Eleven jam-packed days of snowboard and freeski action came to a snowy conclusion on Wednesday at Colorado’s Copper Mountain Resort, as a hugely-successful 2019 USASA National Championships closed out with the final freeski halfpipe, slopestyle, and ski cross competitions despite a deep low pressure system bringing a heavy dose of April snow to the Rockies.

In its 30th year, the Nationals is the largest competition of its kind in the world and is part of a robust pipeline that carries athletes from the USASA Regional events all the way to Olympic level competition. The performances witnessed over the last two weeks provide a sense of confidence that the future of freeskiing and snowboarding competition is a bright one. 

While the top-level Open class competitions saw some of the best young riders in the country pushing boundaries and egging on progression, there were magical moments to be found in every venue, age group, and category. The images of four Ruggies going head-to-head through the twists of the ski cross course, or a grizzled Methuselah OG grabbing method over a tabletop, or a Breaker class rider stomping a halfpipe run that might have earned her a shot at the podium were she competing in the Open class, showed that the best of the sport was truly on display through the duration of these two weeks at Copper Mountain.

Making this season’s USASA National Championships extra special was that it marked the 30th anniversary of Chuck Allen founding what has now become the biggest snowsports event in the world.

It all began back on March 30th with the opening ceremonies for snowboard week, which kicked off five days of slalom, giant slalom, halfpipe, slopestyle, snowboard cross, and rail jam action that saw over 1300 riders testing their mettle on the prime Copper Mountain venues.

There are far too many notable snowboard performances to catalog here, but whether it was the likes of 7-year-old Ruggie Patty Zhou of China winning gold medals in halfpipe, slopestyle, and the rail jam, Breaker boys rider Connor Cavanagh (Bondville, Vt.) earning the overall title by putting down strong scores and times in all six Nationals competitions, or double Utah 2019 world champion snowboard cross racer Mick Dierdorff (Steamboat Springs, Colo.) finishing in 24th place in the Open category after riding switch from qualies through to his finals heat, there was something awesome happening wherever you turned your attention throughout those first five days of fun and competition.

Freeski events began on April 6th, and the moments kept coming there, whether from Axl Bonenberger (Breckenridge, Colo.) claiming the overall title in the highly-competitive Breaker boys category with a selection of top performances in halfpipe, slopestyle and ski cross, to Ruggie Isa Loge (S. Lake Tahoe, Calif.) winning halfpipe and ski cross gold while throwing in a slopestyle bronze for good measure, to top Open class girls like Riley Jacobs (Oak Creek, Colo.), Hanna Faulhaber (Carbondale, Colo.), and Connie Brogden of Great Britain trading positions on and around the podium through all of their events. For these an innumerable other USASA athletes the future is looking bright indeed.

And, of course, none of it would have been possible without the unyielding support of all the families behind the riders, the tutelage of the coaches and series directors, the dedication of every competition organizer, and the sense of community fostered by all 32 of the series’ that come together to make the USASA what it is.

Of course, all good things must come to an end, and as the snow fell and the last medals and awards were handed out at the closing ceremonies on Wednesday afternoon, another USASA National Champions was entered into the books. And us, we’re already looking forward to next year.
 

U.S. Ski & Snowboard alumna and Olympic champion Picabo Street is not only one of the most decorated American ski racers in history, but off the mountain, her legacy lives on with her vision for shaping the lives of young athletes for years to come with Picabo Street Academy (PSA).

Street’s accolades on the mountain were a catalyst for many, many young American ski racers, including the most successful female ski racer of all time, recently retired legend Lindsey Vonn (Vail, Colo.). Vonn often recounts the moment when she was a wide-eyed 10-year-old known as “Lindsey Kildow,” waiting outside of Pierce Skate & Ski in her hometown of Minneapolis, Minnesota for what felt like hours to meet her idol Picabo Street.

At that point, Vonn’s three Olympic medals (including downhill gold in the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games), eight World Championships medals, 20 World Cup titles, and a record 82 FIS Ski World Cup victories were not even on the radar. But Vonn was sure of one thing...she knew from that day onward what she wanted to do: be Picabo!

