Any fan of outstanding snowboarding was in for a treat at the 2019 USASA National Championships at Copper Mountain Resort in Colorado on Wednesday afternoon, as a perfectly-cut halfpipe, ideal weather conditions, and an exceptional field of riders from around the country all combined to produce an excellent Open class halfpipe competition.

Every rider on hand stomped at least one of their two finals runs, and with every one of those stomped runs offering multiple brow raising moments, the judges had their work cut out for them on Wednesday. However, two riders in particular separated themselves from the pack, and at the end of the day it would be two U.S. Snowboard Rookie Team members Tessa Maud (Carlsbad, Calif.) and Jason Wolle (Winter Park, Colo.) leading the way from qualifiers through to final runs and taking the 2019 Nationals titles.

Already on her way to becoming a World Cup regular at just 15-years-old, Unbound Series representative Maud impressed from the outset, with big, smooth airs and long-held grabs throughout her spins and straight airs, dropping a first run that included a first-hit frontside 720, cab 720, tuck-knee, backside 540, and a big stalefish to finish things off.

“It was super fun out there today, and all the girls killed it,” said Maud following the awards ceremony, “I rode the Rev Tour and the World Cup this year, but USASA has a huge place in my heart because I’ve been doing it for eight years. I love it and it’s good to be back here with all my old friends and around the groms and everyone. It’s super fun.”

Second place and the silver medal for the ladies went to 14-year-old Alexandria Simsovits (Calabasas, Calif.), also of the Unbound Series, while Japan’s Ayako Kamata would earn bronze.

In the men’s contest, Wolle let it be known early that he wasn’t going to be easily stopped, dropping a massive double Michalchuk with his first hit of his first finals run that was the inarguable trick of the day, before going on to stomp a frontside 900, backside 540, frontside 720, and cab 720 to take a clear victory.

“Today was awesome,” the Rocky Mountain Series rider smiled with his gold medal in hand, “I podiumed last year - I got third place - but I really wanted to step it up this year and put down a really good run and today it all came together. I actually dislocated my elbow three weeks ago, so I’ve only had two days on snow since then, and to come back and put down probably one of my best runs of the season and walk away with the win is really something special. I’m super happy with it.”

Knowing he had the win in the bag before dropping in on his final run, Wolle took a moment to stop on the deck at the top of the pipe and wave to the crowd, before dropping in on a lofty straight-air victory lap that was as pretty to watch as anything seen in the pipe all day.

“My victory lap…I don’t want to sound to cocky, but I was really happy with my first run, so when the last score came in I knew I could do (the victory lap) and I kind of had to. My coaches and my friends and my family were all here, so I had to show off a little bit. Nationals is always such a good vibe, so it’s fun to show off a bit for the crowd.”

“Thirty years of Nationals is pretty impressive, and to have it here at my new home - I’m living in Frisco now and I’m training at Copper all the time - so it’s pretty cool. I’ve been coming to Nationals for five years now and to win at the 30th anniversary is pretty special.”

Behind Wolle in second place was Fynn Bullock-Womble (Mebane, N.C.), as the 14-year-old Rocky Mountain Series product continued a hugely impressive showing at the 2019 Nationals that saw him finish fourth in the Open class rail jam on Tuesday night. Third place and the bronze medal, meanwhile, went to 25-year-old Shane Serrano (Bridgewater, N.J.) of the Aspen Snowmass Series.

U.S. Snowboard Rookie Team athletes like Wolle and Maud started competing at USASA grassroots events and are great examples of the progression possible working within the USASA and U.S. Ski & Snowboard athlete development pipeline. To this point, snowboarding in the U.S. has found great success. As an illustration, the U.S. Snowboard Team has amassed 31 Olympic medals dating back to the 1998 Olympics. It is easy to see why in 2012 Bill Marolt awarded the USASA the Russell Wilder Award stating, "without USASA, the U.S would not be able to dominate in the sport of snowboarding as we do today".

RESULTS
Men's snowboard halfpipe open class
Women's snowboard halfpipe open class
 

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The United States Olympic Committee has announced finalists for the Team USA Awards, Best of March, which recognize the outstanding achievements of Team USA athletes from last month. Mikaela Shiffrin (Avon, Colo.) has been nominated. 

