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NEWS:
Despite the frequent snow showers and additional snow accumulation, which made the course slow, Elder was able to impress the judges enough to top second place finisher Gwen Foster (Silverthorne, Colo.) 36.4 to 34.6 respectively. ��I love competing in front of all my friends and family,'' said Elder. ��For me, it takes off all the pressure and allows me to concentrate and just have fun.''
In the men's event Chad Otterstrom (Shore View, Minn.) ran-away with the men's title by scoring a 43.0. Blaise Rosenthal (Olympic Valley, Calif.) finished in second and Jason Borgestede (Eagle River, Alaska) took third place with scores of 41.4 and 40.5 respectively.
��After my first trick [backside rodeo], I knew I had a shot to win if I stayed consistent on the rest of my run,'' said Otterstrom. Borgestede's third place finish in the slopestyle gave him enough ESPN/Airwalk FreeRide points to win the 1997-98 Freestyle Title which included points earned from the Halfpipe and Slopestyle competitions.
Tara Dakides (Laguna Niguel, Calif.) captured the women's Triple Big Air event with a 38.8 over Mica Fish (Bend, Ore.) who scored a 34.2. ��I'm really excited about my run today because I landed my backflip clean,'' said Dakides who broke her back attempting a backflip in competition last year.
In the men's event Peter Iverson (Anchorage, Alaska) claimed the number one spot on the podium, making this victory his first-ever professional win. ��I'm stoked,'' said Iverson. ��I needed the money because I'm really broke.''
The day concluded with the signature FreeRide event. The FreeRide event is designed to keep the fun in snowboarding. It allows competitors to express themselves in their own style. The event is judged by a judge's panel that looks for style, aggressiveness, technical ability and creativity.
Winning the Men's FreeRide event was Allen Traves from Vancouver, B.C. Corrie Rudishauser (Bend, Ore.) took the women's FreeRide event. Today's FreeRide snow conditions were fresh powder which allowed the riders to really attack the mountain.
The ESPN/Airwalk FreeRide Snowboard Championships is a
three-mountain tour which has awarded over $240,000 in total prize money and prizes. The tour made stops at Aspen, Colo., Killington, Vt. and Sierra at Tahoe, Calif. ESPN will air six original hours of programming from the three different stops.
OTHER NEWS Hetzel and Epperson Claim Boarder X Titles at the ESPN/Airwalk Freeride Championships Mon. (Feb. 09 @ 11:49:AM est) El Nino to Blame For Scheduling Changes at ESPN/Airwalk Freeride Snowboard Championships Mon. (Feb. 09 @ 11:47:AM est) Hetzel and Epperson Overcome Odds Winning Boardercross Sun. (Feb. 08 @ 3:53:AM est) The ESPN Freeride Is Off To A Slow Start Fri. (Feb. 06 @ 1:40:PM est)
FREERIDE COVERAGE:
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