“I remember when I met Picabo Street, you know, how in awe I was of her and how much she inspired me, and I really hope to be that for young kids,” said Vonn of her relationship with Street and how it propelled her towards the creation of her own foundation to empower young girls, known as the “Lindsey Vonn Foundation.” Similarly, Street remembers the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City - when the two competed for Team USA - and Vonn’s knack for finding the fall line. Street told NBC in 2018, “You can’t teach somebody to love the fall line like that little girl loved the fall line.” And, in a time when U.S. alpine ski racing needed it most with Street set to retire, Vonn, came through with the best finish of the Games - a sixth place in the alpine combined.

Fast forward almost 25 years from that initial meeting and now, Street will look to carry forward her legacy of inspiring young athletes in a new and very powerful way - with her very own academy, born out of her own experience as a young athlete who struggled with the balancing act of academics and athletics. As a young alpine ski racer, Street went through an out-of-the-box education program herself, and when she started skiing with the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team at around 15-years-old, put school on the back burner to focus on athletics.

“I had gone to Rowland Hall St. Marks School for a year, and that’s really when the seed was planted in me that I wanted to have a good education and that I kind of liked the challenge of school,” Street reflected. “So, this whole PSA idea started from my experience of just kind of looking outside the box and going ‘Ok how can I get an education while I’m skiing?’”

Four years ago Street moved back to Park City, Utah with a vision and a dream. At that point, she connected with close friend and mentor Michelle Demschar, whose husband Herwig was Street’s head coach when she was competing on the U.S. Ski Team. During one of their visits, Street turned to Demschar with an idea lightbulb beaming brightly above her head and exclaimed, “You know, I’m thinking about starting an academy.” Demschar turned around quickly, eyes all lit up and replied, “I think it’s a fantastic idea and I know exactly who we’ll call!” From there, Street and Demschar contacted Dan Kemp - former U.S. Ski & Snowboard TEAM Academy Founder and Headmaster.

That first meeting between Street, Demschar, and Kemp lasted for about 10 hours. The three minds melded from early afternoon to late evening, throwing their wish lists out there, case scenario’ing how it would all play out, and at the end of the meeting they looked at each other and said, “Can you see any reason why we wouldn’t attempt this?” The very decisive answer was “no - absolutely not.”

“So we charged forward, and it came together really organically - from finding our location to getting our funding, to building the curriculum,” Street commented. At that point, Kemp spent hours and hours combing through about 150 programs based on what they had outlined in their brain jam session, in terms of what would be successful and what would resonate with athletes. Rolling enrollment and year-round operating hours were high priority items, as they allow student-athletes to build a schedule that will suit their individual needs.

Curious as to what the learning environment actually looks like at PSA? Here’s how it shakes out: each of their students has a customized academic program to best suit his or her needs, where attendance and course completion is planned around training and competition schedules. Teachers provide year-round support and instruction in Park City classrooms from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.  With this individualized, one-on-one approach that requires accountability and the student to drive their education path themselves, “the students know the material, they’re not afraid to ask questions, and they skyrocket,” Street said. That’s the PSA difference!

The vision of PSA is “exceptional individualized education” and their mission is to “provide unique, personalized education opportunities for students with an extracurricular passion so that they can achieve their dreams and fulfill their potential.” Street said: “A lot of the students coming to us have been ostracized a little bit...they’re kind of wondering how these school shoes fit. The coolest thing for me is watching them come in the door, a little bit skittish, and then two to three weeks they’re blossoming and gaining confidence and getting comfortable. And they start to realize they’re not such an oddball after all, but rather they fit into this competitive, encouraging, inspiring environment.”

PSA’s currently enrolled students come from all walks of sporting life and are a healthy mix of winter and summer athletes. Kids from swimming, lacrosse, skiing, biathlon, snowboarding, hockey, figure skating, luge and beyond, make up the PSA attendees. Street is hoping to also branch out to musicians and actors, who also struggle with the balancing act due to their demanding schedules. Street noted that the cross-sport vibe is very good for the student-athletes, giving them an understanding of what each other does as well as a respect for each other with a healthy banter.

