Westbound Boarder

This week, some of the best from around the web!

• Fireriding? Check out this pretty sweet vid posted in Transworld.  (Caution: Don’t try this at home, ladies!)
• “Halfpipe? Hasta la vista!” says Gretchen Bleiler: In her new blog on espnW.com (its ESPN’s new blog network for professional female athletes) Gretchen Bleiler takes a moment to reflect upon her past 10 years as a professional rider, ultimately sharing that she will elimate most halfpipe competitions out of her schedule this season and focus on more creative riding.  Snowboarding is one of those amazing sports where the competition circuit definitely isn’t the only way for riders to showcase their talents; in fact, as pro riders try for seasons and seasons to perfect their “perfect run,” creativity can often get lost in the shuffle.  Kudos to Gretchen for wanting to put the fun back in her routine!  Ultimately, that’s what snowboarding’s all about.
• Sheckler’s New Flips: Check out Ryan Sheckler’s new flip campaign for sponsor Flip video camera.  What do you think?  Flippin’ cool, or total flop? (Note: Proceeds from his customized flip video cam sales go to support The Sheckler Foundation, and his videos will run on air until Dec. 12).

An interview with me on Women Talk Sports.  All the background you’ll ever need on Westbound Boarder and competitive snowboarding!  Maaan I need to be media trained! (And maybe I should have showered, first? )

Interview with Andrea Nowack from Women Talk Sports on Vimeo.

The Olympic halfpipe events, which most participants have spent months, even years, preparing for, have come and gone, and it really was quite a good time.  Shaun White totally stole the show (and for good reason) but with all the hype around White the past few weeks, I think many of the talents of other competitors got lost in the mix.  Lago, Vito, Bleiler, Clark, even some of the international riders, all put on a great show, and were acclaimed in their own, individual ways.

So now, I want to open it up to you all and invite you to share your thoughts post-comps.  Did you watch the Olympic snowboard games?  Who was your favorite competitor?  What were your favorite moments?

Let’s hear it in the comments below!

Tonight back at Cypress Mountain, the Olympic Games continued, with the much-anticipated men’s halfpipe competition taking center stage. And with all four US riders – Scotty Lago, Greg Bretz, Louie Vito, and Shaun White – making their way into the medal round alongside twelve other competitors, America had a lot to look forward to tonight.

But it’s Shaun White, again, who really stole the show. Placing first in the prelims, Shaun was the last to take his run – but first on the podium. His opening run, which surprisingly didn’t include his highly-anticipated McTwist 1260, scored him a whopping 46.8, catapulting him into first place. This score was enough to keep him in first throughout the duration of the finals round. In fact, he could have still taken home the gold even without taking his second run. But that wouldn’t be in true Shaun White fashion, would it? He chose to play it on the edge during his second run, throwing out that McTwist everyone was hoping for, beating only one score from the night – his own; just icing on the cake for Shun White. His second run earned him a 48.4, more than enough to earn him the gold.

Shaun White really upped the anti this winter, pushing other competitors to take their riding to the next level. Not only does Shaun push the barrier in technicality, he is going so much bigger than any rider – five to six feet higher, in most cases. It is riders like Shaun who continue to progress and evolve the sport of snowboarding, taking it to the level its at today and beyond. Personally, I thought Shaun’s first run tonight was much better and more fun to watch than his second – he held his amplitude and style throughout, and on his second run he nearly lost it at the end – but his second score only goes to show that these judges in Vancouver are completely placing technical tricks above all else.

This morning we talked a little bit about the double cork and why they’re really this season’s “must have” trick, and that mantra proved to be true as the day unfolded. The first US competitor to take the stand was 22-year-old Scotty Lago, a rider known for his unique, solid style and massive air. And his first run couldn’t have been more legit. Scotty began with a huge 1080 into a switch double cork, finishing up with a huge 900. The amplitude Scotty is able to achieve while still remaining technical is what sets him apart, and tonight it is what helped him bring home bronze with a score of 42.8.

Greg Bretz, the youngest member of the US Olympic team at only 19, slid out after attempting a double cork during his first run, however, in hopes to redeem himself during his second, he slid out again after attempting the same tick, costing him his shot at placing on the podium tonight. Bummer, because otherwise, Bretz had a lot going for him. He does have four years to perfect his run in preparation for the next Winter Olympics, though, in 2014!

Louie Vito, the 21-year-old from Ohio also known for his appearance on Dancing with the Stars this past season, was the first rider to ever land a double cork in competition, so these types of tricks come pretty naturally to him. He also typically begins his run with his double cork combo right out of the gate, which is a bit tougher and the judges definitely look favorably on this. Vito, though, in my opinion, is not the most consistent rider, and I thought his first run, which featured back-to-back corks, as expected, and finishing with a 1080 was just a little mundane. His run was definitely smooth and technical, don’t get me wrong, just not “groundbreaking” in terms of style. Especially compared to riders like Shaun who have both style and technicality going for him. His second run was much better, and he even finished out with a 12. One thing Louie really does have going for him is his small size. Standing at only 5’5”, it’s a little easier for him to get his spins around, so that’s one thing you can always count on Louie for.

