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Balsamo, FitzSimons Win USASA Nationals Rail Jam

By Chad Buchholz
April, 8 2019
Tucker FitzSimons at Copper
Tucker FitzSimons competing at the 2019 USASA Nationals freeski open class rail jam. (USASA - Chad Buchholz)

Freeski week at the 2019 USASA National Championships opened on Saturday night with a truly electric Hard Rock Riviera Maya rail jam session where six of the best women and 10 of the best men duked it out. Marion Balsamo (Penasco, N.M.), and Tucker FitzSimons (Hood River, Ore.) took the wins with standout performances. 

Representing the Southwest Freeride Series, Balsamo spends her time off the slopes riding rodeo. On Saturday, however, she was busy riding the rails, stomping tricks across a majority of the rail jam features, including an incredible double switch up front-to-front on the quad kink that also earned her “Best Trick of the Night” honors. 

“I had a ton of fun tonight,” the 16-year-old Balsamo said with a smile smiled. “It was a blast. I’ve won Nationals before, but this is my first time winning open class and I’m just really excited.”

In second behind Balsamo was 14-year-old Hanna Faulhaber (Carbondale, Colo.) of the Aspen Snowmass Series, while the bronze medal went to 15-year-old Jenna Riccomini (Port Matilda, Penn.), representing the Rocky Mountain Series.

Over on the men’s side, the finals started with an absolute banger on Saturday night, with the first rider out of the gate dropping a massive gap 270 to down-flat-down on the quad kink.

That rider was FitzSimons of the Big Mountain West Series, and after setting the tone with that first trick he didn’t slow down for the rest of his gold-medal winning jam session, ranging left and right across all features and stomping top tricks that included a switch 270 gap to down-flat-down to backside 270 out on the quad kink, and a pole jam 50-50 to lipslide on the wall ride to backside 270 out on the down rail.

“It felt really good,” 21-year-old FitzSimons said, “I landed a lot of tricks that I really wanted to get, and I felt really good about my skiing. I was stoked. It was a super-fun event and I’m stoked have won and taken a little cash home at the end of the night. Everyone killed it tonight, I was super impressed with the level of riding.”

Eli Vossler (Bend, Ore.) of the Central Oregon Series claimed silver with a silky-smooth performance throughout the evening, while Will Griffith (Ketchum, Idaho) of the Big Mountain West series had one of the most consistently explosive performances of the night, launching into and out of features with abandon on his way to taking the bronze.

RESULTS
Men's freeski open class rail jam
Women's freeski open class rail jam
 

Patient Notes: Like I Never Left

By Breezy Johnson
April, 5 2019
Breezy Johnson - Patient Notes, v.6
Breezy Johnson returns to gates for the first time since injuring her knee last September.

Editor's Note:
Breezy Johnson (Victor, ID) sustained an ACL tear in September that has sidelined her for the 2019 season. Throughout Johnson's road to recovery, she'll be sharing the ups and downs of rehabilitation here in a column of her own, entitled "Patient Notes," in hopes that you will follow along for the journey to learn how challenging it is both physically and mentally to return to snow at the elite level. Being an injured athlete can be challenging and lonely, and we're hoping that by writing this column, Johnson will be able to stay connected to the community and her sponsors.

Johnson kicked off her series with a poignant pre-surgery piece with Patient Notes: Volume 2, she brought you all the post-op nitty grittyPatient Notes: Volume 3, she talked about ferocity and frustrationPatient Notes: Volume 4, where she talked about the mental ups and downs in the mid stages of recovery and Patient Notes: Volume 5, entitled "Lies and Greed". She's thankful for your support and invites you to follow along on her Instagram. All of the words below are Johnson's thoughts, straight from her journal to your computer screen.

Enjoy the journey,

Megan Harrod 
Alpine Communications Manager

------------------

4/3/2019: 7 months post injury, 210 days post injury, 197 days post-op

Like I Never Left

It’s been a while since I last wrote; I think these pieces have been more important for me than you. And I think that being back on skis, feeling as though I was finally breaking down the barriers I had feared for months meant that I didn’t need to write as much. Sure, there were tough moments. Every World Cup race hurt, not my knee, but my heart. Physically my chest lurched every time I watched someone push out of a start gate. But, I was moving. I was skiing, and I had day to day goals to accomplish. I wasn’t sitting with my knee in the air, feeling misery crush me. I was out moving, skiing, feeling the air on my face and beginning to believe that everything might be alright.