PSA’s core values are represented by the six golden stars on the PSA crest:

• Excellence – set the bar high, and aim to surpass it

• Integrity – be true to yourself, and honest to all

• Accountability – you are answerable for your actions to yourself and your community

• Attitude – come prepared to give your best effort

• Tenacity –persevere despite challenges

• Grit – dig deep and take charge of your success.

Street sees incredible opportunity based on the success PSA has had thus far and based on what she knows to be true having been a student-athlete herself. “So when I started the academy with Dan and Michelle it was really honestly...people who are doing the same thing I did - so I look at the racers,” Street said. “I look at all of the 200 athletes that are under the umbrella of U.S. Ski & Snowboard and - you know - half or more are still in high school. In order for this year-round sport to not completely wash out their opportunity for an education, it’s going to need to be a super flexible model and available all the time. We’ve done that, in a competitive, encouraging, and inspiring environment, which puts the athlete’s needs first.”

What’s next? Street is working to collaborate further with U.S. Ski & Snowboard to offer middle and high school solutions to athletes who have made the Team. Street will continue to make it a priority to raise scholarship dollars so PSA can help get kids a solid education foundation they can build on in future years. She is looking at further integrating her Street of Dreams Foundation to raise scholarship dollars.  “The number one thing that I want these student-athletes to understand is that I get it. I feel your growing pains. I feel your desire to get a good education. I feel your economic status and the potential crunches in that zone.” After all, it’s a street she’s been down herself.

Despite warnings of a massive snowstorm bearing down on the Rockies and the Midwest, Tuesday was another perfect spring day at Copper Mountain Resort and the final Open Class competition of the 2019 USASA National Freeski Championships. The day went down with warm temperatures, sunny skies, and a perfect jump greeting riders at the first-ever USASA/U.S. Ski & Snowboard big air competition.

While freeski big air has been included in the FIS World Cup calendar for several seasons and was approved as an Olympic event for the upcoming Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games, it took a combination of factors for big air to make it’s USASA Nationals debut this season. Because of this, the competition as it went down on Tuesday was officially categorized as a FIS National Championships in collaboration with USASA for U.S. Ski & Snowboard.

With all of that being said, the important thing to note is that the top 12 men and seven women put on a top-tier show in Tuesday’s finals on the biggest jump in Copper Mountain park’s proline, and in the end Connie Brogden of Great Britain and James Pouch (Saratoga Springs, N.Y.) walked away with gold medals.

Brogden has been competing in the U.S. as a member of the Southern Vermont Series for several seasons now, rising up the ranks to the point where she won FIS World Junior Ski Championships gold in the halfpipe at Leysin, Switzerland this past January. After scoring a USASA Nationals silver medal in the halfpipe on Sunday and finishing just off the podium in fourth in Monday’s slopestyle competition, Brogden capped an impressive Nationals performance by stomping a clean 900 on Tuesday to take the victory with a score of 87.50.

“It was really good today. Quick in the morning but it got soft in the finals,” Brogden said following the awards ceremony. “The jump was really good and it was a really fun comp. I’m really grateful and super happy that I won.”

Second with a score of 74.50 was 15-year-old Jenna Riccomini (Port Matilda, Penn.) of the Rocky Mountain Series, while 17-year-old Sophie Pearson (Victor, Mont.) finished in bronze medal position with a score of 70.25.

In the men’s competition there was a staggering variety of tricks going down from the early morning’s practice straight through to the final hits of the day. In the final, however, it would be Pouch separating himself from the pack with a double cork 1260 mute and switch double cork misty 1260 combo that gave him a two-jump totalled score of 177.50 points and the gold medal.

“We started a little earlier in the morning today than in most competitions so it was a little hard, but by the time finals started it was really nice and soft, and really fun,” said 19-year-old Pouch, a representative of the New Hampshire Series. “The jump was perfect. Not too big so that it was scary but not too small, so you could still do what you needed to do. I had a great time and It’s really cool to win today, especially because it’s the first one at Nationals. I’m really excited.”