Shiffrin was nominated for Best Female Athlete of the Month, as a result of her outstanding achievements on the FIS Ski World Cup throughout the season, but the month of March, specifically, winning three FIS Ski World Cup victories between Spindleruv Mlyn, Czech Republic, and Soldeu, Andorra, and claiming four of five World Cup titles this season in overall, giant slalom, slalom and super-G.

A total of 10 sports – including alpine skiing, biathlon, figure skating, gymnastics, long track speedskating, Para-cycling, Para Nordic skiing, Para snowboarding, rugby and shooting – are represented among the 13 finalists across men’s, women’s and team categories. The finalists’ collective accomplishments tell the inspiring story of U.S. Olympic and Paralympic athletes year-round. 

Fans can vote for Shiffrin through midnight on Monday, April. 8 on Team USA's website.

Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA Showcases Shiffrin’s Record-Setting 2018-19 Season With 25 Hours of Programming, Starting Mon., April 8

“Lindsey Vonn: A Legendary Career” Series Begins Tuesday, April 16 with 15 Hours of Archival Coverage on Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA

Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA will celebrate two of the most distinguished U.S. Olympic winter athletes of all time — Mikaela Shiffrin and Lindsey Vonn — with 40 hours of alpine skiing programming from April 8-19 that highlight Shiffrin’s record-setting 2018-19 season and Vonn’s historic 15-year career.

Beginning on Monday, April 8 at 7:30 p.m. ET and continuing through April 12, the Olympic Channel will commemorate Shiffrin’s historic 2018-19 alpine skiing season with 25 hours of primetime programming. Coverage of Shiffrin’s record-setting 2018-19 season includes 20 races, including her 17 alpine skiing World Cup wins and three medal-winning performances at the FIS World Alpine Skiing Championships in Are, Sweden.

Shiffrin, only 24 years old, has amassed two Olympic gold medals, 60 World Cup victories, and is the three-time reigning overall World Cup champion. Her 2018-19 season included World Cup titles in the slalom, giant slalom, super-G, and the overall title. Her 17 World Cup victories in a single season broke Vreni Schneider’s 30-year record.

The following week, starting on Tuesday, April 16 at 8 p.m. ET, the Olympic Channel will present a new series, “Lindsey Vonn: A Legendary Career.” The series spans 15 seasons, showcasing 15 hours of archival coverage and 12 of her most notable races. The extensive coverage spans from her first World Cup victory in 2004 at Lake Louise, Canada, to her final race at the 2019 World Championships in Are, Sweden, where she earned bronze in the downhill. In her momentous career, Vonn won a total of 82 World Cup races – the most by a woman and second-most all time – and earned three Olympic medals (a gold and two bronze). 

HOW TO WATCH
All times EDT
*All coverage on Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA will be streamed on NBCSports.com, the NBC Sports app, OlympicChannel.com, and the Olympic Channel app.

Mikaela Shiffrin Programming Schedule:

Monday, April 8  
7:30 p.m. - FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup – Women’s Slalom: Levi, Finland
9:00 p.m. - FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup – Women’s Slalom: Killington Cup
11:00 p.m. - FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup – Women’s Super-G: Lake Louise, Alberta

Tuesday, April 9
7:30 p.m. - FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup – Women’s Super-G: St. Moritz, Switzerland
9:00 p.m. - FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup – Women’s Parallel Slalom –  St. Moritz, Switzerland
10:00 p.m. - FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup – Women’s Giant Slalom: Courchevel, France
11:00 p.m. - FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup – Women’s Slalom: Courchevel, France 

Wednesday, April 10
12:00 a.m. - FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup – Women’s Slalom: Semmering, Austria
7:30 p.m. - FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup – Women’s Slalom: Zagreb, Croatia
8:30 p.m. - FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup – Women’s Giant Slalom: Kronplatz, Italy
9:30 p.m. - FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup -Women’s Super-G: Cortina d’ Ampezzo, Italy
11:00 p.m. - FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup – Women’s Giant Slalom: Maribor, Slovenia

