fill you in on the other thing I did at Winter X. I played music and actually sang in front of people, which has to be one of my biggest fears. I have the worst stage fright ever. I had agreed to play three times in Aspen: twice for Fender and once at a Boarding for Breast Cancer benefit. The first two performances were good little practices in front of small crowds of people I didn’t know. It was a good warm-up. I could see the halfpipe on the mountain while I was on stage, so I tried just to stare at that while I was singing instead of looking at the people. I kept hearing about this show at the Belly Up for Boarding for Breast Cancer, and I kept hearing about how G. Love & Special Sauce was playing and how it was completely sold out. And that was where I was supposed to play my last night in Aspen—I was going to open for G. Love at the benefit! I really wasn’t sure how I was going to do it, but I tried to keep my game face on.
The afternoon of the show, we had a sound check on the stage with all the lights on. Granted, the place was empty, but you have to take into account that I don’t even sing in front of my mom or boyfriend, or anyone for that matter! This was going to be a huge growing experience. I made it through sound check, but when I came back later that night, the place was filled to the brim with people. I sat in the backstage area so I could focus and practice, but I felt as though I was going to throw up or pass out. I looked out into the crowd and it was packed. It was time. My good friend Sal Masekela had just finished introducing me and it was go time. I walked out there and took a seat on the stool, and people were screaming. There were girls right in front screaming my name and I’m thinking, “Who are these people? Do I know you??” It was scary; the lights were so bright, I could hardly even see the people standing at the front of the stage. I took lots of deep breaths and tried to think “happy place” and pretend none of those people were there.
I did make it through. It was cool because it was such a huge thing for me to do—just so far outside of my comfort zone—and I did it. That whole week was about being outside of my comfort zone, but now I feel like if I got through that I could do anything! It was fun also because a lot of my friends were there to support me, and my mom came out and so did my boyfriend. I don’t know if you guys ever see ESPN’s “SportsCenter,” but there’s only one woman on the show. Her name is Linda Cohn, and I really look up to her. She is really good at what she does and she’s not one of those bimbo girls (you know, the kind you usually see on TV). Anyhow, she was in Aspen doing “SportsCenter” live from the X Games, and we got to hang and talk. The night of my big performance she actually taped “SportsCenter” just so she wouldn’t miss my performance! It was so cool to have her there!
Summerland
So after that whirlwind, I got home and was home for one day before I had to go up to L.A. to film some surfing for a TV show that I do some stuff for called “Summerland.” By this point, I had the flu and I had to surf in a spring suit in 57 degree water. I had to double for a new girl on the show and tandem surf with one of the main guys on the show, the Aussie guy.
I hope you enjoyed the journal and the photos. Don’t make fun of the wig I had to wear for “Summerland”—I know it’s bad. I look like an ape woman.
Oh, and if you ever think something is hard or you can’t do it, just think of me singing in front of a sold out crowd when I can’t even sing in front of my own mother!!
You can do it! Anything is possible!
~jn