Second went to 18-year-old Emerson Lawton (Traverse City, Mich.) with a score of 175.00, as the Rocky Mountain Series rider added big air silver to a 2019 Nationals haul that also includes slopestyle gold from Monday. Third place, meanwhile, belonged to Brian Gardiner (Jay, N.Y.), also of the New Hampshire Series, as the 20-year-old made it back-to-back bronzes after finishing in the same position in slopestyle on Monday.

RESULTS
Men’s freeski big air
Women’s freeski big air
 

Kiernan Fagan (Brownfield, Maine) led three Americans onto the podium with a slopestyle silver medal at the 2019 FIS Junior World Snowboard and Freeski Championships in Klappen, Sweden, Tuesday.

U.S. Freeski Rookie Team member Rell Harwood (Park City, Utah) earned herself a spot on the podium with some impressive company, taking home the bronze medal. On the snowboard side, U.S. Snowboard Rookie Team athlete Ty Schnorrbusch (Monroe Township, N.J.) led the way for the Americans with a bronze medal ride against a stacked slopestyle field.

“My day went pretty well,” said Fagan. “I was stoked to put a run down and find my way to the podium. After reaching the podium at my first two World Cups, I’m hyped to finish off my season with another top-three finish here at Junior Worlds.”

Fagan has put together quite a season and finished it with a bang in Klappen. Right out of the start gate Fagan stomped a lip 450 disaster to continuing blind 450, the stand out trick on that feature for the day.

Edouard Therriault of Canada won the gold, and Ulrik Samnoey of Norway took the bronze. Deven Fagan (Brownfield, Maine), Hunter Henderson (Madbury, N.H.) and Troy Podmilsak (Park City, Utah) finished in fifth, sixth and ninth respectively.

“I am honored to end up with a medal at junior world championships,” said Harwood. “There were a lot of great runs from other competitors today and I am thrilled mine was able to land me on the podium.”

Estonian phenom and reigning World Halfpipe Champion Kelly Sildaru won the gold, and Kirsty Muir of Great Britain took the silver.

Schnorrbusch was very pleased that she was able to finish on the podium and has enjoyed her time at the Junior World Championships.

“Today was super fun,” said Schnorrbusch. “I was able to land my first run and decided to step it up on my second, but sadly fell on the first jump. I had an amazing day and it’s been great to hang out with the whole U.S. Team. Thank you to the organizers here in Klappen, Sweden for putting on such a sweet event. It has been a great trip.”

Schnorrbusch’s’ result seemed to be a fitting end to a whirlwind of a season. U.S. Snowboard Team’s own Slopestyle and Big Air National Development Coach Nichole Mason reflected on the day and the performance of the U.S. Junior World Championships Snowboard Team.

“I am so happy for Ty,” said Mason. “She had a roller coaster of a season and to see the smile on her face when she took third was priceless. I am extremely proud of the squad for putting runs down against a heavy international field. It’s been a great learning experience with ups and downs all around. We are all looking forward to Big Air in the next few days.”

Sommer Gendron of Canada earned the gold and Eveliina Taka of Finland took home the silver. In addition, American Addison Gardner (Riegelsville, Penn.) made the finals and finished in a respectable 11th.

For the men, Canada’s Buffey William took home the gold, Samuel Jaros of Slovakia won the silver, and Rijuto Ohashi of Japan rounded out the podium with a bronze-medal finish. U.S. Rookie Team athlete Jake Canter made finals and finished eighth.

At the end of Junior World Championship competition, the Marc Hodler Trophy will be awarded to the best overall nation throughout the series in both freestyle/freeski and snowboard disciplines. The U.S. is currently in a commanding lead in the freestyle standings with only one event to go in big air. Meanwhile, the U.S. snowboarders have their work cut out for them as they currently sit in sixth.

The Junior World Championships will continue with freeski and snowboard big air competition this April 12-13. Stay tuned to see what young athletes from across the world will come out on top in Klappen, Sweden, and claim the title of Junior World Champion.

