Westbound Boarder

Today and throughout the week, the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver continued … So far, I have really enjoyed watching the events I have been able to watch.  Growing up as a little girl, the ice skating was always my favorite; that is, until snowboarding was added to the roster.  And the past couple of days were all about snowboardcross.

Yesterday, US rider Seth Wescott dominated the men’s Boardercross finals yesterday, winning the gold over Canada’s Mike Robertson by a matter of fractions of seconds and earning him bragging rights as the only snowboarder to ever win a gold medal in the Olympic Games snowboardcross event since it’s 2006 introduction.  He had a shaky run during his timed run (which determined his place at the start line, which can sometimes make or break a snowboarder’s run) so it was good to see him redeem himself and come out on top in the medal round.

This morning, though, the women took center snow, however, they didn’t have quite the start they would have liked.  The women’s Boardercross prelims were set to begin at 10:30, but were delayed due to inclement weather at Cypress Mountain (apparently that seems to be a trend this season?)  By noon, though, the fog had lifted, and the prelims finally began; but not without its fair share of twists and turns (and no, I’m not talking about just the course).

Throughout the past couple of months (and arguably, years), Lindsey Jacobellis emerged as the shining star of Boarder Cross.  Four years ago during the 2006 Olympic Games in Turin, Lindsey suffered a disappointing fate.  She was pulling first throughout the duration of her run, and on the last jump she opted for celebratory style points instead of playing it safe and tweaked out a styish method, only to catch an edge and fall … essentially handing the gold away on a silver platter.  This year, Lindsey had hoped (and most had expected) to redeem herself, however, she didn’t even make the medal round.  During the snowboardcross event prelims, Lindsey clumsily fell over a jump, lost her balance, flew off one of the berms and crashed into a gate, ending any shot she had at a podium finish.

I find this so unfortunate, namely becase Lindsey has worked so hard to redeem herself from her last Olympic mishap.  And she really has proven herself, winning comp after comp the past few years (even several X Games titles), but when it comes to the one that really matters, a slight mishap cost her years of training.  Boardercross isn’t like most Olympic events, namely because it mixes a little bit of talent with a little bit of luck.  This time around, Lindsey’s bad luck came back to haunt her, costing her the gold, as well as her shot at redeeming herself in the public eye from 2006.

However, the good news is that three ladies did bring home medals to their respective countries, with Canada’s own Maelle Ricker taking home the gold.  Ricker saw her own douse of bad luck in the 2006 games, crashing and suffering a severe concussion.  But this year was her moment to shine, as she easily defeated her competitors and rode across the finish line with the Gold in sight.  France’s Deborah Anthonioz won the silver, while Olivia Olafsen from Switzerland took home the bronze.  Nice job ladies!

The moment we have all been waiting for (well, some of us, anyway) has finally arrived!  Yes, the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver are finally here … and they are going to be awesome.  I’ve particularly been very impressed with a the sheer talent in the ski and snowboard categories throughout this year’s Olympic qualifiers, so I’m excited to see what the athletes, both from the US and nationwide, will bring to the table.  I’ve pasted the full schedule below – Make sure you check out as many events as you can throughout the next couple of weeks.

Saturday, February 13
» Alpine skiing (men’s) – 11:45 a.m.
» Biathlon (women’s) – 1 p.m.
» Freestyle skiing (women’s) – 4:30 p.m., 7:30 p.m.
» Hockey (women’s) – noon, 5 p.m.
» Luge (men’s) – 5 p.m., 7 p.m.; replayed at midnight
» Short track (men’s) – 5 p.m., 6:24 p.m., 7:18 p.m.
» Short track (women’s) – 5:45 p.m., 6:49 p.m.; replayed at midnight
» Ski jumping (individual) – 9:45 a.m.
» Speed skating (men’s) – noon

Sunday, February 14
» Alpine skiing (women’s) – 10 a.m., 1 p.m.
» Biathlon (men’s) – 11:15 a.m.
» Figure skating (pairs short program) – 4:30 p.m.
» Freestyle skating (men’s) – 2:30 p.m., 5:30 p.m.
» Hockey (women’s) – noon, 4:30 p.m.
» Luge (men’s) – 1 p.m., 3 p.m.
» Nordic combined – 9 a.m., 10 a.m., 1:45 p.m.
» Speed skating (women’s) – 1 p.m.