Thursday, April 11
12:00 a.m. - FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup – Women’s Slalom: Maribor, Slovenia
7:30 p.m. - FIS World Alpine Skiing Championships -Women’s Super-G
9:00 p.m. - FIS World Alpine Skiing Championships – Women’s Giant Slalom (Run 2)
10:30 p.m. - FIS World Alpine Skiing Championships – Women’s Slalom (Run 2)

Friday, April 12
7:30 p.m. - FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup – City Event: Stockholm, Sweden
9:00 p.m. - FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup – Women’s Slalom: Spindleruv Myln, Czech Republic
10:00 p.m.-  FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup – World Cup Finals: Women’s Slalom – Soldeu, Andorra
11:00 p.m. - FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup – World Cup Finals: Women’s Giant Slalom – Soldeu, Andorra

“Lindsey Vonn: A Legendary Career” Programming Schedule:

Tuesday, April 16
8:00 p.m. - Women’s Downhill: Lake Louise World Cup (2004)
9:00 p.m. - Women’s Super-G: 2009 World Championships
10:30 p.m. - Women’s Downhill: 2009 World Championships

Wednesday, April 17
8:00 p.m. - Women’s Downhill & Super-G: 2010 Winter Olympics
9:30 p.m. - Women’s Giant Slalom: Are World Cup (2012)

Thursday, April 18
8:00 p.m. - Women’s Downhill: Cortina d’Ampezzo World Cup (2015)
9:30 p.m. - Women’s Super-G: Cortina d’Ampezzo World Cup (2015)
11:00 p.m. - Women’s Super-G – Lake Louise World Cup (2015)

Friday, April 19
8:00 p.m. - Women’s Downhill: 2018 Winter Olympics
9:30 p.m. - Women’s Downhill: Are World Cup Finals (2018)
10:30 p.m. - Women’s Downhill:  2019 World Championships

The Bjornsen (Winthrop, Wash.) siblings, Erik and Sadie once again dominated another event at the SuperTour Finals, both winning the distance races at the L.L.Bean U.S. Nationals in Presque Isle, Maine, Tuesday.  

Together, Erik and Sadie combined won seven of the eight gold medals of the SuperTour Finals.

“I'm very pleased with the racing the last few days,” said Erik Bjornsen, who capped his season with a victory in the men’s 50k freestyle Tuesday. “Excited to feel good at the end of the season. It's a great way to end, racing with your buddies. I got the opportunity to ski near the front for most of the race alongside my good friend and teammate Simi Hamilton. Then David came from the back and made a couple good surges and it became just the two of us for the last 10k. I had lots of energy for the finish which was what I needed to take the win.”

“It was really exciting to finish the week with a National Title in the long-distance race,” said Sadie Bjornsen, who took the victory in the women’s 30k Tuesday. “The last time I won the long-distance title was in Anchorage about five years ago - I think - in 30k classic, so it means a lot to accomplish it in skate. Thanks to Presque Isle for putting on a fun final week of racing. It feels good to end the season on a high note here at home, and now it is time to take some rest and recovery before we start the whole process again for next season’s goals. Thanks to every for the cheers and support this season!”

Erik Bjornsen was joined on the podium by David Norris (Anchorage, Alaska) in second, and Simi Hamilton (Aspen, Co.) in third.

For the women, joining Sadie Bjornsen was Rosie Brennan (Park City, Utah) in second, and Julia Kern (Waltham, Mass.) in third. For the junior men, Gus Schumacher (Anchorage, Alaska) took the win, followed by Luke Jager (APU), and Kai Meeks of Canada in third. The Junior women race was won by Shaylynn Loewen of Canada, followed by Sophia Laukli (SMS T2), and Charlotte Ogden (SMS T2)

RESULTS
Men’s 50k
Women’s 30k

SuperTour Overall Awards
·       Kaitlynn Miller = 2019 U.S. Super Tour Distance Champion
·       Caitlin Patterson = 2019 Overall Women’s Grand Champion (This counts the 5 U.S. National races – 4 races in Jan & the 30km in March)
·       Julia Kern = 2019 U.S. Super Tour Sprint Champion & 2019 U.S. Super Tour OVERALL Champion (the latter provides her World Cup berths for 2019-20 World Cup Period 1)