RESULTS
FREESKI
Men’s slopestyle
Women’s slopestyle

SNOWBOARD
Men’s slopestyle
Women’s slopestyle

MARC HODLER TROPHY STANDINGS
Freestyle
Leysin, Switzerland: HP - Jan. 26 - Complete
Reiteralm, Austria: SX - Complete
Valmalenco, Italy: MO, AE - Complete
Klappen, Sweden: SS, BA - April 7-13

Snowboard
Leysin, Switzerland: HP - Jan. 26 - Complete
Reiteralm, Austria: SBX - Complete
Rogla, Slovenia: PGS, PSL - Complete
Klappen, Sweden: SS, BA - April 8-13
 

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The United States Olympic Committee announced the winners today 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 taken home the honors for Best Female Athlete of the Month. 

Shiffrin was nominated 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. Her March performances capped a record-setting season in which she won 17 World Cup victories, bringing her career world cup victory total to 60, at just 24-years-old. 

Figure skater Nathan Chen (Salt Lake City, Utah) and the U.S. Men’s National Rugby Sevens Team also won Best of March honors for the Team USA Awards. 

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. 

Day two of freeski week competition at the 2019 USASA National Championships went down in a big way on Monday, with three of the four groups in action and the Open class riders taking to the pro line of Copper Mountain’s terrain park for slopestyle competition, where Riley Jacobs (Steamboat Springs, Colo.) and Emerson Lawton (Traverse City, Mich.) claimed this season’s titles in a heavy-hitting event.

Jacobs came into the women's slopestyle competition fresh off a bronze medal from Sunday’s Open class halfpipe event, and the freeski triple threat (she also placed fifth in the Open class rail jam) put down another strong performance on a Copper slopestyle course that got somewhat tricky to ride as the day went on under the hot spring sun.

Representing the Rocky Mountain Series, 15-year-old Jacobs earned her winning run score of 82.33 with a switch 540, into a flatspin 360, and then a right-side 720 safety through the jump line, before she finished things off with railslide backside 270 off, railslide, and railslide frontside 270 off through the bottom rail section.

“It was really good today, really fun,” Jacobs said, smiling after receiving her gold medal at the awards ceremony, “The speed was a little slow in the end, but we waxed my skis every run and I was just tucking into every jump to get enough speed. It was a lot of fun today and really nice to be out the with all the other girls, and it’s cool to win.”

Behind Jacobs was Marea Adams (Truckee, Calif.) of the North Tahoe Series, earning a score of 72.66 and the silver medal for her efforts, while Sunday’s Open class halfpipe champion Hanna Faulhaber (Carbondale, Colo.) switched places with Jacobs for the slopestyle contest, finishing the day with the bronze.

It was the men who started off the competition day, hitting the slopes for practice early in the morning and wrapping things up just after noon, and in that time they would have seen nearly 20 degrees in temperature change - presenting a challenge for even the most powerful riders in the field. Lucky for Lawton, he was able to get his work done quickly, stomping a dizzying array of tricks in his first of two runs.

Starting things off with a switch double cork 900, Lawton then went into a right-side double 1080, and then a massive left-side double 1260 through the jump line, followed by a switch 270 on continued 270 off, right 270 on continued 270 off, and switch right 270 to pretzel 270 out on the rails, earning himself a score of 93.33 and the gold.

“It was a real early start and a little scary and hard out there first thing in the morning,” said 18-year-old Lawton, who is representing the Rocky Mountain Series. “And then for finals, the conditions were changing and there were speed differences and all that, but I put down a run and ended up on top. It’s nice that they’re bringing out a little more prize money now to maybe push everyone a little more, but my goal is always just to make finals and then see what happens from there. Today it went well.”

Behind Lawton in second was 15-year-old Charlie Gnoza (Park City, Utah) out of the Southern Vermont Series, whose score of 89.00 would give him the silver, while the New Hampshire Series’ Brian Gardner (Jay, N.Y.) would earn bronze with a score of 87.33.

There is no doubt that the USASA National Championships is the premier grassroots season culmination event. Stay tuned as competition continues throughout the week and future Olympians continue to progress and foster their competitive spirit through competition and community. 

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

U.S. Freeski Pro Team member Colby Stevenson (Park City, Utah) earned second-place in his last slopestyle competition of the season at Total Fight Masters at the El Tarter Snowpark in Grandvalira, Andorra, Saturday.