Some people wonder, why undertake this journey at all? Or perhaps, rather, why open yourself back up to going through this heart-wrenching experience. Why ski when it seems the sport has one of the highest injury rates? A former athlete, who went through not one but five ACL injuries shocked me recently saying, ‘if I could, I’d have retired after the first one.’ But I know why I do it. I know why I will fight, have fought, like a gladiator to return to the race course that might – though I shiver to imagine it – one day tear me apart again. As I got back into gates last week, I was reminded why I never once questioned my desire to return to the sport. And now, with the feeling of ripping past super-G gates fresh on my mind, I thought I would elaborate on why anyone would pursue this sport, given the risks.

I am currently headed home after my first block of skiing in gates. Just a week ago I skied around a gate for the first time in almost seven months! Just two days ago I pushed out of the start of a super-G set. And, everything that I love about the sport washed over me again, and reminded me even more viscerally how amazing this sport is and how glad I am to be back. And, knowing intuitively how much more I love racing World Cup speed, opened my eyes to the reason I am working as hard as I am to return to that pinnacle of the sport.

I am crying thinking about it. You can’t see it, but I am. I visualized it for months. But the feeling itself…that was something else. You can’t imagine what the feeling of bumps sliding under an arcing ski at 60 miles per hour does to me. Goosebumps. You can’t fake the gorgeous sunrise that made up for the 4:45am wake-up. And then the intellectual part of me lit up looking at delays and sidehills in inspection. And finally it all came together. I pushed out of the start and felt that rush of adrenaline, the narrowing of my focus. Just me and the course. This is why I do it. Because it makes me feel alive.

I am blessed, in that it feels like I never left. I don’t mean for that to sound arrogant. Rather, I say it with both elation and giddy excitement. I felt so relieved that when I returned, my body did not rebel on my mind, but they worked together in harmony and  I skied just as well as I remember. I still have a long way to go. I still want more experience under my belt. But, I have a whole summer to get that experience. And, I’m more determined than ever to continue improving myself, because I didn’t go through all of this to be as good as I ever was. I want to be better.

Kellogg, Retzlaff Claim Slopestyle Open Class Gold

By Chad Buchholz
April, 5 2019
David Retzlaff in Copper
David Retzlaff keeping it cool under pressure to win his first USASA National open class slopestyle. (Chad Buchholz - USASA)

The final day of snowboard week competition of the 2019 USASA National Championships went down on Thursday at Copper Mountain, Colorado, where once again all five daily venues were buzzing with action from first chair to last, and where the highlight Open class slopestyle competition saw Makayla Kellogg (Mammoth Lakes, Calif.) and David Retzlaff (Holly, Mich.) use their final runs of the day to claim this season’s national titles.

The day started with a change in schedule for the women. In the riders meeting after practice, the competitors on hand elected to forego qualifications and head straight into a three-run final for all riders. 

Kellogg was one of the standout riders from the get-go. However, despite stomping both of her first two runs, she still found herself in second-place behind Colorado’s own Ellie Weiler (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) before the start of run three. 

As it turned out, Kellogg had another gear, stepping it up in a third run that included a cab 540, backside 360, and a well-held mute grab through the jump line, before going 50-50 frontside 360 out, 50-50 to boardslide, and 50-50 frontside 180 through the rails to earn a score of 88.25 and the gold medal.

“I started the day off pretty nervous," said Kellogg. Practice was pretty scary and I wasn’t landing stuff. We switched my run up and I started landing it every run, and then landed all three runs in finals, so I was super happy about that. I’m so excited to win…I don’t even know how to explain it. Everybody threw down today and it’s awesome to be first.”

16-year-old Weiler would finish the day with a score of 85.25 for the silver medal, while Lauren Dominio (Dillon, Colo.), a Rocky Mountain Series rider like Weiler, would round out the podium in third with a score of 82.00.

Over on the men’s side of things, top qualifier Retzlaff would need to come up with a little last-run heroics to take his National Championships title after failing to put down his first run and looking up an intimidating leaderboard that had three riders in the 90’s after their first runs. 

Dropping in last on the day, 19-year-old Retzlaff started things off on his 95.75-scoring gold medal run with a cab 900, into a frontside 1080, and finally a backside 1260 to finish off the jump section, before going cab 270 sameway 270 out, switch boardslide to regular, and frontside 270 boardslide to regular through the rails.

“I stomped my first qualifying run, and then I upped it in my second qualifying run and I think I increased my score by 10 to take top spot,” Retzlaff, another Rocky Mountain series product, said about his day, “So I was last one to drop in finals, but on my first run I just came up short on a jump. After first run there were some high scores on the board, but I didn’t really pay attention to them and I was able to put down my bigger tricks in my last run and get a 95-something."