SuperTour Overall Awards
·       Kyle Bratrud = 2019 U.S. Super Tour Distance Champion & 2019 U.S. Super Tour OVERALL Champion (the latter provides her World Cup berths for 2019-20 World Cup Period 1)
·       David Norris = 2019 Overall Men’s Grand Champion (This counts the 5 U.S. National races – 4 races in Jan & the 30km in March)
·       Ben Saxton = 2019 U.S. Super Tour Sprint Champion

One of the premier competitions of snowboard week at the 2019 USASA National Championships went down on Tuesday night in the Center Village at the base of Copper Mountain Resort in Colorado, as Zeb Powell (Waynesville, N.C.), and Alexis Roland (Shoreview, Minn.) took top honors at the open class rail jam in front of an enthusiastic crowd. 

More party atmosphere than a competition, the rail jam format sees heats of riders dropping more-or-less at will during a 25-minute session to hit one of the roughly 10 jib features spread out across a small hill, as judges score riders based on tricks, style, variation, ingenuity, and overall impression. It’s a free-flowing spectacle, fun for fans and riders alike, and on Tuesday some of the best in the business put on an exciting show.

Roland, of the Upper Midwest Snow Series, was one of the night’s most consistent riders, moving from feature to feature easily and stomping a myriad of tricks across them all including frontside boardslides and switch frontside boardslide through the massive kinked rail - to take the ladies’ contest.

Second and third places went to a pair of Colorado locals, as Lauren Derminio (Dillon, Colo.) took silver, and Ellie Weiler (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) rounded out the podium in third.

Over on the men’s side, the Southern Vermont Series’ own Powell was the standout rider of the evening, attacking the rail jam course, and at one point blowing the roof off of the place by launching a backside rodeo on the wallride and over the downrail to flat that was the fan-favorite trick of the evening. Throw in the fact that he spent his entire night of riding while clutching a teddy bear and you’ve got a winning score of 1375 and an iconic gold medal-winning performance.

“Honestly, I had a lot of butterflies going into it tonight,” said Powell after the awards ceremony, “I didn’t really expect to do that well. I don’t even think I did that well. But I just tried to go out and have some fun and it paid off. It’s pretty cool to finally place at my last nationals.” 

Second place for the men went to David Retzlaff (Holly, Mich.) of the Rocky Mountain Series, while another Southern Vermonter - TJ Fitzgerald (West Dover, Vt.) - earned bronze.

RESULTS
Men's snowboard open class rail jam
Women's snowboard open class rail jam
 

Racing for the Open Class riders wrapped up on Tuesday at the USASA National Snowboard Championships at Copper Mountain Resort with slalom competition taking to the perfectly prepared Copperopolis slope, where 2019 U.S. World Championships Team members Abby Champagne (Park City, Utah) won her first career National Championships title, and Robbert Burns (Mount Shasta, Calif.) made it two-for-two after taking the giant slalom win on Monday. 

“It was a really good day,” said Champagne after receiving her gold medal. “The course was really nice today, a little bit easier but still with a lot of terrain. I was pretty tired after competing in the giant slalom yesterday and racing today in the big final was tough. But it was just like, ‘Ok, two more runs…’ And Lexi (Alexa Bullis) gave me a serious run for first in the final; I think I just beat her by a very small fraction of a second. I’m very happy though. I’ve been to almost every Nationals since I was 16 and I’m 33 now, and this is my first win. It’s awesome.

“I think every athlete has their competition that they go to but they can never really get the result that they want and Nationals has been like that for me, so for me to finally push past that here feels great.”

The slalom silver medal went to 19-year-old Alexa Bullis (Slinger, Wis.) in an extremely tight battle with Champagne, while Dana Albers of the Netherlands rounded out the podium with her second-straight bronze medal performance.

Over on the men’s side, Burns proved once again his mastery of the Copper Mountain venue, as the 28-year-old who races out of Steamboat Springs, Colo., kept the momentum from his giant slalom victory on Monday rolling right into Tuesday’s race where he once again claimed top spot. 