“With a super windy qualifier and 30cm of snow the night before finals, the weather wasn’t ideal," said Stevenson. “But, then the sun came out unexpectedly and turned out to be a great competition. I changed my run-up last second and had to tone it down from what I had planned. I focussed on stepping up my rails and landing clean jumps and found myself on the podium.”

Following the last FIS Freeski World Cup slopestyle of the season in Silvaplana, Switzerland, where Stevenson also earned second, he almost boarded a flight back home but decided to stay for the 15th edition of the Total Fight Masters.

“The best part of the whole experience was that I actually was in the taxi on my way to the airport to fly back to the U.S., when I had the crazy idea to change my plans and stay for Total Fight. I’m really glad I went with my gut feeling," Stevenson said. 

Stevenson finished the season strong with two back-to-back podium finishes in what was a challenging year of competition. Unfortunately, Stevenson struggled throughout the winter in the final rounds at multiple events to break into podium contention. However, two podiums in his last two events prove that Stevenson's creative and technical approach to the slopestyle course always makes him a threat come competition time. 

Fabian Boesch of Switzerland won the event and Javi lliso of Spain closed out the podium in third-place. 

RESULTS
Men’s freeski slopestyle
1. Fabian Boesch (Switzerland)
2. Colby Stevenson (Park City, Utah)
3. Javi Lliso (Spain)

VIDEO
Colby Stevenson’s 2nd place run
Freeski highlights
Full Freeski finals replay
 

The next generation of freestyle skiers wrapped their season at the FIS Junior World Freestyle Championships in Chiesa in Valmalenco, Italy, April 5-6 with three events: aerials, moguls and dual moguls. Sixteen athletes represented the United States and the team came home with two medals, a gold, and a bronze, and firmly moved the USA into the lead of the Marc Holder Award, which is presented to the top country from the combined freestyle and freeski Junior World Championships.

Originally scheduled to take place over three days, Mother Nature dumped more than 72 inches of snow, delaying aerials by a day. Kaila Kuhn (Boyne City, Mich.) was the top finisher of the U.S. aerials team, placing fourth. At just 15-years-old, Kuhn competed at the 2019 World Championship events held in Park City, Utah, and on the World Cup circuit this season. She is currently ranked 15th in the world for women’s aerials and will be a force to be reckoned with as she gains competition experience.

The U.S. came away with two medals on the moguls side: Sabrina Cass (Cheshire, Conn.) won gold at the singles event and Alex Lewis (Carlisle, Mass.) claimed bronze at duals.

The weather proved challenging new snow followed by warm temperatures for the April 5 moguls event. “After almost a meter of new, heavy snow overnight, the course was completely rebuilt the morning of the event - and then the temperatures rose into the ’50s,” explained U.S. Junior Worlds Moguls Coach Glenn Eddy. “The rapidly changing course conditions took a toll on the field with many DNFs. Sabrina really rose to the occasion and tackled the conditions, skiing a solid qualifying run followed by her outstanding finals performance.”

“It was an incredible feeling to win Junior Worlds,” said Cass. “The field of athletes was very competitive. My skiing definitely improved throughout the day and I’m really hyped with the way it turned out.”

In the dual event, two Americans went head-to-head in the small final, and Lewis beat out teammate Landon Wendler (Steamboat Springs, Colo.) to reach the podium in third place. “I am super happy to finish third in duals at Junior Worlds,” said Lewis. “I’ve been working hard all season and I’m glad it’s paid off with this podium.”

Following dual moguls, The United States leads the Marc Hodler Award standings with 85 points. Russia is second with 65 points, and Switzerland is third with 54 points. Two events remain,  freeski slopestyle April 9, and big air April 13, in Klappen, Sweden.

RESULTS
Men’s aerials
Women’s aerials
Men’s moguls
Women’s moguls
Men’s dual moguls
Women’s dual moguls
Marc Hodler Award standings (Following dual moguls)

Sunday was another big day at the 2019 USASA National Championships as the top men and women of halfpipe and ski cross competed under perfect blue skies and balmy temperatures at Colorado’s Copper Mountain Resort.