“I was just trying to stay focused, wasn’t really thinking about what the other competitors were doing, just trying to make sure I knew what I could do and know that it was all up to me if I was going to land or not. It’s super cool. I ended up third last year, so to come back and win it this year is awesome. I’m excited about it.”

Second place behind Retzlaff was 18-year-old Alec Little (Park City, Utah) of the Big Mountain West Series, who took silver with a score of 93.00. Bronze, meanwhile, went to the Maine Mtn Series’ Bo Warren (Ipswich, Vt.), as the 22-year-old put down a first-run score of 91.50 to earn his place on the podium.

The final day of USASA Nationals snowboard program signifies the end of one the most critical events to the athlete development pipeline. In addition, USASA also just completed it's 30th year as an integral piece of the event and development pipeline. Thanks to USASA's focus on creating opportunities for the youth, the future of competitive snowboarding is a bright one! Learn more about the U.S. Ski & Snowboard and USASA partnership below. 

Snowboard Athlete Development Pipeline
U.S. Ski & Snowboard, USASA Offer Opportunity

RESULTS
Men's snowboard slopestyle open class
Women's snowboard slopestyle open class
 

Wolle, Maud Wow Crowds To Claim USASA Nationals Halfpipe TItles

By Chad Buchholz
April, 4 2019
Jason Wolle Copper
Jason Wolle going huge at the 2019 USASA Nationals halfpipe open class finals. (Chad Buchholz - USASA)

Any fan of outstanding snowboarding was in for a treat at the 2019 USASA National Championships at Copper Mountain Resort in Colorado on Wednesday afternoon, as a perfectly-cut halfpipe, ideal weather conditions, and an exceptional field of riders from around the country all combined to produce an excellent Open class halfpipe competition.

Every rider on hand stomped at least one of their two finals runs, and with every one of those stomped runs offering multiple brow raising moments, the judges had their work cut out for them on Wednesday. However, two riders in particular separated themselves from the pack, and at the end of the day it would be two U.S. Snowboard Rookie Team members Tessa Maud (Carlsbad, Calif.) and Jason Wolle (Winter Park, Colo.) leading the way from qualifiers through to final runs and taking the 2019 Nationals titles.

Already on her way to becoming a World Cup regular at just 15-years-old, Unbound Series representative Maud impressed from the outset, with big, smooth airs and long-held grabs throughout her spins and straight airs, dropping a first run that included a first-hit frontside 720, cab 720, tuck-knee, backside 540, and a big stalefish to finish things off.

“It was super fun out there today, and all the girls killed it,” said Maud following the awards ceremony, “I rode the Rev Tour and the World Cup this year, but USASA has a huge place in my heart because I’ve been doing it for eight years. I love it and it’s good to be back here with all my old friends and around the groms and everyone. It’s super fun.”

Second place and the silver medal for the ladies went to 14-year-old Alexandria Simsovits (Calabasas, Calif.), also of the Unbound Series, while Japan’s Ayako Kamata would earn bronze.

In the men’s contest, Wolle let it be known early that he wasn’t going to be easily stopped, dropping a massive double Michalchuk with his first hit of his first finals run that was the inarguable trick of the day, before going on to stomp a frontside 900, backside 540, frontside 720, and cab 720 to take a clear victory.

“Today was awesome,” the Rocky Mountain Series rider smiled with his gold medal in hand, “I podiumed last year - I got third place - but I really wanted to step it up this year and put down a really good run and today it all came together. I actually dislocated my elbow three weeks ago, so I’ve only had two days on snow since then, and to come back and put down probably one of my best runs of the season and walk away with the win is really something special. I’m super happy with it.”

Knowing he had the win in the bag before dropping in on his final run, Wolle took a moment to stop on the deck at the top of the pipe and wave to the crowd, before dropping in on a lofty straight-air victory lap that was as pretty to watch as anything seen in the pipe all day.

“My victory lap…I don’t want to sound to cocky, but I was really happy with my first run, so when the last score came in I knew I could do (the victory lap) and I kind of had to. My coaches and my friends and my family were all here, so I had to show off a little bit. Nationals is always such a good vibe, so it’s fun to show off a bit for the crowd.

“Thirty years of Nationals is pretty impressive, and to have it here at my new home - I’m living in Frisco now and I’m training at Copper all the time - so it’s pretty cool. I’ve been coming to Nationals for five years now and to win at the 30th anniversary is pretty special.”