Though Louie came out and performed an amazing run, it wasn’t quite enough to earn him a podium finish, as he barely missed the cut off. But with White taking home the gold and Lago with the bronze, two’s not a bad number, right? The silver went to Finnish rider Peetu Piiroinen, who took a score of 45 with his second run and really gave Shaun a run for his money.

One of my personal favorite tricks performed throughout the night was Kokubo’s McTwist tweak – a trick he completed seamlessly in both runs. So solid. He got so much amplitude and was fully extended, and his riding style is very different and fun to watch. If the rest of his run on both accounts had been a little cleaner he for sure would have taken home a medal.

Well, that’s that. Two medals in pipe for the US; now let’s see at least two more during the women’s halfpipe comp. tomorrow!

It is the infamous trick that has been all the rage this Olympic season – the double cork 1080.  And with a successful two days of snowboardcross behind us, it is the trick everyone will be watching out for over the next two days.  Today, the men’s Olympic halfpipe competition is scheduled to go down … hopefully, if Canada can get its pipe in order!  Vancouver and Cypress Mountain, the resort playing host to this year’s halfpipe comp., have been seeing dismal weather the past couple of days, as it rained all day yesterday and continued through the night.  Obviously, not ideal conditions for a halfpipe competition.  As of now, the men’s halfpipe prelim round, which was originally set to commence at 1:05p.m. PT, is being rescheduled in hopes that better pipe conditions are on the near horizon.  The women’s pip comp. is still scheduled for tomorrow.  But enough about event timing; we’re talking double corks!

A double cork, first performed and perfected by snowboard icon Shaun White, is somewhat similar to a backflip in theory, however, to the viewer, the similarities are slim.  A trick is deemed a double cork 1080 when a rider completes two off-axis backflip rotations, throwing the shoulder down and tucking, while also doing three and a half rotations.  The double cork is a true testiment to how far the sport of snowboarding has come since the Olympic Games just four years ago.

The double cork is also one of the most dangerous tricks on the roster today.  Unlike spins or grabs, or even backflips and mistys, the double cork is unforgiving, and if you make one small error in your landing or over/under-rotate the slightest bit, the landing is not fun.  And the double cork has already developed somewhat of a dangerous reputation, as Burton rider and Olympic hopeful Kevin Pearce was hospitalized back in December attempting to perfect the trick in practice.

US Olympians like Shaun White (seriously, what can’t he do?) and Louie Vito (perhaps his summer perfecting pirouettes paid off?) have the double cork down pretty solid, and have even been throwing back-to-back double corks into their routines.  Though the double cork is rumored to be the “must have” trick today, I don’t think it will completely break anyone’s run, as long as they’re going really big and have a solid, near perfect run otherwise.

On the women’s side of things, though, no woman has yet to throw down a double cork in competition, but rumors are circulating the web that Australian snowboard superstar Torah Bright just might be the first female to attempt it.  If, in fact, she does, and successfully lands, it would be safe to say that she could almost guarentee herself a shiny Gold to take home to fans.  Though she has yet to throw the trick in competition, personally, I think if anyone can do it, Torah can.

The double cork is really one of those “seeing is believing” tricks, though.  Watch the double cork in action below, as Shaun White performs the holy grail of tricks seamlessly and effortlessly, to really get a sense of its full effect.  Maybe this video will demonstrate why there’s so much hype around the double cork this season.  Or you can watch them live today during the men’s Olympic halfpipe event!

Traditionally, the US Open (snowboarding) has only been open to pro riders.  Not anymore!  Last year, Burton announced the Burton AM Series, a competition for amateur riders, with men and women champs winning $1,000 and a wildcard entry into the Open Series.  And the second annual series is well underway, with stops in 6 US locations.  

If your new year’s resolution is to compete this year, I suggest you try this one out!  I haven’t competed since high school, but I’ve really wanted to get back into it, so I challenged myself to this one  After researching it a bit (and becoming a tad bit intimidated watching videos of the pro Burton team!) I decided, what the heck… at least I tried, right?  The worst that can happen is I get last place  So, I’m doing it; tomorrow at Bear Mountain, which I’m so stoked about because I haven’t been to Bear Mountain yet, and what a great excuse to go!   

If you’re also thinking about competing, most of the info. you need is on the Burton AM Series Web site.  You can register here (it’s $10 per event; open to 30 women) and you can compete in slopestyle, halfpipe, or both. 

This year’s schedule is as follows:

• Northstar-at-Tahoe, CA: Jan. 10 – 11
• Bear Mountain, CA: Jan. 19 (Slopestyle only; pipe cancelled due to weather conditions)
• Keystone, CO: Jan. 24 – 25
• Snoqualmie, WA: Jan. 31 (Slopestyle only; pipe cancelled due to weather conditions)
• Park City, UT: Feb. 7 – 8
• Waterville Valley, NH: March 14 – 15

The big clincher – the Burton Global Open Series, US – will be held at Stratton Mountain, VT, March 16 – 22, 2009.  Competitors (pros and those who’ve obtained a wildcard entry through the AM series) will compete for the 2009 women’s and men’s championship titles, each worth $100,000, and events at large will take place around the globe (Europe, Japan, Canada, US, New Zealand, Australia).  So whether you’re a competitor or you simply just want to watch, be sure to mark those dates on your calendar because it should be a pretty sweet comp!  I’ll report back after tomorrow’s big event