New England riders begin Olympic pursuit

By Matt Boxler

The first of five Olympic qualifying events in both halfpipe and parallel giant slalom were held this month on American snow, and several New England riders landed themselves right in the mix.

Results from the five qualifying events will not only determine which Americans will represent the United States at the Winter Olympics in February, but will also determine how many athletes each nation is allowed to send to Vancouver — with a maximum of four riders in each discipline.

The world’s best snowboarders competed in the 22-foot halfpipe at Copper Mountain on Dec. 12 at the U.S. Snowboarding Grand Prix, and it was West Dover, Vt., rider Kelly Clark (Mount Snow) who reigned supreme. Clark, the 2002 Olympic gold medalist, clinched her spot on top of the podium on her very first run in the finals.

“I was really happy with my first run,” Clark told reporters after her win. That run included a frontside air, backside 500, frontside 900, backside air, frontside 700, and cab 7. “I’m pushing myself to do my most technical difficult run right now so it becomes a lot easier for me and a lot like second nature so I'm able to build and progress throughout the season. This is a great starting point."

Clark led a strong showing by American women, who occupied five of the top eight spots in the international competition. Gretchen Bleiler (Aspen, Colo.) placed second, and Ellery Hollingsworth (Stratton Mountain) finished fifth overall. Colorado riders Madeline Schaffrick (sixth) and Clair Bidez (eighth) rounded out the American effort.

Missing from the women’s final was 2006 Olympic gold medalist Hannah Teter (Belmont, Vt.), who dislocated her shoulder during a practice run. Teter has her sights set on the next qualifying event, the Sprint U.S. Snowboarding Grand Prix at Mammoth Mountain, Jan. 6-10.

American men landed seven riders in the top 10 at Copper Mountain, including Louie Vito, a Stratton Mountain School graduate, who finished second to 2006 Olympic gold medalist Shaun White (Carlsbad, Calif.). Vito, who now resides in Sandy, Utah, landed two doubles, an air, a backside 9 and a frontside 10.

“Hopefully my goal of making the Olympic team is going to come true,” he said. “Normally I have front 1200 on lock, but I just went a little straight up the wall and couldn’t hold on. Second run I was already guaranteed a third and I decided to tone it down. I decided to do a 10 at the bottom and get it.”

Jack Mitrani, who spent time at Waterville Valley Academy and Stratton Mountain School, was the only other New Englander to crack the top 10. His “Frends” teammate Kevin Pearce (Norwich, Vt.) fell in qualifiers and suffered a concussion. Fellow “Frends” Scotty Lago (Seabrook, N.H.) and Danny Davis, a Stratton Mountain School alumnus, qualified for the finals, as did Elijah Teter (Belmont, Vt.), but none completed a full run.

Two-time Olympic silver medalist Danny Kass (Okemo Mountain School), missed the event due to an injury.

“Shaun, Louie, Gretchen and Kelly set the bar for the upcoming Grand Prix,” U.S. Snowboarding halfpipe coach Mike Jankowski said after the event. “The rest of the field can see what it takes to win. It takes big clean explosive progressive runs just like the ones that were thrown down today. It’s important for everyone to start things on a positive note with a good result, and the confidence is there as we go into Mammoth.”

Gorgone stumbles

World Cup competition in parallel giant slalom stumbled out of the gates this year, as did America’s top hope for an Olympic medal, Michelle Gorgone of Boston.

The first of five Olympic qualifying events in PGS had originally been scheduled on Dec. 6 in Limone Piemonte, Italy, but poor snow conditions forced it to be canceled. Telluride, Colo., stepped in to host the event on Dec. 15, but the change in venue didn’t do much for American riders.

Gorgone was the sole U.S. woman in the finals, but an error on her first run left her well behind the field. She ended up finishing 11th. Chris Klug (Aspen, Colo.) was the top American man to finish, placing 15th.

Qualifying competition in snowboardcross (SBX) also is slated to begin this month at Telluride. Top New England hopefuls include Ross Powers, Seth Wescott and Alex Diebold in the men’s competition, while Lindsey Jacobellis and Jackie Hernandez lead the charge for the women.