Winter X Games 14 – Women’s Results

Over and out. Winter X Games 14 has wrapped. Four days in Aspen delivered five-peats, double three-peats, and back-to-back golds. Read on to find out how the women fared.

Friday, Jan. 29th – Women’s Skiing Superpipe

A deserving  Jen Hudak won Women’s SuperPipe Gold. In her sixth Winter X, the 23 year old Utah local spent the last three years pushing progressively harder toward the top of the podium. Last year she finished second by a microscopic margin and Winter X 14 turned out to be her year.

1. Jen Hudak
2. Megan Gunning
3. Roz Groenewoud
4. Mirjam Jaeger
5. Anais Caradeux
6. Sarah Burke

Saturday, Jan. 30 -  Women’s Snowboard X

In the Snowboard X Lindsey Jacobellis defended her title, but not without a lot of heat from Helene Olafsen. Watch for this rivalry to be another one that will  be continued in Vancouver.

1. Lindsey Jacobellis
2. Helene Olafsen
3.  Joanie Anderson
4. Maria Ramberger
5. Alexandra Jekova
6. Emilie Aubry

Saturday, Jan. 30 – Women’s Snowboard Superpipe

As expected, the Women’s Superpipe ended up being  a competition between Gretchen Bleiler and Kelly Clark .  In her final turn, Clark needed to best Bleiler’s 96.66; she dropped and stomped her entire run, but it was too close to call.  Gretchen probably had more technical tricks, but Kelly had a lot of amplitude and tricks, too.  In the end,  Bleiler took the top prize, becoming the only woman to win four times. Hannah Teter took third but her score was 26 points shy of Bleiler’s.

1. Gretchen Bleiler
2. Kelly Clark
3. Hannah Teter
4. Soko Yamaoka
5. Ellery Hollingsworth
6. Elena Hight

Sunday, Jan 31 – Women’s Slopestyle

Jenny Jones won the Women’s Slopestyle final for the second year in a row. She out-shredded Jamie Anderson and Janna Meyen-Weatherby, neither of whom were at Winter X last year.

It was a progressive day in the park. Janna Meyen-Weatherby was incredibly close to nailing a cab nine, which would’ve been a Winter X first for women. Unfortunately, the landing ended up earning her bronze behind Jamie Anderson’s silver but she certainly lit a fire during the comp.

1. Jenny Jones
2. Jamie Anderson
3. Janna Meyen-Weatherby
4. Kjersti Oestgaard Buass
5. Hana Beaman
6. Cheryl Maas

Women’s Skier X

History was made when France’s Ophelie David took home her fourth straight Women’s Skier X gold medal, making her the first skier — male or female — of any Winter X skiing discipline to four-peat. The 33-year-old mother of two passed two Canadian women — Kelsey Serwa, 20, and Ashleigh McIvor, 26 — wjp finished second and third respectively, halfway through the course and outlasted them to the finish to claim a record fourth gold medal.

1. Ophelie David
2. Kelsey Serwa
3. Ashleigh McIvor
4. Fanny Smith
5. Marte Gjefsen
6. Aleisha Cline

Oh, and if you hadn’t already guessed, Shaun White took home gold in the Men’s Superpipe final.

Notes from the X Games: Consistency Pays Off

Now that Dew Tour is over I have had about a week to regroup. I was feeling pretty calm and collected going into the 2^nd stop of the Dew Tour contest, despite the fact I had just been up in Canada riding powder for two weeks. It seems like the snow just keeps following me though, because last week it snowed the entire week in Utah where I was meant to be “training” for Xgames.

Powder riding doesn’t really prepare me for hitting 60 to 70 foot jumps. However, because I am part of the DC team I had a secret weapon -  the DC Mnt Lab, which is located in Park City. This lodge style home is set up with every kind of convenience and I can strap into my snowboard on the front porch and drop into jibs, and most importantly a 50 by 45 foot air bag. Even though it snowed all week long while I was preparing for X Games,  I think all the powder riding was beneficial.

I am now in Aspen at the X Games and the course is amazing but challenging as expected. Unfortunately we’ve been battling bad weather conditions and this has caused continuous changes in the course daily. Tomorrow is our contest day and we all have our fingers crossed that the weather will hold and our minds will stay confident and clear. Tune into ESPN on Sunday for live broadcasts of the event.

(Ed. Note:  Winter X Games 14 is on in Aspen, Colo., from Thursday, Jan. 28 to Sunday, Jan. 31. Much of the event will air live on ESPN and ESPN2. Join us as we cheer Kimmy on and be sure to catch the Snowboard Slopestyle Women’s Final on ESPN on Sunday, Jan. 31 )

Related Posts:

Prepping for the X Games
Bring on winter
Adventures in filming

Winter X Games 14: Bring it on

As temperatures drop, the excitement heats up in Aspen, which is hosting the Winter X Games for the ninth consecutive year. Most of the action will take place over the next four days – and the invited rider list reads like a who’s who of winter sports. This year’s Games should prove to be a showcase for the progress female action sports athletes have made in the genre.

