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

‘09 Mountainboard Season Wrap-up

(Ed. Note: Pretty Tough Team Rider Melissa (Becker) Ponce de Leon is a pro mountainboarder with multiple U.S. Championships. Here is her account of her most recent competitive season.)

The 2009 Mountainboard Season has come to an end.

We had three major comps this summer and I had a goal of winning all of them.  Coming off of two Overall Championships last season really pushed me to up the level  this year.

In August we traveled to our first destination of the season in Kansas. The Twilight Showdown was an amazing event, the first ever night time event under the lights.  The comp took place in the middle of Kansas at Kaos which has to have one of the coolest boardercross and slopestyle courses in the country. I swept the competition winning the boardercross, freestyle and the women’s overall.

In September we hosted the Altitude Cup Mountainboard Challenge in Empire, CO. I won the boardercross, got 2nd in the big air and won the women’s overall.

The last event of the season was in early October (the 10th and 11th) in Colorado Springs, CO. The MBS Fall classic is always the final event  and this year we competed in the snow.  I swept the event winning the Big Air and Slalom events, as well as the Women’s Overall.

Fall Classic Results:
1st-Melissa Ponce de Leon
2nd-Emily Smith-Zurawski
3rd-Ari Coats

I’m really happy with how the season went and along the way I had the chance to teach 12 people how to Mountainboard. Another amazing season without major injury is always a good season so I’m grateful.

The snow is here in Summit County, CO now and I will be training on my snowboard for the next few months. Not sure what the next season will bring yet, so stay tuned.

Kelly Clark, Jamie Anderson win Burton New Zealand titles

New Zealand’s largest snowboarding event, the Burton New Zealand Open Snowboarding Championships, came to a close after four intense days of competition. Part of the Burton Global Open Series and the Swatch Ticket To Ride World Snowboard Tour, the 7th Annual New Zealand Open showcased some the world’s top snowboarders competing in halfpipe and slopestyle competitions for over NZ$50,000 in prize money.

Hundreds of competitors from all over the world flocked to Cardrona Alpine Resort to compete, and action got underway on Wednesday with men’s and women’s slopestyle pre-qualifications and qualifications. Men’s and women’s halfpipe qualifications went down on Thursday, followed by men’s and women’s slopestyle semifinal and finals on Friday with Jamie Anderson (USA) and Sebastien Toutant (CAN) riding away with the top spots worth $6,000 each.

Saturday saw a field of 40 men and 21 women compete for the halfpipe titles worth NZ$6,000. In the women’s competition Kelly Clark and Jiayu Liu battled it out in semifinals with huge amplitude and clean spins, while Elizabeth Beerman just bumped Kiwi Kendall Brown from advancing on to final.

Halfpipe finals consisted of three runs each for men and women, with the women first to drop. The Asian contingent finished strong taking four of the top eight spots in the women’s finals, with Zhifeng Sun from China taking third. Her winning run featured an impressive frontside 900. Jiayu Liu (CHN) rode away with second with a run that featured back-to-back 720s and back-to-back 540s. But it was Kelly Clark that pulled it out with a whopping score of 83.67. Her winning run started with a massive frontside air followed by a backside 540 indy, into a frontside 720 tailgrab, followed by a Cab 720, finishing with a frontside 540 indy.

Clark had this to say of her win, “I felt really good today; I got to try new things. I like progressing, and when you ride against a solid group of competitors it pushes me to do more. I’m happy that I did well for my first contest of the summer, especially going in to an Olympic year.”

With the Burton New Zealand Open finished, the next stop in the BGOS is the European Open, taking place January 9-16, 2010 in Laax, Switzerland. The European Open is the second stop on the 2009-2010 Burton Global Open Series.

Jamie Anderson is currently in the lead for the Burton Global Open Series Championship titles and a piece of the $200,000 prize purse. With only two results on her account so far, 08/09 Swatch TTR World Champion Kelly Clark moves into world no. 7 with her victory in New Zealand.