Monday, February 15
» Cross country (women’s) – 10 a.m.
» Cross country (men’s) – 12:30 p.m.
» Figure skating – 5 p.m.
» Hockey (women’s) – 2:30 p.m., 7 p.m.
» Luge (women’s) – 5 p.m., 6:51 p.m.
» Snowboarding (men’s) – 10:30 a.m., 2 p.m.
» Speed skating (men’s) – 3:30 p.m.

Tuesday, February 16
» Alpine skiing (men’s) – 10 a.m., 1:30 p.m.
» Biathlon (women’s) – 10:30 a.m.
» Biathlon (men’s) – 12:45 p.m.
» Curling (men’s) – 9 a.m., 2 p.m., 7 p.m.
» Figure skating (men’s) – 4:15 p.m.
» Hockey (men’s) – 12:00 p.m., 4:30 p.m., 9 p.m.
» Hockey (women’s) – 2:30 p.m., 7 p.m.
» Luge (women’s) – 1 p.m., 2:51 p.m.
» Snowboarding (women’s) – 10 a.m., 12:15 p.m.
» Speed skating (women’s) – 1 p.m.

Wednesday, February, 17
» Alpine skiing (women’s) – 11 a.m.
» Cross country (men’s) – 10:15 a.m., 12:55 p.m.
» Cross country (women’s) – 10:15 a.m., 12:30 p.m.
» Curling (women’s) – 9 a.m., 7 p.m.
» Curling (men’s) – 2 p.m.
» Hockey (men’s) – noon, 4:30 p.m., 9 p.m.
» Hockey (women’s) – 2:30 p.m., 7 p.m.
» Luge (men’s) – 5 p.m., 6:31 p.m.
» Short track (women’s) – 5 p.m., 6:14 p.m., 7:07 p.m.
» Short track (men’s) – 5:27 p.m., 6:35 p.m.
» Snowboarding (men’s) – 1:05 p.m., 5:15 p.m., 7:15 p.m.
» Speed skating (men’s) – 4 p.m.

Thursday, February 18
» Biathlon (women’s) – 10 a.m.
» Biathlon (men’s) – 1 p.m.
» Curling (men’s) – 9 a.m., 7 p.m
» Curling (women’s) – 2 p.m.
» Figure skating (men’s) – 5 p.m.
» Hockey (men’s) – noon, 4:30 p.m., 9 p.m.
» Hockey (women’s) – 2:30 p.m., 7 p.m.
» Skeleton (women’s) – 4 p.m., 5:10 p.m.
» Skeleton (men’s) – 6:30 p.m., 8 p.m.
» Snowboarding (women’s) – 12:30 p.m., 4 p.m., 6 p.m.
» Speed skating (women’s) – 1 p.m.

Friday, February 19
» Alpine skiing (men’s) – 11:30 a.m.
» Cross country (women’s) – 1 p.m.
» Curling (women’s) – 9 a.m., 7 p.m.
» Curling (men’s) – 2 p.m.
» Figure skating – 4:45 p.m.
» Hockey (men’s) – noon, 4:30 p.m., 9 p.m.
» Skeleton (women’s) – 3:45 p.m., 4:55 p.m.
» Skeleton (men’s) – 6:20 p.m., 7:50 p.m.
» Ski jumping (individual) – 10 a.m.

Saturday, February 20
» Alpine skiing (women’s) – 10 a.m.
» Bobsled (men’s) – 5 p.m., 6:35 p.m.
» Cross country (men’s) – 1:30 p.m.
» Curling (men’s) – 9 a.m., 7 p.m.
» Curling (women’s) – 2 p.m.
» Freestyle skating (women’s) – 10 a.m.
» Hockey (men’s) – noon, 4:30 p.m., 9 p.m.
» Hockey (women’s) – 2:30 p.m., 7 p.m.
» Speed skating (men’s) – 4:15 p.m.
» Short track (women’s) – 5:45 p.m., 6:59 p.m., 7:51 p.m.
» Short track (men’s) – 6:29 p.m., 7:28 p.m., 8:05 p.m.
» Ski jumping (individual) – 11:30 a.m.