Behind Wolle in second place was Fynn Bullock-Womble (Mebane, N.C.), as the 14-year-old Rocky Mountain Series product continued a hugely impressive showing at the 2019 Nationals that saw him finish fourth in the Open class rail jam on Tuesday night. Third place and the bronze medal, meanwhile, went to 25-year-old Shane Serrano (Bridgewater, N.J.) of the Aspen Snowmass Series.

U.S. Snowboard Rookie Team athletes like Wolle and Maud started competing at USASA grassroots events and are great examples of the progression possible working within the USASA and U.S. Ski & Snowboard athlete development pipeline. To this point, snowboarding in the U.S. has found great success. As an illustration, the U.S. Snowboard Team has amassed 31 Olympic medals dating back to the 1998 Olympics. It is easy to see why in 2012 Bill Marolt awarded the USASA the Russell Wilder Award stating, "without USASA, the U.S would not be able to dominate in the sport of snowboarding as we do today".

RESULTS
Men's snowboard halfpipe open class
Women's snowboard halfpipe open class

 

Snowboard Halfpipe

Shiffrin Nominated for Team USA Awards - March

By U.S. Ski & Snowboard
April, 4 2019
Mikaela Shiffrin
Mikaela Shiffrin poses with her hardware in Soldeu, Andorra, where she claimed four of five FIS Ski World Cup titles in overall, giant slalom, slalom and super-G. (Christopher Levy)

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The United States Olympic Committee has announced finalists for the Team USA Awards, Best of March, which recognize the outstanding achievements of Team USA athletes from last month. Mikaela Shiffrin (Avon, Colo.) has been nominated. 

Shiffrin was nominated for Best Female Athlete of the Month, as a result of her outstanding achievements on the FIS Ski World Cup throughout the season, but the month of March, specifically, winning three FIS Ski World Cup victories between Spindleruv Mlyn, Czech Republic, and Soldeu, Andorra, and claiming four of five World Cup titles this season in overall, giant slalom, slalom and super-G.

A total of 10 sports – including alpine skiing, biathlon, figure skating, gymnastics, long track speedskating, Para-cycling, Para Nordic skiing, Para snowboarding, rugby and shooting – are represented among the 13 finalists across men’s, women’s and team categories. The finalists’ collective accomplishments tell the inspiring story of U.S. Olympic and Paralympic athletes year-round. 

Fans can vote for Shiffrin through midnight on Monday, April. 8 on Team USA's website.

Olympic Channel To Showcase Vonn, Shiffrin With 40 Hours of Featured Coverage

By U.S. Ski & Snowboard
April, 3 2019
Olympic Channel Special
Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA Showcases Shiffrin’s Record-Setting 2018-19 Season With 25 Hours of Programming, Starting Mon., April 8
“Lindsey Vonn: A Legendary Career” Series Begins Tuesday, April 16 with 15 Hours of Archival Coverage on Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA

Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA will celebrate two of the most distinguished U.S. Olympic winter athletes of all time — Mikaela Shiffrin and Lindsey Vonn — with 40 hours of alpine skiing programming from April 8-19 that highlight Shiffrin’s record-setting 2018-19 season and Vonn’s historic 15-year career.

Beginning on Monday, April 8 at 7:30 p.m. ET and continuing through April 12, the Olympic Channel will commemorate Shiffrin’s historic 2018-19 alpine skiing season with 25 hours of primetime programming. Coverage of Shiffrin’s record-setting 2018-19 season includes 20 races, including her 17 alpine skiing World Cup wins and three medal-winning performances at the FIS World Alpine Skiing Championships in Are, Sweden.

Shiffrin, only 24 years old, has amassed two Olympic gold medals, 60 World Cup victories, and is the three-time reigning overall World Cup champion. Her 2018-19 season included World Cup titles in the slalom, giant slalom, super-G, and the overall title. Her 17 World Cup victories in a single season broke Vreni Schneider’s 30-year record.

The following week, starting on Tuesday, April 16 at 8 p.m. ET, the Olympic Channel will present a new series, “Lindsey Vonn: A Legendary Career.” The series spans 15 seasons, showcasing 15 hours of archival coverage and 12 of her most notable races. The extensive coverage spans from her first World Cup victory in 2004 at Lake Louise, Canada, to her final race at the 2019 World Championships in Are, Sweden, where she earned bronze in the downhill. In her momentous career, Vonn won a total of 82 World Cup races – the most by a woman and second-most all time – and earned three Olympic medals (a gold and two bronze). 

