Snowboard Cross is Back; Huckaby on Top in Pyhä

The start of the snowboard cross season was worth the wait for The Toyota U.S. Para Snowboard Team. After a weather cancelation on day one due to icy conditions, the athletes battled through thick, fluffy snow on day two to get the event off the ground. Despite the weather, the team had a fantastic day all around, with Brenna Huckaby and Kate Delson (Team Utah Snowboarding) landing on the podium in the women’s LL2 classification in first and third, respectively. 

Also in the women’s LL2 class, Dennae Russell of Team Utah Snowboarding made the women’s small final, finishing eighth and Courtney Godfrey in ninth. 

On the men’s side, Colby Fields from Adaptive Action Sports and the lone U.S. athlete in the UL category, ended the day 14th. Mike Schultz finished fifth in the LL1 classification, followed by Noah Elliott in sixth. This is Schultz's first snowboard cross event in over a year, and he said it "felt good to be back in the start gate." Schultz had a great time trial, finishing third, but made a mistake in the heats, which kept him off the podium. Aleks Godowski of Team Utah Snowboarding led the way for the men’s LL1 category, making the small final and finishing eighth, followed by Zach Miller in 10th and Joe Pleban in 15th. 

Next week, the team is heading to Lenk, Switzerland for two more snowboard cross races Jan. 23-24.