Vedder Second in Cortina
Seven members of the Hydro Flask U.S. Snowboard Team qualified for the round of finals under the lights in Cortina, Italy, a season high for the squad. Olympian Jake Vedder was once again the top finisher for the men, taking second place in dramatic fashion.
Vedder left it all on the course, throwing himself across the line to force a photo finish review. Despite the effort, Vedder was unable to edge out Canada’s Eilot Grondin, who continues to dominate the World Cup circuit. This marks Vedder’s third podium of the season and his second consecutive following a third place finish in Sierra Nevada last weekend.
“It was amazing to race under the lights here in Italy,” said Vedder, “I was second at this venue last year and felt really good energy coming into this race. I’m very happy with my performance but it’s a team effort and I want to give a lot of credit to my wax techs for putting me on the fastest boards possible and my coaches for making sure my line choices were dialed. Excited to head into Montafon next week. Gotta keep this train rolling!”
Joining Vedder on the men’s side was Olympian Hagen Kearney and teammates Tyler Hamel and Senna Leith, but all three fell in the eighth final, while Olympic gold medalist Nick Baumgartner ended his night in the quarterfinals.
Rookie Nathan Pare had his best World Cup result of his career, qualifying all the way through to the small final and ultimately taking seventh place.
Lindsey Jacobellis was the sole American competitor on the women’s side but unfortunately fell short of advancing out of the quarterfinal.
The Hydro Flask U.S. Snowboard Team snowboard cross riders shift their focus to the upcoming World Cup double header in Montafon, Austria March 15-17.
Jake Vedder
Jake Vedder has been racing snowboard cross since he was eight years old, but 2016 was a true breakout year for the Michigander, who calls the town of Pinckney home. He scored multiple NorAm Cup podiums and his first World Cup appearance, but his big break was winning a gold medal for the U.S. at the 2016 Winter Youth Olympic Winter Games.
With that result, Vedder was invited to train with the snowboard cross development team in 2016, which resulted in making the A team in 2018, when he won a Junior World Championship gold medal.