For the Para Team – it’s been a crazy season with the competition calendar being very condensed because of the Paralympic Games happening in March – all competitions that determined who would qualify for the games had to be completed by February 15 – a full month and a half less than a regular snowboard season. So, the team has been on the road almost non-stop since November.

And that doesn’t tell the full story of the travel this season going into the games. We had several off-season camps to prepare our athletes to be their best starting at Snowbird in May, Mt. Hood, Oregon in June, Argentina in August and then Waterville Valley, New Hampshire in both November and December (2 separate camps there).

Our World Cup competitions have taken us to the Netherlands (yes, the Netherlands! – an indoor ski area) followed by Austria, Switzerland, Canada and finally our last competition this past week at Steamboat in Colorado.  One benefit of all this travel we have discovered. As long as each person had enough clothes for one event, on our brief trips home we just dumped everything in the laundry and then right back into the bag for the next trip – no worrying about what to pack.

Obviously going to the Paralympics is a huge deal – only every 4 years and for some of these riders, perhaps a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Team USA can send 3 athletes in each discipline – Snowboardcross and Banked Slalom. We have had some US National Team athletes on our team but being on the national team does not guarantee a spot on the Paralympic Team – the “games team” is chosen from the riders performing the best going into the games so there is opportunity for any athlete to get a spot.

It’s been especially competitive among our team with many of our athletes vying for the few games’ spots available. Especially in the women’s side of things – every single US female athlete competing at World Cup comes from our team so it’s been a pressure cooker all season with all of our athletes trying to out-compete each other. Tragically Becca Johnston suffered a season-ending injury at our training camp in December but Brenna Huckaby, Kate Delson, Dennae Russell and Jackie Hamwey battled through to the very end in Steamboat. On the men’s side, Joe Pleban, Aleks Godowski and Alex Rivera as well new-to-the-team athlete Phil Smage have been battling it out, trying to out-compete US Team athletes Keith Gabel and Zach Miller for a spot.

And after a grueling season I am incredibly proud of all our athletes. The dedication and grit (not to mention the cost) that it takes is huge. Kate and Brenna have already qualified for spots at the Paralympics and we are now waiting for the final team to be announced. And beyond the athletes, Head Coach of our Para Team Adi Smith will be part of the coaching staff at the Para Games in Italy – which seems only right since so many of our athletes will be competing.

para nations cupAnd while the Olympics and Paralympics are the most visible to the public, the crystal globe represents the most challenging thing to accomplish in our sport showing consistency over time. Kate Delson claimed the crystal globe this season for both Snowboardcross and Banked Slalom – a remarkable achievement with Brenna Huckaby in 2nd, Jackie Hamwey in 4th and Dennae Russell in 7th, Joe Pleban in 5th and Aleks Godowski in 16th. And to cap it all – through the results in large part from athletes on our team, the USA brought home the World Cup Nations Cup in both disciplines as well as the NorAm and Europacup Nations Cups. 

I hope everyone tunes in to watch the Paralympics in March and watch our own athletes try to win on the world stage. I know all of you are glued to your TV’s watch the Olympics but as one of our athletes and 3 time gold medalist Brenna Huckaby put it “If you’re a sports fan, you’re already a fan of para sports.

Other notable Cup results:

Alexs Rivera winner of Europacup

Tyler Divilio winner of NorAm Cup in his category

Alexs Godowski – tied for first in NorAm Cup

Alex Rivera and Phil Smage – tied for 2nd in NorAm Cup

~ Lane Clegg, Snowboard Director

Big Mtn Team:

The team took on their first National competition of the season at Jackson Hole this last month. Three of four qualified for finals, and of those three, two of them took 2nd place for their divisions – Noah G for the u15 boys and Kaito D for u19 boys. It’s Kaito’s first season in the u19 division, and thus far he has a 1st in a regional from competing in Chile this last summer, and now a 2nd in a national competition keeping him in strong contention for Worlds. The rest of the team is completely new to freeride, especially at the national level. Noah Greer took 2nd in his first-ever national by keeping his riding clean and stacking multiple manageable features in a venue that proved to be very difficult for snowboarders. Costello M landed one of the largest drops of the competition, but unfortunately fell later in his run. At the age of 13, he has a lot of promise and will begin to dominate once he figures out the game – anyone who competes in freeride knows, it’s a process. His brother, Sebastian M, brought strong board handling skills and clean riding to the competition, which put him through to the finals. Unfortunately, in finals, a fall kept him out of a top 5 position. Taking a team that is this new to freeride competition and asking them to perform well in a national comp that has a difficult venue and conditions is no simple ask. I’m very proud of how they all did. Many lessons were learned, and above all else, the team had a blast ripping around a legendary resort. They all maintained such positive attitudes and determination through this experience and I’m excited to see them continue to grow as snowboarders, freeriders, and as people.

~ Miles Auclair, Head Big Mtn Coach

 

 

 

Dev Team:

The development snowboard team has been learning to make the best out of poor snow conditions. We have been practicing some turning, alignment, and jumping skills. Arra K and Julian C both upgraded their quivers and got SWEET new jones snowboards this month which will help them to float in the powder and go fast through the bumps. 

dev team cat rideWe were able to get a snowcat tour this month from one of the snowcat drivers. He explained to them a bit about how much work goes into making this resort work for everyone! They were also able to sit inside the cats which was fun. 

We have had some delays on our first competition, but we are still anticipating and excited for this first one to start. 

~ Anna Miller, Head Dev Coach

 

Posted in Snowboard