Sunday, February 21
» Alpine skiing (men’s) – 10 a.m., 1:15 p.m.
» Biathlon (men’s) – 10:45 a.m.
» Biathlon (women’s) – 12:45 p.m.
» Bobsled (men’s) – 1:30 p.m., 3:05 p.m.
» Curling (women’s) – 9 a.m., 7 p.m.
» Curling (men’s) – 2 p.m.
» Figure skating – 4:15 p.m.
» Freestyle skating (men’s) – 9:15 a.m., 12:15 p.m.
» Hockey (men’s) – noon, 4:30 p.m., 9 p.m.
» Speed skating (women’s) – 3 p.m.

Monday, February 22
» Cross country (men’s) – 10:45 a.m., 1:25 p.m.
» Cross country (women’s) – 10:45 a.m., 1 p.m.
» Curling (men’s) – 9 a.m., 7 p.m.
» Curling (women’s) – 2 p.m.
» Figure skating – 4:45 p.m.
» Freestyle skating (men’s) – 6 p.m.
» Hockey (women’s) – noon, 2 p.m., 5 p.m., 7 p.m.
» Ski jumping (team) – 10 a.m., 11:20 a.m.

Tuesday, February 23
» Biathlon (women’s) – 11:30 a.m.
» Bobsled (women’s) – 5 p.m., 6: 13 p.m.
» Curling (women’s) – 9 a.m., 7 p.m.
» Curling (men’s) – 2 p.m.
» Speed skating (men’s) – 11 a.m.
» Figure skating (women’s) – 4:30 p.m.
» Freestyle skating (women’s) – 10:30 a.m., 1 p.m.
» Hockey (men’s) – noon, 4:30 p.m., 7 p.m., 9 p.m.
» Nordic combined (team) – 10 a.m., 1 p.m.

Wednesday, February 24
» Alpine skiing (women’s) – 10 a.m., 1:15 p.m.
» Bobsled (women’s) – 5 p.m., 6: 13 p.m.
» Cross country (men’s) – 11:15 p.m.
» Freestyle skating (women’s) – 7:30 p.m.
» Hockey (men’s) – noon, 4:30 p.m., 7 p.m., 9 p.m.
» Short track (women’s) – 5 p.m., 6:26 p.m.
» Short track (men’s) – 5:47 p.m.
» Speed skating (women’s) – 1 p.m.

Thursday, February 25
» Cross country (women’s) – 11 a.m.
» Curling (women’s) – 9 a.m.
» Curling (men’s) – 2 p.m.
» Figure skating (women’s) – 5 p.m.
» Freestyle skating (men’s) – 6 p.m.
» Hockey (women’s) – 11 a.m., 3:30 p.m.
» Nordic combined (individual) – 9:59 a.m., 1 p.m.

Friday, February 26
» Alpine Skiing (women’s) – 10 a.m., 1:30 p.m.
» Biathlon (men’s) – 11:30 a.m.
» Bobsled (men’s) – 1 p.m., 2:35 p.m.
» Curling (women’s) – 9 a.m., 3 p.m.
» Hockey (men’s) – noon, 6:30 p.m.
» Short track (women’s) – 6:14 p.m., 6:53 p.m., 7:26 p.m.
» Short track (men’s) – 6 p.m., 6:45 p.m., 7:16 p.m., 7:52 p.m.
» Snowboarding (women’s) – 10 a.m., 12:15 p.m.
» Speed skating (men’s) – 12:30 p.m., 2:07 p.m.
» Speed skating (women’s) – 1:20 p.m.

Saturday, February 27
» Alpine skiing (men’s) – 10 a.m., 1:45 p.m.
» Bobsled (men’s) – 1 p.m., 2:35 p.m.
» Cross country (women’s) – 11:45 a.m.
» Curling (men’s) – 9 a.m., 3:00 p.m.
» Hockey (men’s) – 7 p.m.
» Snowboarding (men’s) – 10 a.m., 12:15 p.m.
» Speed skating (men’s) – 1:49 p.m.
» Speed skating (women’s) – 12:30 p.m., 2:12 p.m.