HOW TO WATCH
All times EDT
*All coverage on Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA will be streamed on NBCSports.com, the NBC Sports app, OlympicChannel.com, and the Olympic Channel app.

Mikaela Shiffrin Programming Schedule:

Monday, April 8  
7:30 p.m. - FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup – Women’s Slalom: Levi, Finland
9:00 p.m. - FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup – Women’s Slalom: Killington Cup
11:00 p.m. - FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup – Women’s Super-G: Lake Louise, Alberta

Tuesday, April 9
7:30 p.m. - FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup – Women’s Super-G: St. Moritz, Switzerland
9:00 p.m. - FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup – Women’s Parallel Slalom –  St. Moritz, Switzerland
10:00 p.m. - FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup – Women’s Giant Slalom: Courchevel, France
11:00 p.m. - FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup – Women’s Slalom: Courchevel, France 

Wednesday, April 10
12:00 a.m. - FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup – Women’s Slalom: Semmering, Austria
7:30 p.m. - FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup – Women’s Slalom: Zagreb, Croatia
8:30 p.m. - FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup – Women’s Giant Slalom: Kronplatz, Italy
9:30 p.m. - FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup -Women’s Super-G: Cortina d’ Ampezzo, Italy
11:00 p.m. - FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup – Women’s Giant Slalom: Maribor, Slovenia

Thursday, April 11
12:00 a.m. - FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup – Women’s Slalom: Maribor, Slovenia
7:30 p.m. - FIS World Alpine Skiing Championships -Women’s Super-G
9:00 p.m. - FIS World Alpine Skiing Championships – Women’s Giant Slalom (Run 2)
10:30 p.m. - FIS World Alpine Skiing Championships – Women’s Slalom (Run 2)

Friday, April 12
7:30 p.m. - FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup – City Event: Stockholm, Sweden
9:00 p.m. - FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup – Women’s Slalom: Spindleruv Myln, Czech Republic
10:00 p.m.-  FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup – World Cup Finals: Women’s Slalom – Soldeu, Andorra
11:00 p.m. - FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup – World Cup Finals: Women’s Giant Slalom – Soldeu, Andorra

“Lindsey Vonn: A Legendary Career” Programming Schedule:

Tuesday, April 16
8:00 p.m. - Women’s Downhill: Lake Louise World Cup (2004)
9:00 p.m. - Women’s Super-G: 2009 World Championships
10:30 p.m. - Women’s Downhill: 2009 World Championships

Wednesday, April 17
8:00 p.m. - Women’s Downhill & Super-G: 2010 Winter Olympics
9:30 p.m. - Women’s Giant Slalom: Are World Cup (2012)

Thursday, April 18
8:00 p.m. - Women’s Downhill: Cortina d’Ampezzo World Cup (2015)
9:30 p.m. - Women’s Super-G: Cortina d’Ampezzo World Cup (2015)
11:00 p.m. - Women’s Super-G – Lake Louise World Cup (2015)

Friday, April 19
8:00 p.m. - Women’s Downhill: 2018 Winter Olympics
9:30 p.m. - Women’s Downhill: Are World Cup Finals (2018)
10:30 p.m. - Women’s Downhill:  2019 World Championships

Bjornsen Siblings Win U.S. National 30k/50k

By Reese Brown
April, 3 2019
Women's Pdoium
Women's 30k Podium with (from left to right) Julia Kern, Sadie Bjornsen and Rosie Brennan. (U.S. Ski & Snowboard - Bryan Fish)

The Bjornsen (Winthrop, Wash.) siblings, Erik and Sadie once again dominated another event at the SuperTour Finals, both winning the distance races at the L.L.Bean U.S. Nationals in Presque Isle, Maine, Tuesday.  

Together, Erik and Sadie combined won seven of the eight gold medals of the SuperTour Finals.

“I'm very pleased with the racing the last few days,” said Erik Bjornsen, who capped his season with a victory in the men’s 50k freestyle Tuesday. “Excited to feel good at the end of the season. It's a great way to end, racing with your buddies. I got the opportunity to ski near the front for most of the race alongside my good friend and teammate Simi Hamilton. Then David came from the back and made a couple good surges and it became just the two of us for the last 10k. I had lots of energy for the finish which was what I needed to take the win.”

“It was really exciting to finish the week with a National Title in the long-distance race,” said Sadie Bjornsen, who took the victory in the women’s 30k Tuesday. “The last time I won the long-distance title was in Anchorage about five years ago - I think - in 30k classic, so it means a lot to accomplish it in skate. Thanks to Presque Isle for putting on a fun final week of racing. It feels good to end the season on a high note here at home, and now it is time to take some rest and recovery before we start the whole process again for next season’s goals. Thanks to every for the cheers and support this season!”

