March 18, 2001

Lindsay Jacobellis winning ways. Photo: Sherowski

The 2001 U.S. Open Boardercross at Stratton Mountain, Vermont kicked off with some serious controversy over questionable course conditions. Fifteen of the top-ranking ISF male competitors present pulled out of the event, drastically decreasing the overall ISF points possible for the rest of the riders. In light of what little points benefits the contest had to offer, and after a few trial runs through the morning�s course, nearly all the women wanted to pull out too.

Complaints surrounded the lack of course grooming after new snow fell the night before and the amount of technical parts in the course that required throwing on the breaks. �The course is really sketchy,� says boardercross competitor Amy Johnson. �They�re definitely some places to get hurt in it.�

After talks of skipping the event and splitting the prize money equally, or using yesterday�s time trials for final results, most of the remaining riders reluctantly agreed to compete. But Johnson�s predictions did prove accurate, as competitors were brought down in sleds by the ski patrol nearly every other heat.

But for the riders who persevered through the minute-and-a-half-long course, the results paid off. Top three riders for the men included Scott Gaffney in first, Robert Fagan in second, and Mathew Morency in third.

Scott Gaffney prevailed over a slightly reduced field. Photo: Sherowski

Winning the women�s competition was fifteen-year-old Stratton Mountain School attendee Lindsay Jacobellis, who may very well be the youngest U.S. Open winner in history (Janna Meyen won the halfpipe at sixteen in 1991). Star Of Peace Quinn followed Jacobellis in second and Amy Johnson in third.