“I was hanging around to celebrate with all these beautiful people, but I’ve gotta go back to work tonight. 11:00 p.m. to 7:00 tomorrow morning…not really looking forward to it,” smiled Burns, who works as a nighttime security guard to fund his riding, “But, to win double-gold here at Nationals this year, a lot of things had to go right. There was a little bit of a smaller group this year, a few less athletes, but that almost makes it so people think maybe I should win. But in our sport, anybody can win it on any given day. So when I get in the start gate against Everett (McEwan) or one of these young kids who are gunning hard, I look at it like, I’ve got my head out there and they’re just ready to take it off. It’s a different sort of intimidating.

“To win both titles this year, it’s really special,” he continued. “I’ve had a lot of people reach out, and that’s a testament to the overwhelming support from this community. My heart’s full and I can’t wait to be back at the USASA’s and do it again next year."

Incredibly, Burns’ double gold performance at this year’s National Championships almost didn’t happen, after a crash last week resulted his goggles smashing into his face and opening up a deep cut near his eye. 

“I actually called Zippy (Neil) last week and told her I wasn’t going to be racing this week,” Burns explained, “But a bunch of people were like, ‘Hey, the snow’s really good at Copper right now. Just go out there and feel the snow,’ so I said ‘Ok’ and on Sunday I took some runs with my team and thought, ‘Ok, my head feels good, my eye doesn’t hurt, let’s do this.’ It’s weird how it all works. I wasn’t even planning on racing, but I turned it around and I did race and it’s just been a wonderful experience here, like always.”

Runner up to Burns on Tuesday was Canada’s Jacob Farber, who did one better than his bronze medal performance in the giant slalom on Monday to score Tuesday’s silver, while 46-year-old Everett McEwan (Morrison, Colo.) earned his first Nationals podium with a bronze medal finish. 13-year-old Veda Hallen (South Lake Tahoe, Calif.) of the South Tahoe series pulled off one of the most impressive feats see so far at the 2019 USASA National Championships on Tuesday, winning the Breaker girls silver medal in slopestyle competition to add to her halfpipe bronze and rail jam gold from Monday, completing the full set of Nationals hardware in just two days of competition.

RESULTS
Men's snowboard parallel slalom open class
Women's snowboard parallel slalom open class

U.S. Ski & Snowboard announced today the addition of Ski & Snowboard Club Vail (SSCV) as the newest member of its High Performance Center (HPC) Partnership Program. The HPC program was initiated in 2017 to share knowledge, systems and processes of athlete development between ski and snowboard clubs and U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s High Performance Department.

The program encourages certified Gold and Silver Clubs, who have excellence in athletic development, sports science, and sports medicine, to become a designated High Performance Center with U.S. Ski & Snowboard to maintain strong and robust talent pathways that can consistently identify and develop world-class athletes.

“The High Performance Center partnership program is critical to our success in developing our future athletes and we are delighted to have Ski & Snowboard Club Vail officially on board,” said Troy Taylor, Director of High Performance for U.S. Ski & Snowboard. “This is something really special and Vail, along with our other elite partnerships and High Performance Centers, will play a key role in our athlete development strategies and the effectiveness of a shared, collaborative system for years to come.”

Ski & Snowboard Club Vail has a long and storied history of developing champions and mentors more than 650 young athletes who participate in its on-snow programs across five disciplines: alpine, freeski, moguls, Nordic and snowboard. In 2019, SSCV also announced the launch of a full-time cycling program for dedicated, year-round competitive mountain bikers. 

SSCV’s Minturn Fitness Center (MFC) opened its doors in 2014 as the first club-run facility to provide full human performance and medical services to its athletes. The 9,000-square-foot facility has been training SSCV and U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes, as well as the general public, for the past five years, developing a reputation as an industry leader in the area of human performance.

The MFC requires its staff to have and maintain the highest standard of education, including all of the following certifications: National Strength and Conditioning Association, Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialists, Certified Personal Trainers, and EXOS/XPS Performance Specialists. The MFC is also a club leader in developing programs using periodization and a 12-month collaboration with on-hill staff.