Erik Bjornsen was joined on the podium by David Norris (Anchorage, Alaska) in second, and Simi Hamilton (Aspen, Co.) in third.

For the women, joining Sadie Bjornsen was Rosie Brennan (Park City, Utah) in second, and Julia Kern (Waltham, Mass.) in third. For the junior men, Gus Schumacher (Anchorage, Alaska) took the win, followed by Luke Jager (APU), and Kai Meeks of Canada in third. The Junior women race was won by Shaylynn Loewen of Canada, followed by Sophia Laukli (SMS T2), and Charlotte Ogden (SMS T2)

RESULTS
Men’s 50k
Women’s 30k

SuperTour Overall Awards
·       Kaitlynn Miller = 2019 U.S. Super Tour Distance Champion
·       Caitlin Patterson = 2019 Overall Women’s Grand Champion (This counts the 5 U.S. National races – 4 races in Jan & the 30km in March)
·       Julia Kern = 2019 U.S. Super Tour Sprint Champion & 2019 U.S. Super Tour OVERALL Champion (the latter provides her World Cup berths for 2019-20 World Cup Period 1)

SuperTour Overall Awards
·       Kyle Bratrud = 2019 U.S. Super Tour Distance Champion & 2019 U.S. Super Tour OVERALL Champion (the latter provides her World Cup berths for 2019-20 World Cup Period 1)
·       David Norris = 2019 Overall Men’s Grand Champion (This counts the 5 U.S. National races – 4 races in Jan & the 30km in March)
·       Ben Saxton = 2019 U.S. Super Tour Sprint Champion

Powell, Roland Win USASA Nationals Open Class Rail Jam

By Chad Buchholz
April, 3 2019
Rail Jam at USASA Nationals
A great crowd supporting the snowboard open class rail jam at the 2019 USASA Nationals. (Chad Buchholz - USASA)

One of the premier competitions of snowboard week at the 2019 USASA National Championships went down on Tuesday night in the Center Village at the base of Copper Mountain Resort in Colorado, as Zeb Powell (Waynesville, N.C.), and Alexis Roland (Shoreview, Minn.) took top honors at the open class rail jam in front of an enthusiastic crowd. 

More party atmosphere than a competition, the rail jam format sees heats of riders dropping more-or-less at will during a 25-minute session to hit one of the roughly 10 jib features spread out across a small hill, as judges score riders based on tricks, style, variation, ingenuity, and overall impression. It’s a free-flowing spectacle, fun for fans and riders alike, and on Tuesday some of the best in the business put on an exciting show.

Roland, of the Upper Midwest Snow Series, was one of the night’s most consistent riders, moving from feature to feature easily and stomping a myriad of tricks across them all including frontside boardslides and switch frontside boardslide through the massive kinked rail - to take the ladies’ contest.

Second and third places went to a pair of Colorado locals, as Lauren Derminio (Dillon, Colo.) took silver, and Ellie Weiler (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) rounded out the podium in third.

Over on the men’s side, the Southern Vermont Series’ own Powell was the standout rider of the evening, attacking the rail jam course, and at one point blowing the roof off of the place by launching a backside rodeo on the wallride and over the downrail to flat that was the fan-favorite trick of the evening. Throw in the fact that he spent his entire night of riding while clutching a teddy bear and you’ve got a winning score of 1375 and an iconic gold medal-winning performance.

“Honestly, I had a lot of butterflies going into it tonight,” said Powell after the awards ceremony, “I didn’t really expect to do that well. I don’t even think I did that well. But I just tried to go out and have some fun and it paid off. It’s pretty cool to finally place at my last nationals.” 

Second place for the men went to David Retzlaff (Holly, Mich.) of the Rocky Mountain Series, while another Southern Vermonter - TJ Fitzgerald (West Dover, Vt.) - earned bronze.

RESULTS
Men's snowboard open class rail jam
Women's snowboard open class rail jam
 

Burns, Champagne Claim USASA National Titles

By Chad Buchholz
April, 3 2019
Robert Burns at Copper
With momentum on his side, Robbie Burns claimed his second USASA National Title in PSL Tuesday. (Chad Buchholz - USASA)

Racing for the Open Class riders wrapped up on Tuesday at the USASA National Snowboard Championships at Copper Mountain Resort with slalom competition taking to the perfectly prepared Copperopolis slope, where 2019 U.S. World Championships Team members Abby Champagne (Park City, Utah) won her first career National Championships title, and Robbert Burns (Mount Shasta, Calif.) made it two-for-two after taking the giant slalom win on Monday. 