Highlights of WX14 will include snowboarder Torah Bright and freeskier Sarah Burke who are both returning to Aspen in a bid to reclaim gold.

You’ll also see a lot of halfpipe queen Gretchen Bleiler. The only woman to win WX SuperPipe 3 times, Gretchen also has silver from WX ‘07, silver from the 2006 Torino Olympics Halfpipe and an ESPY as 2008’s Best Female Action Sports Athlete.

In boardercross, 24-year-old Lindsey Jacobellis is considered royalty and ranked #1 in the FIS World Cup for 2009. She is an Olympic silver medalist from 2006 and five-time WX Games gold medalist.

Two years ago , Jamie Anderson became the youngest X Game gold winner when she won the women’s snowboard slopestyle. The Two-time WX Slopestyle gold medalist Anderson fractured her hip two weeks before WX ‘09. At the U.S. Open two months later, she ruptured her spleen, bringing a cruel end to the roughest season of her young career. But she kicked off the 2009/10 season right: winning the Billabong BroDown in Aug., Burton New Zealand Open in Nov. and Dew Tour Breck last month.

Also not to be overlooked is Kelly Clark, 26, who is competing in her tenth Winter X Games. One of the most decorated women in competitive snowboarding; Kelly has collected 6 WX SuperPipe medals, Olympic gold from the ‘02 Games, an ESPY for 2002 Action Sport Athlete of the Year and has won the Grand Prix Halfpipe title each of the past three years.

As one of the most X-treme winter sports events in the world, Winter X attracts an international array of gravity-defying athletes. Money (record purses this year), medals and worldwide fame are all up for grabs as athletes compete in skiing, snowboard and snocross so catch all the action today through Sunday.

Get ready to be X-cited for X-cellent performances. Some of the weekend’s highlights include:

Sat. Jan. 30: 2:00 – 3:30 pm Snowboard Snowboarder X  Women’s Final
Sat. Jan. 30: 7:30 – 8:30 pm Snowboard SuperPipe Women’s Final
Sun. Jan. 31: 10:00 – 12:15 pm Skiier X Women’s Final
Sun. Jan. 31: 12:00 – 1:00 pm Snowboard Slopestyle Women’s Final

Winter X Games 14 is on in Aspen, Colo., from Thursday, Jan. 28 to Sunday, Jan. 31. Much of the event will air live on ESPN and ESPN2.

Pretty Tough Trivia: “Superman” is not the man of steel; it’s when a rider lays flat in the air, both hands reach under the board to grab the toe side and or the shin of each boot, both legs are bent and the board is pulled up behind the rider.

Preparing for X Games. A journey through the mind of an athlete.

Preparation for X Games is always a little bit intimidating because the expectations are typically so much higher than at any other contest. The jumps are bigger, the crowds are bigger, all the sponsors are there and to top it off it’s a world wide televised event. This year I am switching things up and am going to do my best to maintain a clear, confident, and determined mind, while also remembering that I snowboard because I love it and not because of what others think about me.

My preparation has begun with the 2nd stop of the Dew Tour, which is taking place as I write this at Snowbasin in Utah. I had a few hours of practice on the course yesterday and this morning and we competed in qualifiers this afternoon. Today proved to be a day of transition, in which my mind remembered how park felt in comparison to powder. Considering I was up in Canada for the last two weeks shredding bottomless powder I am feeling rather comfortable back on the slopestyle course. I qualified 3rd and will compete in the Finals on Sunday.

Bouncing from powder back to park can be a hard transition because each task takes different mental planning. Though I have to be really focused for both, the backcountry is really quiet and feels like a giant soft playground with endless options and limited high impact consequences. In contrast, contests are on hard pack snow and the jumps are fairly big and potentially intimidating. Contests also have a lot more distractions, i.e., friends, crowds, judges, event coordinators. These distractions can add to an athlete’s riding or possible take away from their riding. I am in the process of learning how to be in control of my mind during these transitions. With X Games only a couple weeks away I am trying to find a balance between a focused and controlled mind while still being able to push myself to learn new tricks. I want to be having fun while I’m competing and training but I also have to stay motivated to reach new limits.

My current focus is to be calm, collected, and patient with my riding. My goal for this weekend is to turn off my mind and let my body do the work it has been programmed to do.