Sunday, February 28
» Cross country (men’s) – 9:30 a.m.
» Hockey (men’s) – 12:15 p.m.
» Closing ceremony – 6 p.m.

With all five Grand Prix events officially behind us, today, the 2010 US Winter Snowboard Team was finally announced, with one spot on both the women and men up for grabs.  Without further ado, here are the six shredders who will be representing the US in Vancouver next month (the last two will be announced in a press conference Monday afternoon):

Men
Shaun White
Louie Vito
Scotty Lago

Women
Kelly Clark
Gretchen Bleiler
Hannah Teter

Congrats to all, and good luck!  And in case you missed yesterday’s Grand Prix in Park City, you can catch the highlights and full event coverage today at 3pmET on NBC.

UPDATE: Elena Hight and Greg Bretz were added to the half pipe team, rounding it out to a full team of eight riders.  Yeah!

Well, Shaun White and Kelly Clark stuck it again in today’s US Snowboarding Grand Prix in Park City.  Shaun saw a near perfect score of 49.5 (out of 50), with Scotty Lago trailing just behind with a 48, and Luke Mitrini coming in third.  Today marks Shaun’s fourth first place finish (out of 5) in all Grand Prix Olympic qualifying events.  But then again, Park City was just practice for Shaun, as he was already confirmed as an Olympic team member after last round.  Scotty has now had two second place finishes and one third, so he will likely be invited to join the US Olympic team a well, alongside Shaun.  Danny Davis, the one competitor to beat out Shaun (in Mammoth), and formerly a likely Olympic teammate as well, unfortunately broke his back during an ATV accident last Sunday.  He underwent surgery Monday and is now being cared for in a local hospital, alongside Kevin Pearce.  Danny is an awesome rider – one of my personal faves – so it is unfortunate to hear he won’t be joining the team in Vancouver this year.

On the women’s side, Kelly came in first (again), followed by Hannah Teter and Kaitlyn Farrington.  Kelly, in comparison to the other riders, is absolutely going bigger, which is putting her in prime position to land some of the tougher spins and tricks that you need more time in the air to solidify.  She has been doing awesome through the thick of it all, so I’m excited to see what she’ll pull in Vancouver next month.  I also really like Hannah’s riding because she always throws down a smooth, solid run that’s fun to watch, and, minus a few small flubs, I think she really stuck it in Park City.

For the women, it is pretty obvious who will be going to Vancouver, and who will be watching from the sidelines.  For the men, however, there is some stiff competition, so it will be interesting to see how the last two spots play out.

Results, Day 1 (Friday)

Men
1. Shaun White, Carlsbad, CA, 49.00
2. Scotty Lago, Seabrook, NH, 47.70
3. Greg Bretz, Mammoth Lakes, CA, 46.70
4. Elijah Teter, South Lake Tahoe, CA, 44.00
5. Luke Mitrani, Mammoth Lakes, CA, 44.00
6. Louie Vito, Sandy, UT, 43.30
7. JJ Thomas, Golden, CO, 43.00
8. Danny Kass, Portand, OR, 42.70
9. Steve Fisher, Breckenridge, CO, 42.00
10. Dylan Bidez, Minturn, CO, 41.30

Women
1. Kelly Clark, Mt. Snow, VT, 45.20
2. Hannah Teter, Belmont, VT, 44.80
3. Ellery Hollingsworth, Stratton, VT, 43.60
4. Gretchen Bleiler, Aspen, CO, 42.50
5. Elena Hight, South Lake Tahoe, CA, 40.00
6. Kaitlyn Farrington, Sun Valley, ID, 39.20
7. Maddy Schaffrick, Steamboat Springs, CO, 31.40
8. Kelly Marren, Hillsborough, CA, 29.40
9. Clair Bidez, Minturn, CO, 19.30

Results, Day 2 (Saturday)

Men
1. Shaun White 49.5
2. Scotty Lago 48
3. Luke Mitrani 45.3
4. Gregory Bretz 44.8
5. JJ Thomas 44.2
6. Jack Mitrani 42.3
7. Dylan Bidez 42.1
8. Steve Fisher 40.6
9. Zach Black 38.5
10. Broc Waring 38.2
11. Danny Kass 37.5
12. Andy Finch 36.7