“It was a really good day,” said Champagne after receiving her gold medal. “The course was really nice today, a little bit easier but still with a lot of terrain. I was pretty tired after competing in the giant slalom yesterday and racing today in the big final was tough. But it was just like, ‘Ok, two more runs…’ And Lexi (Alexa Bullis) gave me a serious run for first in the final; I think I just beat her by a very small fraction of a second. I’m very happy though. I’ve been to almost every Nationals since I was 16 and I’m 33 now, and this is my first win. It’s awesome.

“I think every athlete has their competition that they go to but they can never really get the result that they want and Nationals has been like that for me, so for me to finally push past that here feels great.”

The slalom silver medal went to 19-year-old Alexa Bullis (Slinger, Wis.) in an extremely tight battle with Champagne, while Dana Albers of the Netherlands rounded out the podium with her second-straight bronze medal performance.

Over on the men’s side, Burns proved once again his mastery of the Copper Mountain venue, as the 28-year-old who races out of Steamboat Springs, Colo., kept the momentum from his giant slalom victory on Monday rolling right into Tuesday’s race where he once again claimed top spot. 

“I was hanging around to celebrate with all these beautiful people, but I’ve gotta go back to work tonight. 11:00 p.m. to 7:00 tomorrow morning…not really looking forward to it,” smiled Burns, who works as a nighttime security guard to fund his riding, “But, to win double-gold here at Nationals this year, a lot of things had to go right. There was a little bit of a smaller group this year, a few less athletes, but that almost makes it so people think maybe I should win. But in our sport, anybody can win it on any given day. So when I get in the start gate against Everett (McEwan) or one of these young kids who are gunning hard, I look at it like, I’ve got my head out there and they’re just ready to take it off. It’s a different sort of intimidating.

“To win both titles this year, it’s really special,” he continued. “I’ve had a lot of people reach out, and that’s a testament to the overwhelming support from this community. My heart’s full and I can’t wait to be back at the USASA’s and do it again next year."

Incredibly, Burns’ double gold performance at this year’s National Championships almost didn’t happen, after a crash last week resulted his goggles smashing into his face and opening up a deep cut near his eye. 

“I actually called Zippy (Neil) last week and told her I wasn’t going to be racing this week,” Burns explained, “But a bunch of people were like, ‘Hey, the snow’s really good at Copper right now. Just go out there and feel the snow,’ so I said ‘Ok’ and on Sunday I took some runs with my team and thought, ‘Ok, my head feels good, my eye doesn’t hurt, let’s do this.’ It’s weird how it all works. I wasn’t even planning on racing, but I turned it around and I did race and it’s just been a wonderful experience here, like always.”

Runner up to Burns on Tuesday was Canada’s Jacob Farber, who did one better than his bronze medal performance in the giant slalom on Monday to score Tuesday’s silver, while 46-year-old Everett McEwan (Morrison, Colo.) earned his first Nationals podium with a bronze medal finish. 13-year-old Veda Hallen (South Lake Tahoe, Calif.) of the South Tahoe series pulled off one of the most impressive feats see so far at the 2019 USASA National Championships on Tuesday, winning the Breaker girls silver medal in slopestyle competition to add to her halfpipe bronze and rail jam gold from Monday, completing the full set of Nationals hardware in just two days of competition.

RESULTS
Men's snowboard parallel slalom open class
Women's snowboard parallel slalom open class

 

Ski & Snowboard Club Vail Joins High Performance Center Program

By U.S. Ski & Snowboard
April, 2 2019
HPC Vail
Ski & Snowboard Club Vail’s Minturn Fitness Center opened its doors in 2014 as the first club-run facility to provide full human performance and medical services to its athletes

U.S. Ski & Snowboard announced today the addition of Ski & Snowboard Club Vail (SSCV) as the newest member of its High Performance Center (HPC) Partnership Program. The HPC program was initiated in 2017 to share knowledge, systems and processes of athlete development between ski and snowboard clubs and U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s High Performance Department.

The program encourages certified Gold and Silver Clubs, who have excellence in athletic development, sports science, and sports medicine, to become a designated High Performance Center with U.S. Ski & Snowboard to maintain strong and robust talent pathways that can consistently identify and develop world-class athletes.