Chanelle Sladics wins Asian Open Slopestyle

The 5Star Nissan X-Trail Asian Open in Alts Bandai, Japan last week saw riders going head to head in one of the last remaining Slopestyle contests of the season. Under blue skies, SoCal native Chanelle Sladics took the title, earning 850 Swatch TTR ranking points and $15,000 USD. 

Despite Japan’s unusual lack of snow, the shaping crew at Alts Bandai constructed a sick course which brought out the best in every participating rider. It was comprised of a street style down rail, two perfect kickers and a box, to a flat down box. The three run format gave riders a chance to mix it up and ensured the level of riding progressed steadily throughout the day.

The level of riding in the women’s final was at an all time high, with all the riders landing difficult combos on the rails and jumps. Sladics (a triple-threat who surfs, skateboards and snowboards) rode solidly all day and snatched victory in her final run, stomping a Frontside Boardslide to Fakie, followed by a massive Cab 5 Mute to FS 5 Indy, to FS Tailslide to Fakie. In doing so she earned her first ever Swatch TTR victory and moved into World No.24.

“I’ve never won a contest, I’m ecstatic!” Sladics said. “The girls who are here are the same girls I look up to and ride with, and it is crazy where the level of riding has gone this season.” Love it when a local girl tops the podium so congrats!

In second place, Jamie Anderson (USA) showed why she is in the lead for the Burton Global Open Series title this season. Despite being out for the past 6 weeks from an injury sustained at the European Open, she was still ruling the course with smooth 5s and Tailslides.. “I am stoked. It was a good day and some fun times. The girls were killing it today”, said Anderson. In third place was Silvia Mittermuller (GER), who has great momentum right now, coming off her win at the Canadian Open.

Competitive History
4th Place Dew Tour Northstar-At-Tahoe Toyota Championship 2009
3rd Place Dew Tour West Dover, VT  Mount Snow 2009
8th Place Dew Tour -Colorado Breckenridge 2008
6th Place Slopestyle Vans Cup 2006
3rd Place Nikita Chikita, Tahoe Slopestyle 2005
2nd Place Slopestyle Grand Prix Bachelor 2005
3rd Place Burton Snowjam Slopestyle 2004
2nd Place Queen of the mountain Slopestyle 2004
1st Place Queen of the mountain Rail Jam 2004

Jamie Anderson wins final Dew Slopestyle; O’Brien wins Dew Cup

First place qualifier and hometown heroine Jamie Anderson took the top prize in the third and final Winter Dew Tour Slopestyle finals at Northstar-at-Tahoe, California.

Canadian Spencer O’Brien placed second at 87.17 and clinched the Dew Cup (best in the series) based on her points lead. Janna Meyen-Weatherby of Bend, Ore., was third at 81.50.

Anderson’s winning run began with a boardslide to switch out on the rail, to a cab 270 switch out on the second rail. She continued with a switch backside 180 to a boardslide switch out, a switch frontside 540, a cab 540 and finished with a backside 180.

“I was stoked to win here,” Anderson said. “My family was out here rooting me on so that’s always good moral support. I had fun at the last two Dew Tour events I went to. I’m stoked for Spencer.”

O’Brien said she was thrilled to be the first athlete awarded a Dew Cup in the inaugural Winter Dew Tour series.

“It’s pretty amazing,” O’Brien said. “I’m so stoked. This whole series has been really awesome and just so much fun. I was really nervous coming into this one, but to clinch the Cup has been awesome.”

The four-day competition is the last of three stops on the tour that features men’s and women’s freeskiing and snowboarding disciplines. Saturday’s action features the men’s freeski slopestyle and superpipe finals, while Sunday’s schedule includes the men’s and women’s snowboard superpipe event.

