There’s a difference between being bored and being board.

Huh?

Bored is not knowing what to do. Board, is, well, just about the coolest thing ever.

Not buying it? Go ask that snowboard-schussing, skateboard-stalling, wakeboard-whirling kid down the block.

Yes, board sports – snowboarding, skateboarding and wakeboarding – are the rage.

Who knew?

The Hyland Ski and Snowboard Area-based G-Team is only the third largest snowboard –riding team in the country (they trail, in number, with two teams from Colorado).

And although this year’s summer has felt a lot like winter, so far anyway, Minnesotans don’t have snow year around; nor should they.

That said; A jibber, slang for snowboarder, is going to want to ride, be it on wheels or water.

This gets us back to the G-Team, and its Extreme Sports Cross-Training Program.

Not your typical summer fare, this extreme sports program is equal parts skateboarding, wakeboard, and trampoline and fitness training.

Geared towards youth entering grades 1-12, it draws mostly from Bloomington, Edina, Eden Prairie, Hopkins, Minnetonka and Maple Grove, but also features kids from Chanhassen and Chaska.

“This is our third year,” said G-Team Director Jessica Zalusky, an Eden Prairie High School alum. “The first summer we had 15 kids, now we have 55.”

When asked how the program came about, Zalusky credits her G-Team parents.

“They said there was a void for the kids that didn’t participate in the traditional sports like football, baseball and basketball,” she adds, “and this is what we came up with.”

“This” is a schedule that pretty much runs Monday through Friday. Wakeboarding takes place Monday nights on Lotus Lake in Chanhassen. Skateboarding sessions are held Tuesdays and Thursdays in Edina (Tri-City Skatepark) and Maple Grove (Maple Grove Skatepark. In addition, the Comp Team meets on scheduled Fridays at various skateparks, including 3rd Lair in Hopkins. Trampoline training, geared towards freestyle board-sports enthusiasts, takes place at the Gleason Gymnastics School in Eagan and Maple Grove. Cross-training, featuring the USSA Elite Performance training program, is held weekdays at the YMCA in Edina and New Hope.

Some kids go every day; others, a couple times a week.

“Depends on their schedules,” adds Zalusky.

Competitions, like the Am Thrash Skateboard Series, are open to skateboarders. Wakeboard competitions are being explored.

Lastly, sessions are led by experienced coaches.

“Derek (Derek Haukebo), for example, is a nationally ranked snowboarder,” said Zalusky. “And Matt (Matt Gustafson) has coached with us for at least seven years. In addition to training in Colorado, he’s worked with a lot of gymnastics coaches.”

Gustafson, who claims to have started skiing while still in his diapers, said safety is at the top of anything he teaches.

“There’s a progression,” he said. “What we talk about is short term processes and long term outcome goals.”

Air awareness is also discussed.

“If you can do something on a trampoline,” adds Gustafson, “you more than likely can do it on snow.”

Bloomington’s Ian Aarsvold knows the drill. “My mom usually freaks,” he says, “until I tell her that everything is fine.”

The summer training program is split into two halves; Session B begins July 21.

For more information, go to www.thegteam.com or call 952-846-4317.