The Copper pipe was once again perfectly cut on Sunday as 32 men and 12 women dropped in for competition. And though the warm temps made for a little slush in the flat bottom, the expert slip crew kept things running smoothly from qualifications right through to finals, where Hanna Faulhaber (Carbondale, Colo.) and Matt LaBaugh (Avon, N.Y.) elevated their riding to take the respective women and men’s 2019 USASA Nationals titles.

Faulhaber, who finished second in Saturday’s Open class rail jam, established herself as the frontrunner for Sunday’s competition even in practice, launching big, stylish airs from the outset of the day. Then, after qualifying first, she stepped it up to another level in the finals, landing her first-ever flare in competition in a run that also included 540s both ways, an alley-oop, and a massive straight air.

“I’m super happy to put down the run that I wanted to do,” said 14-year-old Faulhaber, who represents the Aspen Snowmass Series. “That’s the first time I’ve landed my flare in competition and I’m stoked. I wanted to do my run better in my second run but I landed sketchy on one of my 540s, but I did the flare better which was cool. It’s my first year competing in open class, so to win is nice.”

The silver medal in the women's competition went to Connie Brogden (Riverside, Conn.) coming out of the Rocky Mountain Series while rounding out the podium with the bronze was another RMS rider in Riley Jacobs (Oak Creek, Colo.).

In the men’s competition, there was a whole lot more to be offered by Rocky Mountain Series riders, with 15-year-old LaBaugh leading the way.

“I didn’t do that well in qualifier...I was on the bubble,” LaBaugh said, recounting his day in the pipe, “But in finals, my first run went pretty well and then in my second run I laced it and ended up with the win.”

That gold medal-winning second run for LaBaugh started off with a flat double-backflip on the first hit, into a right-side corked 900, a left corked 900, a right flatspin, and a left flare 720 to finish things all off and earn himself a score of 91.33.

“I had to watch a lot of guys go after me and it was very stressful,” LaBaugh continued, “I didn’t know what was going to happen...Jon (Sallinen, Carbondale, Colo.) had a really good run and just couldn’t put it down as good as he wanted. To win here in my first year competing in Open class is awesome.”

Taking the silver medal went to another 15-year-old Rocky Mountain Series rider, and reigning FIS Junior World Halfpipe Champion Connor Ladd (Lakewood, Colo.) stomped an exceptional first-run score of 87.33. Sallinen, meanwhile, would have to settle for bronze with a score of 84.66.

While there was something of a limited field on hand for ski cross competition at the 2019 USASA Nationals, there was still plenty of excitement on the Copper SX track Sunday, where China’s Ran Hongyun and Stuart Whittier (Cape Elizabeth, Maine) of the Maine Mountain Series stepped up to win gold medals.

Ran lead a large contingent of Chinese athletes on hand in Copper this week, as her nation gears up for hosting the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games in just under three years, and she was able to best top U.S. skier Lauren Salko (Park City, Utah) in a photo finish to take top honors.

Salko, of the Rocky Mountain Series, was clearly disappointed in letting Ran overtake her just before the finish line in Sunday’s competition. Still, she was able to take some positives away from her experience.

“I felt like I skied really well today despite making some mistakes early on,” Salko said. “The track was running well and held up through the whole race despite the warm temperatures. It was a new experience for me being the only American racing against an all-China field and it was great to see so many international athletes come out for the event. There was a lot of tight racing and I was happy to walk away with the silver after a photo finish in the final.”

The bronze medal went to China's Chen Wuyan.

In the men’s competition, it was an all-American big final, with Whittier of the Maine Mountain Series putting on a dominant final run performance that saw him finish nearly two seconds ahead of his closest competitor, Noah Giron (Carson City, Nev.) of the North Tahoe Series. With Whittier taking gold and Giron silver, and bronze would go to Quinn McGunnigle (Phoenixville, Penn.) of the North Atlantic Series.

RESULTS
Men's freeski halfpipe open class
Women's freeski halfpipe open class
Men's skicross open class
Women's skicross open class
 

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