(Ed. Note:  The Winter X Games 14 will take place January 28-31, 2010 in Apsen Colorado.  Join us as we cheer Kimmy on and be sure to catch the Snowboard Slopestyle Women’s Final on ESPN on Sunday, Jan. 31)

Kimmy Fasani: Adventures in filming

The opportunities that cross the paths of athletes are abnormally incredible. I find that I have to pinch myself on a usual basis because I can’t believe what my “job title” is. I am outside all day, I travel consistently, and I meet amazing people all over the world. Really?

This season, similar to last season, I am focusing most of my energy on filming, while still trying to find a good balance of doing contests to promote the companies that represent me. However, this season DC has provided me the opportunity to film with Standard Films. Standard Films is a very prestigious guys movie project that documents some of the most standout guys riding in the industry. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to push myself to a level of riding that could be archived among the other few women that have filmed with a guy’s crew. The added benefit of this project is the film crew has also brought Hana Beaman, Raewyn Reid, and last year’s veteran Leanne Pelosi into the mix. The four of us ladies have our own filmer and it’s our job to make our parts happen. Challenge? YES! Exciting? YES!

With that said, my season started off quickly and efficiently with a two week road trip to the interior of British Colombia. Hana, Leanne, and myself met up with a photographer, Christy Chaloux, and filmer, Aaron Whitley, in Nelson, BC on the 2nd of January. The mountains were getting thoroughly filled in with blankets of snow for days.

We started off our adventure at Baldface, which is a very well known cat skiing operation. Riding at this operation would give us a chance to get comfortable with each other and the waist deep powder, while also allowing the backcountry to become a little more stable. Everybody was warning us about a high avalanche danger in the surrounding mountains so we figured we might as well play it safe and utilize terrain that had guides and advanced avalanche safety equipment.

Two days at Baldface was the perfect warm up and with stability rising in the backcountry we were beginning to feel confidence in our snowmobiles. From the 5th of January until the 10th we took to the back roads and headed out on our snowmobiles to find all the untracked layers of snow. We struck gold and each day we were riding about 2 feet of fresh tracks and no body else was around. The two-week adventure came to a close on January 11th and I drove down to Park City, Utah for a couple events. Filming in the quiet mountains heavily outweighs doing contests but each are components of my “job.”

Life is beautiful and powder is my favorite!

Kelly Clark heading to Vancouver

Snowboarder Kelly Clark secured a trip to her third Olympics this week.

Clark defeated 2006 gold medal winner Hannah Teter to make her two for two this season in the U.S. Grand Prix events, which are being used to determine the riders who will represent the U.S. in Vancouver next month.

“Before the last Olympics, I qualified last,” Clark said of the 2006 effort, where she was a late qualifier and finished fourth at the Games. “So, yeah, this feels really good. It gives me a chance to use the rest of the season to work on things, practice my harder jumps in competition.”

There are three more Olympic qualifiers this month, starting Friday with another event at Mammoth Mountain. The full team will be selected at the end of January.

Throughout the comp, signs in the stands paid tribute to injured snowboarder Kevin Pearce, who suffered a brain injury during a fall last week while training.  Fortunately, news comes today that his condition has been upgraded and he’s improving.

IGSA/All Girl Skate Jam Skateboarding Clinic

International Girls Skateboarding Association is holding a girls skateboard clinic this weekend at YMCA Encinitas 11:45 – 3:00. All ages, all girls, all abilities. Special guests include pro skateboards Cara Beth Burnside and Mimi Knoop.

2009 Salute to Women in Sports

Other WomenTalkSports posts of “Best of ‘09″:

• From Because I Played Sports, Best of ‘09: Forming a community, WomenTalkSports.com

• From One Sport Voice, The “Best” of 2009 and the State of Girls & Women in Sports

• From WakeGirls.com, Best of ‘09 – A Year for Women in Wake

Winter Fun – wanna try something new?

From backcountry snow camping to snowshoeing, there’s more to winter than skiing and ice skating.

Cross Country Skiing With origins in Scandinavia 4000-4500 years ago, cross country skiing has come a long way from being the sole method of transportation for snow and ice-bound Northerners.

Today, cross country skiing (aka Nordic Skiing or XC Skiing) is, in the opinion of many, the world’s best aerobic fitness activity. The sport involves simultaneous use of arms and legs utilizing ski equipment including boots, poles, and skis. Because you can XC Ski just about anywhere with snow, you can match the terrain to suit your fitness level and interests.

Dog Sledding It’s that time of year, many distance mushers are focused on training for the Iditarod – the “Last Great Race”. Of the 71 mushers who have already signed up for this dog sled race, 56 are veterans, 15 are rookies, 15 are female and 56 are males. Mushers have until Dec 1st to sign up for the 2008 race.

