Westbound Boarder

The Olympics are just around the corner, and people are a-buzzing about a couple females prepared to take the throne – namely, Kelly Clark, Hannah Teter, Gretchen Bleiler, and Lindsey Jacobellis.  A few months ago, these women participated in a photo shoot for Glamour Magazine, and the issue finally hit the newsstands this month – Check it!

The spread features two shots of the girls – one where they are dressed in designer black dresses, and another where they are dressed down in their snowboard gear (we all know Gretchen designed her own Oakley line, which she sports in the shot).

Personally, I think its pretty awesome that these four ladies are being recognized for their talent in mainstream publications.  The juxtaposition of the two photos show their classy, feminine side, while also showing their fun, tough side.  This feature shows that you don’t have to be rough around the edges to be an awesome rider – something these women demonstrate to the extreme.

But back to the Olympics … America will be watching in 3 weeks and counting!

Despite the fact that we are still in the thick of summer, the 2010 Winter Olympics are right around the corner. In less than 6 months Whistler-Blackcomb in British Columbia, Canada, will host the 2010 extravaganza. Consider this your friendly reminder that if you are planning to witness history in B.C. this year, that you better act quickly!

The ladies U.S. Snowboard Team Olympic roster includes hopefuls Hannah Teeter, Elena Hight, Gretchen Bleiler, Lindsey Jacobellis and Kelly Clark (all who competed in the 2006 Winter Olympics). Ellery Hollingsworth, also a 2010 hopeful, has never been to the Olympics, although is no stranger to the sport. Check out her specs and accomplishments to see for yourself. No matter who makes the team, these stunnas will not disappoint the US of A, that is fersure.

The Dew Tour continued today, kicking off with the Women’s Superpipe comp.  I’m glad I got to watch some of the women riders today because they were freakin’ awesome.  Here’s a quick recap of some of the highlights:

•  In the prelim. round on NBC, Gretchen Bleiler stepped up first and performed an awesome run.  Her spins were impressive, though not quite enough to bring her into first in the prelims.  Her second though began with a frontside 9 into a backside crippler – her signature move – straight into a backside 5.  The run was amazing and propelled her to first, with an outstanding score of 90.25.
• Kelly Clark went second; though she didn’t spin as much as Gretchen, her run was so solid and clean that she walked out of the prelims in first place, with a score of 86.75.  Her second run was solid, but a quick scrub on the third hit cost her first.  
• Hannah Teeter, known for her unpredictable runs, was up third and took second place in the prelim round.  She threw out two 5′s and a 7, and though she didn’t get as much air as Kelly, her second place finish in the prelims was well-deserved.  Her second run, though, was a bust, and a bit surprising for Hannah.  She landed too far into the pipe on the first hit, which ultimately cost her the run and a chance at top 3.
• Elena Hight was up next with her second run of the day; she threw out both back and front side 900′s in the run, however, clipped the side of the pipe in landing after the first which impacted her speed and height quite noticeably.  But being the only female thus far to throw a backside 9, it was enough to boost her to second place.
• Holly Crawford and Kjersti Buaas also performed throughout the day; Holly’s run was smooth but not enough to place, and after a nice first run, Kjersti fell hard during her second.   

The final scores:

1. Bleiler – 90.25
2. Clark – 86.75
3. Hight – 82.00
4. Teter – 78.75
5. Crawford – 75.50
6. Ostgaard Buaas – 58.75