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NEWS:
The morning was calm but the snowstorm, which had been predicted, rolled in before the afternoon giant slalom and halfpipe finals, creating slow, nightmarish conditions for both alpine and freestyle riders. Each winner received $10,000 with $5,000 for second place, $2,500 for third and $1,250 for fourth; foreign riders are eligible to compete for Grand Prix prize money but points for the U.S. Olympic Team (on the World Cup 1,000-800- 600-etc. basis) go only to American riders.
Lisa Kosglow (Boise, Idaho) won the women's giant slalom in
2:28.81 ith Fletcher and Canadian Julie Rheaume tied for second at 2:31.23. Fletcher, 22, who won the first Grand Prix giant slalom at Sugarloaf/USA in Maine just before Christmas, was the first rider to clinch an Olympic spot. Only the third event, Jan 28-31 at Mammoth Mountain, Calif., remains before the first Olympic Snowboard Team is announced. "This is great. I'm really stoked," she said.
The heavy, soft snow created deep ruts, which made it
treacherous because of the fog, she said. "And when I got the finish line on my second run, I could only see about three gates ahead of me."
At Sugarloaf, she brought her mother for good luck because
she'd watched her daughter. At Bachelor, Fletcher brought her father "because he saw me win at the Open" when she won the 1996 U.S. Open slalom at Stratton Mountain, Vt. "They're both good luck," she beamed.
Klug, who missed the entire 1996 season after surgery on his
left ankle, became the second snowboarding U.S. Olympian. He was the top American at Sugarloaf and cruised to the win at Bachelor by a half-second. "The fog made it an extra challenge on the second run. It was a 180-degree turn from the first run when we had sun," he said. "Visibility for my second line was a challenge. The ruts and the soft snow were tough. It was like going through land mines with the holes that were out there in the soft snow."
Fourth overall but the No. 2 American was Mike Jacoby (Hood
River, Ore.), the two-time FIS World Cup GS champ who had problems at Sugarloaf. "I slept well last night and was up early, so I had about an hour and a half to get some stretching. When I can get that much stretching, I usually have a good result," Jacoby said.
Kosglow, who broke her back in March 1996 and didn't know if
she would ride again, had nearly a 1.4-second lead over Betsy Shaw (E. Dorset, Vt.) after the first run but didn't play it safe, even after Shaw had second-run trouble. "I can't do that. I always have to punch it," said Kosglow. "I fought my whole way down...I really earned my $10,000."
Fourth at Sugarloaf and first at Mt. Bachelor, Kosglow is
close to qualifying "but I can't take anything for granted.
Something still could happen, so I'll be going for it at Mammoth, too. I won there last year on the AST [Bud Light American Snowboard Tour], so I know that hill and I like it."
Later, the halfpipe event had some surprises, too. Men's
winner Todd Richards (Breckenridge, Colo.) and runner-up Ross Powers (S. Londonderry, Vt.) were about four seconds ahead of the other qualifiers Friday and they stayed out front in the finals. In the women's HP, Taggart -- who had been second U.S. rider at Sugarloaf -- said her biggest worry was the qualifying Friday.
"I had I don't know how many people coming in for this, so I
wanted to make it to finals. Once I qualified, I relaxed," she said. "Now I can work on learning some Japanese, I guess."
Richards, 28, said his friendly rivalry with 18-year-old
Powers, the 1996 FIS world HP champion, has helped both of them. "I've got 10 years on him but I have to keep remembering he's not a kid in the 'pipe. Ross keeps me on my toes." He said a "secret sauce" which he got from U.S. Snowboard Team Coach Heath Van Aken "really had me rocketing in the 'pipe. I had to check myself a couple of time" to stay in control despite the soft, sluggish snow.
Powers added, "If you had good goggles, it wasn't too bad.
It was real slow, though, so you had to be light on your 'board. It wasn't that much fun. No one rode good today but I'm stoked that me and Todd are riding good overall."
Finals of the Mt. Bachelor Grand Prix events will be broadcast by ESPN Jan. 29 at midnight ET (going from the 28th into the 29th).
OTHER NEWS BIG AIR: Borgstede and Dalpiaz Win, Leines Loses Sun. (Jan. 25 @ 12:18:PM est) HP: Richards Rocks The Pipe With Powers Close Behind Sat. (Jan. 24 @ 10:48:PM est) The Pressure Is On Sat. (Jan. 24 @ 1:47:PM est)
U.S. GRAND PRIX NAVIGATION:
SOL NAVIGATION: |
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