Ice Sailing Ice sailing, or hard water sailing—is navigating a frozen surface in a sailboat outfitted with runners. The fundamentals of this exhilarating sport can be learned in just a day or two. The most proficient sailors can adapt to rapidly changing ice and wind conditions but novices often exceed their limits and get in trouble. For those who master the sport, ice sailing offers the best of summer and winter pleasures.

Skijoring Cross country skiing has gone to the dogs. A popular sport from Scandinavia called “skijoring” can be a great workout for you and your canine. Fido is outfitted with a special harness and leash so he can pull you, wearing your XC skis, along pristine trails. Once your and your pooch are proficient you can search out races and more.

Snow Kayaking Know of a pristinehillside covered with newfallen snow? If sledding or tobogganing seems old hat, grab the kayak from your garage and improvise. A kayak will work fine if the snow is really cold, so the kayak doesn’t stick. You can get some speed going and use the paddle to carve out snow and stick the paddle behind to use as a rudder. It’s not as accurate as a sled but about the same as a toboggan and a lot more fun.

Snow Kiting Fast growing and simple to learn, skiers and boarders across the world are discovering the fun of snow kiting. All you need is snow and a power kite and you can turn a cold winter’s day into a blistering, adrenaline-soaked experience. Speeds of over 60 mph have been recorded as snow kite riders blast themselves along with just the power of the wind.

Wind power is one of life’s few free rides and already snow kiting enthusiasts have achieved incredible things. From a ground breaking unsupported journey to the North Pole and back to huge kite-powered adventures through Alaska, the world of winter sports is embracing this fantastic new sport.

Snowshoeing
Try winter’s fastest growing adventure fitness craze – snowshoeing!

The sport has grown in popularity among female Americans since 1998. The participant  level has increased 163% to 2.1% of females 16 and older. Source: Outdoor Recreation Participation Study 2003

It’s easy to see why snowshoeing is the trendiest and friendliest on-snow winter activity considering anyone who can walk can snowshoe. Until the 1970’s, snowshoes were used primarily for survival rather than recreation. Today, enthusiasts who strap on a pair of snowshoes range from casual snowshoers who hike trails for pleasure, to those who trek through the backcountry, and competitors who race. One of the best things about snowshoeing is just about anywhere you hike or mountain bike in summer, you can snowshoe in winter.

In addition, snowshoeing can help enrich your health. Known to help maintain or improve cardiovascular fitness, the sport helps burn more than 600 calories per hour. Snowshoers can burn more than 45 percent more calories than walking or running at the same speed, according to Snowsports Industries America (SIA).

Telemark – Get off the groomed trails and experience backcountry skiing! For most, tele skiing is all about the stoke, the sensation, that feeling of excited exhilaration that comes from getting into the groove of the tele turn.

Norwegian Sondre Norheim, recognized today as the father of telemark skiing, popularized this new style of turn where one ski is advanced in front of the other and the heel is raised on the rear ski, with the skier in a very bent knee position . The telemark turn is ideally suited for the moderately steep mountains and the soft, deep snow found in the Telemark region of Norway.

Ashley Fiolek set to race in Europe again

Following their successful 2009 campaign, LS Motors-Honda today announced their Belgian team is proud to continue its partnership with America’s leading lady of MX: Ashley Fiolek.

Fiolek (19) herself enjoyed an outstanding season on the Honda CRF250R. ‘Kickash’ added the X-Games Moto-X women’s and WMA titles to her tally and rode to two podium finishes in her FIM WMX appearances (Bulgaria and Portugal).

Team principal Steven Lettani said: “We’re very pleased to have Ashley with us for the third consecutive season. Not only is she very fast, Ashley also brings a lot of energy and personality to the team! She is an amazing ambassador for our team and the sport. And since we’re still a young team it’s cool to remind people that she was in fact the first to get LS Motors-Honda on a GP podium in 2008!”

“For now the plan with Fiolek is to compete at six out of seven WMX races. However if Ashley is on course to a final overall podium in GP’s she will race the complete series. We will cooperate closely with Ashley and her dad to make sure she gets the same kind of topnotch equipment she’s used to run with the Honda-Red Bull team in the US.

“The agreement with Ashley completes our team for next season, which is kind of a dream team really.”

Ashley Fiolek: “I am so excited to be returning to Europe in 2010 to race for an FIM World Championship! I’m especially excited to be returning to LS Motors-Honda, this is my third year with the team. Steven and Linda (Lettani) make sure everything I need is there and I am comfortable when I am away from home. I really can’t thank them enough for their efforts and I think it shows in the results they have achieve in the MX1, MX2, and WMX in a very short time. (big smile) See you all in April!”

(via press release)

Next Page »