Women
1. Kelly Clark 47.40
2. Hannah Teter 43.90
3. Kaitlyn Farrington 41.00
4. Madeline Schaffrick 36.50
5. Elena Hight 36.20

Shaun White may already have ‘Pro Snowboarder,’ ‘Designer,’ and ‘Bad A$$ Video Game Developer’ permanently stamped on his resume, but didn’t you hear?  He may be adding pro ice-skater to the list as well!  (Watch out Louie Vito, it looks like you have some competition in more than just the pipe this month).  In fact, I hear Red Bull built Shaun a secret ice rink in the North Pole …  Watch the video below to see his rockin’ moves (Wait! Is that me, his partner?)

Disclaimer: This video is in no way, shape, or form real.  Though it may look like Shaun and Andrea are actually ice skating together, they are not.  It is totally made up.  In fact, Shaun may not even ice skate.  Welcome to the wonderful world of the Internet and photo manipulation.

Busy week in snowboard land; here’s some of our fav picks from around the Web!

• Catch the Olympics on Yahoo!: Today, Yahoo! announced it will provide Olympic fans with an exclusive Web site and mobile experience for the 2010 Vancouver Games. (Check out the microsite here).  Less than one month to go!  Also, starting January 25^th, fans will be able to submit their favorite winter sports photos for a chance to win multiple prizes, ranging from digital cameras to a trip to the U.S. Freestyle Skiing Championship at Squaw Valley in March 2010.
• Haiti Disaster; How You Can Help: By now, many of you already know about the 7.0 Earthquake that devastated Haiti on Tuesday, Jan. 12.  Check out this blog post from Spectacular Adventures for more info. on how you can help.
• Bearics Teaser: Inside Etnies and Bear Mountain’s private snow park; sweet vid!
• Surf Expo 2010 Gallery: The 2010 Surf Expo is currently going on, and Transworl has the low down (in 140 pictures or less) here.  I’m really digging some of the new swimwear lines.
• Dew Tour Comes to Utah; Results Are In: After a successful first event at Breckenridge earlier this month, the Dew Tour, Round Two, moves to Snowbasin.  Elena Hight and Elijah Teter lead in the Pipe Prelims (surprised?)  Be sure to catch the Pipe Finals on Sat.

News Bits

• FUEL TV launched an iPhone application.  The application is available here in the iTunes store, free of charge.  The content is syndicated from the Fuel.tv website and includes nine video podcast channels, updates from the FUEL TV blogs, and Twitter integration. There’s also a community photo blog; FUEL TV show information, news updates, and schedules; and all of it can be seamlessly shared via a simple Twitter button. The app will also allow for streaming live events, and will be able to download a selection of FUEL TV shows in the near future.  Sounds pretty sick (I wish I had an iPhone!  Maybe now I have incentive to go buy one…)
• College Night returns to Mt. High.  Last year, Mt. High announced a series of three College Night Events, and apparently the series was popular, because it’s back!  And this time with six events.  If you’re in college and live in SoCal, this event sounds like a lot of fun – $20 Night passes, half-off appetizers, half-off draft beer (21+), $1 hot dogs, live DJs, and hookups from industry partners. College Night will take place from 5pm to 10pm in the Bullwheel Bar & Grill on January 14th, January 21st, February 4th, February 11th, February 25th, and March 4^th, 2010.  This season the January 21st, February 11^th, and March 4^th events will also include a rail competition complete with its own prize pool.
• Gatorade Free Flow Tour, the official amateur series of the Dew Tour, coming to a town near you.  We watched part of the pipe tour go down in Vail this past weekend, and it was pretty sick.  Now, let’s see some ladies!

With the Olympics quickly approaching (less than one month to go!) the pros are kicking it into high gear in efforts to prep their minds and bodies for the event.  But have you ever wondered what, exactly, their workouts entail? (Hint: it does not only take place on the hill).  Pro skier Lindsey Vonn, this year’s rising female star, shows us all.

This video below takes you through one of Lindsey’s workout routines.  Hm, I wonder if her trainer is taking new applicants?

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