SNOWBOARD SLOPESTYLE WOMEN’S FINAL RESULTS
DEW TOUR STOP #3 – NORTHSTAR AT TAHOE

1. Jamie Anderson – 87.50
2. Spencer O’Brien – 87.17
3. Janna Meyen-Weatherby – 81.50
4. Chanelle Sladics – 76.17
5. Torah Bright – 69.00
6. Christina Curry – 56.50

Women’s Snowboard Slopestyle Points

1. Spencer O’Brien, 280
2. Jamie Anderson, 275
3. Jenny Jones, 220
4. Chanelle Sladics, 210
5. Bev Vuilleumier, 185
6. Kjersti Ostgaard Buaas, 170
7. Christina Curry, 155
8. Kimberly Fasani, 145
9. Megan Ginter, 140
10. Torah Bright, 115

Get on Board: Burton NZ Open

August 1, 2008 – Just because it’s summer here, doesn’t mean snowboarders put their gear away and head to the beach. Many professional riders head south of the equator to find winter elsewhere.

A number of top snowboarders could be found at the Burton New Zealand Open held this week.  As the first event on the annual Burton Global Open Series, the NZ Open is the competitors’ first chance to make a play for the 2009 championship title worth $100,000 – the largest single payout in competitive snowboarding today.

Eighteen year old Jamie Anderson, without a doubt one of the most talented female snowboarders in the world, dominated the competition Friday  to take the top spot on the podium in the Slopestyle finals.  Cheryl Mass was a distant second with a 66.00 and Spencer O’Brien was third with a 65.33.

There was also a Quarterpipe Jam held, with hometown hero Juliane Bray winning for the women.  Kelly Clark took  highest air and best trick honors.

Keep reading for a full breakdown of the day’s action and  visit the official site.

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Snowboard: Tahoe teen wins 07/08 Women’s TTR World Championship

April 2, 2008 -  17-year-old Jamie Anderson has won the Women’s TTR World Tour Championship after killing it at the Slopestyle event at the Roxy Chicken Jam in Mammoth California on Monday.

Following a season of tense competition, it all came down to the Roxy event.  Torah Bright and Kelly Clark took top honors in the Halfpipe, as Bright held on to her Tour Lead from the US Open and Clark’s 1st place performance moved her ahead of Anderson going into the final event.

It was at the Chicken Jam Slopestyle where Jamie Anderson would rise to the occasion with a picture perfect performance to become the 07/08 Women’s Swatch TTR World Snowboard Tour Champion.

Going into the Championship there was less than a 40 point spread between the top three snowboarders – Torah Bright, Kelly Clark, and Jaime Anderson. With a total of 981.62 points for the season, the Tahoe teen took home $25 000 for Monday’s win, plus another $100 000 for taking the TTR championship. Torah came in second and Kelly rounded out the podium. Wow – that was a Pretty Tough season!

WX12: Jamie Anderson wins Gold in Slopestyle

WX12: Women’s Snowboard Slopestyle, Snowboard X & Skier X Results

ASPEN, Colo. Jan. 25, 2008 – After today’s qualifying round, 12 women advance to the Skier X semi-finals. Leading the pack are Sasa Faric, Seraina Murk and Ophelie David.  Qualifiers.

The elimination round of Women’s Snowboard Slopestyle pushes 10 riders through to the finals. Cheryl Mass, Jamie Anderson and Claudia Fliri came out on top of this round.  Finalists.

In Snowboard X, Lindsey Jacobellis and Tanja Frieden are among the 12 riders moving on to the semis.

Jamie Anderson takes BEO Slopestyle Title

Jan 17, 2008, Laax, Switzerland - On a gorgeous day in Laax the leading Men and Women fought for the Tour lead in the Slopestyle finals at the Swatch TTR SIX(6)STAR Burton European Open.

On the Women’s side, American Jamie Anderson  took home the BEO Slopestyle Title.  Jenny Jones (GBR)  finished second in the event, which moved her into TTR World No. 1, just 3 points ahead of now TTR World No. 2 Jamie Anderson.

Snowboarding fans and judges saw big tricks come from the day’s top riders. With Anderson stomping huge 540s off the kickers, busting out sick eggplants on the Quarterpipe and bringing back her buttery rail combos, there was no question as to why she won the Title. Jenny Jones landed huge 3s and a FS540 off the bigger kicker line, coming in second, as Silvia Mittermueller (GER) rounded out the Top 3 with sick alley-oops, big 7s and technical rail combos. 

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