This new HPC designation will further ensure SSCV is able to provide world-class services to its athletes, coaches and clients.

“We are overwhelmed by this accolade from U.S. Ski & Snowboard, which recognizes SSCV’s expertise and dedication to the health and performance of its athletes,” said John Cole, Ski & Snowboard Club Vail’s Director of Human Performance. “As we continue to innovate our training and periodization systems, we will look forward to our new partnerships and collaborations, not only with the Center of Excellence in Park City, but also our fellow High Performance Centers throughout the U.S.”

“It’s an honor to officially partner with U.S. Ski & Snowboard,” said Jimmy Pritchard, Ski & Snowboard Club Vail’s Director of Strength and Conditioning. “We are thrilled to further support the athletes with highest level of service and expand our educational relationships with the staff.”

Ski and Snowboard Club Vail’s commitment to athlete development culminates annually during Mountain-Con, a sport performance conference geared specifically for the mountain sport athlete professional that provides access to information from the most highly-acclaimed sport performance professionals in the industries of physiology, strength and conditioning, performance psychology, nutrition and altitude/sea level performance. Participants of Mountain-Con may use their attendance as continuing education credits with U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s coaching certification program.

For more information about U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s High Performance Partnership Program, please contact Tom Webb, Director of Marketing and Communications at tom.webb@usskiandsnowboard.org.

###

About Ski and Snowboard Club Vail
Founded in 1962, Ski & Snowboard Club Vail (SSCV) is the Vail Valley’s oldest nonprofit. Today, the club remains true to its roots by instilling the values of “character, courage and commitment” through mentorship of more than 650 young athletes who participate in its on-snow programs. The organization provides training and competition services for aspiring snow-sport athletes across five snowsport disciplines: alpine, freeski, moguls, Nordic, and snowboard. A U.S. Ski & Snowboard Gold Certified Club, SSCV has received numerous accolades form the national governing body, including Club of the Year (2010, 2014), Alpine Club of the Year (1999, 2010, 2014-16), Cross Country Club of the Year (2013), Freeski Club of the Year (2013-14), Freestyle Club of the Year (2014), and Snowboard Club of the Year (2014). Over the years, SSCV has helped cultivate numerous champions. Three Olympic gold medalists — Lindsey Vonn, Mikaela Shiffrin, and Kaitlyn Farrington — all booted up at the SSCV clubhouse during their formative years, as did X Games gold medalist Aaron Blunck, world champion Chris Del Bosco, and Olympic bronze medalist Toby Dawson.

About U.S. Ski & Snowboard
U.S. Ski & Snowboard is the Olympic National Governing Body (NGB) of ski and snowboard sports in the USA, based in Park City, Utah. Tracing its roots directly back to 1905, the organization represents nearly 200 elite skiers and snowboarders in 2019, competing in seven teams; alpine, cross country, freeski, freestyle, snowboard, nordic combined and ski jumping. In addition to the elite teams, U.S. Ski & Snowboard also provides leadership and direction for tens of thousands of young skiers and snowboarders across the USA, encouraging and supporting them in achieving excellence. By empowering national teams, clubs, coaches, parents, officials, volunteers and fans, U.S. Ski & Snowboard is committed to the progression of its sports, athlete success and the value of team. For more information, visit www.usskiandsnowboard.org.

Day two of competition at the 2019 USASA National Snowboard Championships at Copper Mountain Resort dawned sunny and cold, and despite the occasional wind gust, it was perfect for another full day of competition.

Monday’s competition line-up was highlighted by giant slalom racing in the Open Class group, where two long-time USASA competitors earned their first Nationals titles, as U.S. Snowboard Team Alumnus Lynn Ott (Bend. Ore.) and Robbert Burns (Mount Shasta, Calif.) were both able to achieve a goal they had been chasing through more than a dozen Nationals showings by taking the 2019 PGS gold medals. Ott and Burns both represented the 2019 U.S. FIS World Championships Team back in February where Burns made finals, but could not find the podium.