“The High Performance Center partnership program is critical to our success in developing our future athletes and we are delighted to have Ski & Snowboard Club Vail officially on board,” said Troy Taylor, Director of High Performance for U.S. Ski & Snowboard. “This is something really special and Vail, along with our other elite partnerships and High Performance Centers, will play a key role in our athlete development strategies and the effectiveness of a shared, collaborative system for years to come.”

Ski & Snowboard Club Vail has a long and storied history of developing champions and mentors more than 650 young athletes who participate in its on-snow programs across five disciplines: alpine, freeski, moguls, Nordic and snowboard. In 2019, SSCV also announced the launch of a full-time cycling program for dedicated, year-round competitive mountain bikers. 

SSCV’s Minturn Fitness Center (MFC) opened its doors in 2014 as the first club-run facility to provide full human performance and medical services to its athletes. The 9,000-square-foot facility has been training SSCV and U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes, as well as the general public, for the past five years, developing a reputation as an industry leader in the area of human performance.

The MFC requires its staff to have and maintain the highest standard of education, including all of the following certifications: National Strength and Conditioning Association, Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialists, Certified Personal Trainers, and EXOS/XPS Performance Specialists. The MFC is also a club leader in developing programs using periodization and a 12-month collaboration with on-hill staff.

This new HPC designation will further ensure SSCV is able to provide world-class services to its athletes, coaches and clients.

“We are overwhelmed by this accolade from U.S. Ski & Snowboard, which recognizes SSCV’s expertise and dedication to the health and performance of its athletes,” said John Cole, Ski & Snowboard Club Vail’s Director of Human Performance. “As we continue to innovate our training and periodization systems, we will look forward to our new partnerships and collaborations, not only with the Center of Excellence in Park City, but also our fellow High Performance Centers throughout the U.S.”

“It’s an honor to officially partner with U.S. Ski & Snowboard,” said Jimmy Pritchard, Ski & Snowboard Club Vail’s Director of Strength and Conditioning. “We are thrilled to further support the athletes with highest level of service and expand our educational relationships with the staff.”

Ski and Snowboard Club Vail’s commitment to athlete development culminates annually during Mountain-Con, a sport performance conference geared specifically for the mountain sport athlete professional that provides access to information from the most highly-acclaimed sport performance professionals in the industries of physiology, strength and conditioning, performance psychology, nutrition and altitude/sea level performance. Participants of Mountain-Con may use their attendance as continuing education credits with U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s coaching certification program.

For more information about U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s High Performance Partnership Program, please contact Tom Webb, Director of Marketing and Communications at tom.webb@usskiandsnowboard.org.

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About Ski and Snowboard Club Vail
Founded in 1962, Ski & Snowboard Club Vail (SSCV) is the Vail Valley’s oldest nonprofit. Today, the club remains true to its roots by instilling the values of “character, courage and commitment” through mentorship of more than 650 young athletes who participate in its on-snow programs. The organization provides training and competition services for aspiring snow-sport athletes across five snowsport disciplines: alpine, freeski, moguls, Nordic, and snowboard. A U.S. Ski & Snowboard Gold Certified Club, SSCV has received numerous accolades form the national governing body, including Club of the Year (2010, 2014), Alpine Club of the Year (1999, 2010, 2014-16), Cross Country Club of the Year (2013), Freeski Club of the Year (2013-14), Freestyle Club of the Year (2014), and Snowboard Club of the Year (2014). Over the years, SSCV has helped cultivate numerous champions. Three Olympic gold medalists — Lindsey Vonn, Mikaela Shiffrin, and Kaitlyn Farrington — all booted up at the SSCV clubhouse during their formative years, as did X Games gold medalist Aaron Blunck, world champion Chris Del Bosco, and Olympic bronze medalist Toby Dawson.

About U.S. Ski & Snowboard
U.S. Ski & Snowboard is the Olympic National Governing Body (NGB) of ski and snowboard sports in the USA, based in Park City, Utah. Tracing its roots directly back to 1905, the organization represents nearly 200 elite skiers and snowboarders in 2019, competing in seven teams; alpine, cross country, freeski, freestyle, snowboard, nordic combined and ski jumping. In addition to the elite teams, U.S. Ski & Snowboard also provides leadership and direction for tens of thousands of young skiers and snowboarders across the USA, encouraging and supporting them in achieving excellence. By empowering national teams, clubs, coaches, parents, officials, volunteers and fans, U.S. Ski & Snowboard is committed to the progression of its sports, athlete success and the value of team. For more information, visit www.usskiandsnowboard.org.