Six on the Podium in Steamboat; First Domestic Para Snowboard World Cup in Eight Years

The Toyota U.S. Para Snowboard Team took advantage of their first home snow World Cup start since 2017 by landing six on the podium in Steamboat Springs, including Mike Schultz, who earned his first World Cup win of the season.
"It's been a long time since we've raced a World Cup here in the U.S., and it felt amazing to land on top of the podium today," said Schultz. "It was a beautiful day, exciting racing, and a fun course to ride."
The conditions were picture-perfect at Steamboat Ski Resort, with warm weather and winds to keep the course intact. The women kicked things off in qualification, where Brenna Huckaby took the top seed heading into the finals with the best women’s time of the day. Huckaby would stay in the top spot throughout the day, all the way to the top of the podium. Kate Delson qualified in second place, Rebecca Johnston in fourth, Jackie Hamwey in fifth, Courtney Godfrey in sixth and Dennae Russell in seventh.
In the men’s LL-1 qualification, Schultz led the way, qualifying in second place just 0.3 off the top spot. Noah Elliott qualified in third. Zach Miller was the top qualifier in the men’s LL-2 class, finishing in fourth, followed by Aleks Godowski in eighth and Joe Pleban in 10th. Colby Fields qualified in fifth for the men’s UL.
In the semifinals, Huckaby and Delson both took the top spot in their respective heats, sending them to the big final along with Johnson. Godfrey, Hamwey and Russell comprised the small final. Due to the number of competitors in the men’s LL-1 class, there was a preheat to determine who would advance to the big final. Elliott won the heat to secure the final spot in the big final alongside Schultz. In the LL-2 preheat, Joe Pleban earned his way into the semifinals. Zach Miller continued to shine, advancing to the big final. Pleban and Fields advanced to the small finals.
Anticipation was building among the athletes as the finals neared. Huckaby was unphased, and won the women's LL big final by a considerable margin, earning her second win and fourth podium of the year. Delson came in second, her third podium of the season. Johnson finished just off the podium in fourth, followed by Godfrey in fifth, Russell in sixth and Hamwey in seventh. Isabelle Hicks was the lone competitor in the women’s UL class but put down great runs all day, earning experience and the win on the way.
Elliott and Schultz went head to head in the men’s LL-1 big final, both vying for the top spot on the podium. Despite Elliott’s best efforts, Schultz found that next gear to earn his first win of the season in front of his family cheering in the finish. Elliott finished in second, his seventh podium of the season.
"It's been too long since I took the top spot, so this one feels incredible, especially since my family was here to experience it," said Schultz. "They haven't seen me race since 2018, so this one was special. "Right now, I'm focused on the race tomorrow, followed by World Championships in Canada next week, which carries a lot of weight for us as we head into the Paralympics in Italy next year."
Miller was the sole U.S. representative in the men’s LL-2 big final, going against some of the toughest competitors in the race. In the closest battle of the day, Miller finished on the podium in third place, his first snowboard cross podium of the season. Pleban finished eighth in the small final. Fields finished seventh in the men’s UL small final.
On Feb. 26, the team does it all again for the second World Cup in Steamboat Springs. Tune in at 12:10 pm ET on live timing.