At 51-years-old, Ott is a force both on and off the slope, proving that age ain’t nothing but a number with her performance on Monday, while also working tirelessly behind the scenes supporting the future of alpine snowboarding. 

“The Nationals have always been amazing, but it’s always been my little nemesis,” a clearly hyped Ott said just after awards, “No matter what I would do, I would either make a mistake or do something crazy and blow it for myself. But this year I was able to keep it together the entire time and I pulled it off and won the race. Winning today, it was just like…thank god, finally! Perseverance definitely pays off!”

“I’m amazed at how many kids are out here on race boards, I wish I could talk to every single one of them,” Ott went on when asked to describe what she’s hoping to accomplish with her work off the slope, “It’s just proof for anyone who’s like, ‘Oh, alpine snowboarding is dying,’ well, look at all these kids. There’s way too many kids riding alpine boards and loving every minute of it for alpine to be dying.”

Second place and the silver in the ladies’ Open group went to the USA’s current top World Cup rider Abby Champagne (Park City, Utah), while the Netherlands’ Dana Albers made her trip across the pond worthwhile with a third-place finish.

Meanwhile, on the men’s side of things, a rider with even more National Championships starts than Ott finally scored his first win, as Burns earned top honors and the gold medal with a determined performance on the day.

“It’s a little bit like a dream,” Burns smiled, “I’ve been coming to USASA Nationals for 14 years now and this is the first time I’ve made it on to the top step and took first place, so it’s amazing. I had some of my best friends at the top of the course supporting me, and my family still here supporting me 14 years on…it’s awesome. 

“There’s definitely an element of self-efficacy in my win today. That’s something that we try and instill in every kid that comes through USASA, is that belief in yourself that you can accomplish whatever you set out to. No matter where you’re at in your progression you always have the opportunity to win, and that’s maybe the funnest part about it.”

When asked to reflect upon what the USASA has meant to him throughout his snowboard career, 28-year-old Burns was unequivocal in his response.

“USASA has truly been a blessing in my life. It’s been so much fun to be a part of it ever since I was a kid. The reason this community is so great is because it’s built upon families from all across the United States. Those families make up the volunteers, they make up the coaches, they make up the directors, and when we come out to nationals we get to see that family in action. It’s built on family and the most important thing is fun, and that’s the future of our sport. Together we’re a force, and it’s just been growing. I think Chuck would be proud.”

Taking the men’s PGS silver medal was 21-year-old Dylan Udolf (West Hartford, Conn.), while third place went to Canada’s Jacob Farber. 

RESULTS
 

U.S. Snowboard Pro Team member Julia Marino (Westport, Conn.) finished off her competition season with her second consecutive victory, and first slopestyle win, in the El Tarter Snowpark at the 15th edition Total Fight Masters in Grandvalira, Andorra, Saturday.

“Total Fight was an awesome event,” said Marino. “The conditions were great with warm and sunny weather every day and everyone looked like they were having a great time. It was the perfect end to my competition season and I’m stoked I got the win.”

Marino has had a successful season collecting podiums at four different events, including second-place in slopestyle at Dew Tour in Breckenridge, Colo., second-place in slopestyle at the Burton U.S. Open at Vail, Colo., and just before the win in Andorra, first place at the Quebec City, Canada, World Cup. Overall, Julia’s first slopestyle win at the event in Andorra capped off what was a successful season of competition.

Yuka Fujimori of Japan finished second, and Brooke Voigt of Canada closed out the podium in third place.

For the men, U.S. Snowboard Team members, Lyon Farrell (Haiku, Hawaii), Luke Winkelmann (Blowing Rock, N.C.) and Judd Henkes (La Jolla, Calif.) finished in fourth, fifth and sixth respectively. Switzerland’s Michael Schaerer won the event, Canada’s superstar Mark McMorris finished second, and Bendik Gjerdalen of Norway finished in third.

Competition will continue at Total Fight as El Tarter Snowpark transforms into the epicenter of the world’s best freeskiers April 4-6 as athletes take to the course in Grandvalira. Returning champion and U.S. Freeski Pro Team member McRae Williams (Park City, Utah) will be looking to defend his title against an elite crew of the world’s best freeskiers. Tune in live Saturday on Facebook Grandvalira to catch all the action.

RESULTS
Men’s snowboard slopestyle
1. Michael Schaerer (Switzerland)
2. Mark McMorris (Canada)
3. Bendik Gjerdalen (Norway)

Women’s snowboard slopestyle
1. Julia Marino (USA)
2. Yuka Fujimori (Japan)
3. Brooke Voigt (Canada)

VIDEO
Julia Marino’s winning run
Snowboard highlights
Full snowboard finals replay

HOW TO WATCH
Live stream available on Facebook

FREESKI
Saturday, April 6.
6:00 a.m. - Men’s and women’s slopestyle - Total Fight Masters - Grandvalira, Andorra - Facebook

SNOWBOARD
Men's and women's slopestyle - full replay
 

The first day of competition at the 30th anniversary of the USASA National Snowboard Championships went down on Sunday at Copper Mountain Resort, where a typically jam-packed day of riding saw action across all six Nationals venues.

The top-tier Open riders highlighted the day over on the boardercross course, where a strong field duked it out on the tricky Copper track and Anna Miller (Orem, Utah) and U.S. Snowboardcross Development Team member Cole Johnson (Reno, Nev.) took top honors in the respective women’s and men’s fields. 

Last season’s third-overall rider on the Nor-Am circuit, 22-year-old Miller came into competition in Copper fresh off her first full season on the World Cup tour, and on Sunday her rise to the upper echelon of the SBX world was on full display as she put on a dominant performance. 

By the middle of the course in Sunday’s big finals, Miller had opened up a lead of nearly a second over her competitors, and was able to cruise home through the course’s bottom section to claim victory in her first time competing at the Open level in her National Championships career.

“It was awesome out there today,” said Rocky Mountain Series rider Miller at the awards ceremony, “I thought the conditions were really nice and the course was running a little bit smoother than it has been. Getting a good start was important, but if not there was a little room to make some passes down at the bottom. 

“I’ve been doing USASA Nationals since I was 12 years old. I think this is probably my eighth time coming here. Being here and being in this environment I get all this nostalgia, seeing all the young kids like I once was, coming up. It’s really awesome to win here today.”

Second place for the women went to Yoshi Kohlwes (Mill Valley, Calif.), while Katie Wilson (Mchenry, Ill.) rounded out the podium in third, with Felicia Turcotte (Park City, Utah) was the odd-rider-out in fourth place. Meanwhile, seventh place on the day went to a well-known but unexpected name, as halfpipe rider par excellence Arielle Gold (Steamboat Springs, Colo.) dropped in on her first ever SBX event and showed that she just might have a future in head-to-head racing if she ever gets tired of the pipe life.

Over on the men’s side it was South Tahoe Series representative Johnson taking the win in what was hotly-contested race that featured a handful of World Cup regulars and a long list of top Nor-Am riders.

The Nor-Am overall SBX winner back in the 2015/16 season and a nine-time Nor-Am race winner, Johnson was able to put down the top time in the seeding run before hitting the finals, where he used strong starts and aggressive lines on the snaking Copper track to lead every heat on his way to the big final.

In the big final he faced his toughest challenge of the day from Paul Kamisky (Davis, Calif.), as the two were neck-and-neck though much of the final run, but eventually Johnson was able to pull away and take the win.

“Awesome riders out here today and I think we had a great day,” smiled Johnson, “I was able to put down a fast time in seeding and then fortunately I was able to get out front in all my heats. Things definitely got a little tighter in the semifinal and finals, but fortunately I was able to keep it on my feet and get across the line out front in the finals.

“I’ve been competing at USASA Nationals since I was 12, so it’s always special to come back here and see all the kids out here having fun. Hopefully I can help keep them stoked.”

Kaminsky held on for second place on the day, while Matthew Mostoller (Johnstown, Penn.) claimed third, and U.S. Snowboardcross Pro Team memberJonathan Cheever (Saugus, Mass.), a regular on the World Cup team, would have to settle for fourth place after crashing in his big final run. 

RESULTS