HomeMy Public PortalAboutWinter Sports: SnowboardingSt -a_ m a
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Five Boise snowboarders capture
gold medals in First Security Games
Statesman staff reports
The haircuts probably won't
grace the front of GQ magazine
anytime soon and the nicknames
may confuse the uninitiated, but
the gold shines just as bright.
Five Boise snowboarders won
gold medals Sunday morning in
the giant slalom competition of
the First Security Winter Games
of Idaho. The slalom was the last
of three snowboarding events
held this weekend at Bogus Basin
Ski Resort. The resort was one of
four sites in Idaho for the games.
The relatively new sport at-
tracts a group of competitors dis-
tiquished by their preference for
unusual hair, alternative music
and colorful nicknames.
"This was fun. Most of the time,
they're longer," Boise High School
senior Lisa Yosglow said after her
two runs down the 1,000-foot, 18-
gate course. The 18-year-old has
been snowboarding four years.
Yosglowfinished at the top of the
girls age 17-18 group. She was one
of only two women in the snow -
boarding event, out of 46 total com-
petitors. She credits her board.
"It's asymmetrical," she said,
explaining that the design im-
proves her control and speed.
Other Boise residents who re-
ceived gold medals for the giant
slalom were Mathew Fritz for
men's veteran one division,
George Cornwell for the women's
age 19-24 division, Justin Mooney
for the boys age 15-16 division,
and Greg Goulet for the boys age
13-14 group.
Among the spectators were
Greg "Too Short" Goulet's par-
ents. Gary Goulet, the snow -
boarder's father, said his son hits
the slopes 160 days a year, includ-
ing snowboard camp. The whole
family travels to many compe-
titions.
"I get to be a ski bum," the
elder Goulet said.
One of the hottest snow -
boarders at the competition was
Anthony "Micro Man" Rosko-
vich, a 12-year-old from Moscow.
Anthony took the gold in the
competition for his age group and
had a pragmatic reaction.
"If I decide to get sponsored by
a company, it'll look good on a
resume," said the young snow -
boarder. "If I get sponsored, then
they'll give me free equipment
and stuff."
Freestyle skiing
KELLOGG — Boise residents
Dave Leader, Shawn Baird, Jaime
Meyers, Greg Parsons and Chad
Coleman all took home gold med-
als Saturday and Sunday from the
freestyle competition at Silver
Mountain Ski Resort.
Leader was the top finisher in
the men's senior division of Satur-
day's United States Ski Associa-
tion -sanctioned moguls event.
Baird was awarded the gold med-
al for the recreational moguls
competition for boys ages 16-17,
and Meyers won the girls' USSA
moguls for age 9-10.
On Sunday, Meyers took a sec-
ond gold medal in the moguls,
Parsons was the top finisher in
the boys 15-16 recreational mo-
guls and Coleman won both the
recreational moguls and USSA
aerials for two gold medals for
boys 13-14.
Leader is a freshman at the
University of Idaho in Moscow
and was both the aerial champion
of the 1990 First Security Games
and the 1991 Intermountain Aeri-
al Champion. ,
Baird is a sophomore at Borah
High School in Boise, Coleman
attends North Junior High and
Myers is
School.
a student at Roosevelt
Recreational GS
McCALL — Women skiers from
Boise won three of five gold med-
als in the Women's Adult Recre-
ational Giant Slalom at Brundage
Mountain Ski Area.
Michele Vecig finished first for
ages 25-29, Diane Plastino Graves
won her gold medal for the 35-39
age group and Bobbie Downsend
topped the 40-44-year-old division.
The remaining medals were
won by Tana Kerby, New Mead-
ows, ages 30-34, and Pat Bowden
of McCall, ages 45-49.
Alpine skiing
McCALL — John Steger, Rob-
ert Roehl and John Gamble, all
Boise residents, won gold medals
in the recreational giant slalom
of the First Security Winter
Games held Sunday at Brundage
Mountain Ski Area.
Roehl was named the winner in
the men's age 30-34 division, Gam-
ble in the age 50-54 group and
Steger in the age 55-59 division.
Roehl has previously competed
in alpine competitions in Idaho
and the Northwest. Steger has
raced in NASTAR competitions
and Gamble has won medals in
1990 and 1991 in master's slalom
and giant slalom events.
The ,37d eSfl l Nov r , r�y3
accommodate the popular
snow sport.
By Pete Zimowsky
The Idaho Statesman
I is no big deal to see
snowboarders on ski
slopes.
It's become commonplace
in the '90s. Snowboarding has
come of age.
And all of Idaho's major ski
areas consider snowboarding an
important part of the slope
scene.
Bogus Basin Ski Area is
looking at a new place to put its
half -pipe, a curved snow bowl on
the slope, where snowboarders
can do tricks.
"Some kids would like
something better," says Lew
Peterson, Bogus Basin
spokesman.
Tricks are the key. The sport
has matured. Most
snowboarders today are in the
sport to master their skills for
the next trick, smooth out their
style, and shave a few
hundredths of a second off their
times.
Here's what you'll find at
Idaho's ski areas for
snowboarders (snowboarders
must follow the same rules as
skiers):
ANTHONY LAKES
Nearest town North Powder, Ore.
Rules: No restrictions.
Attractions Main runs provide
best snowboarding.
BOGUS BASIN
Nearest town Boise.
Rules No restrictions.
Attractions Starting in January,
snowboarders can slide at half
price on Tuesday nights. Lessons
and rentals available.
BRUNDAGE
Nearest town McCal I.
Rules No restrictions.
Attractions The ski area is
planning a permanent half -pipe
this season in the flat area on the
side of Main Street run.
SUN VALLEY
Neaaresttown Ketchum.
Rules Haven't been set yet for
the season.
Attractions A 100-yard half -pipe
is located at the bottom of Round
Snowboarders join the ranks
Idaho ski areas of those headed for the sioues
Places tc
Schweitzer
Sandpoint
it d'Alene
snowboard
Silver
Mountain
Sun Valley
Anthony Lakes, Ore.
Attractions The ski area is
looking at developing several
runs and a half -pipe for
snowboarders.
SILVER MOUNTAIN
Nearesttowre Kellogg.
Rules No restrictions.
Attractions A natural half -pipe
and quarter -pipe are located off
Chair Four.
PEBBLE CREEK
Nearest towre lnkom.
Rules No restrictions.
Attractions The ski area will be
adding a half -pipe on the north
side of Easy Street run. The ski
area has lots of steep terrain for
snowboarding.
Rides: No restrictions.
Attractions The ski area usually
has lots of powder for
snowboarders. It also has a half -
pipe and has expanded its
snowboard rentals.
SCHWEITZER
Nearesttowrn Sandpoint.
Rules No restrictions.
Attractions May build a
temporary half -pipe, depending
on local club's interest.
SOLDIER MOUNTAIN
Nearesttowwn Fairfield.
Rules No restrictions.
TARGHEE
Nearest town Driggs.
Rules: No restrictions.
Attractions The ski area has a
permanent half -pipe on the face
of the mountain. It also conducts
snowboarding events and a
spring snowboard camp.
i Gee /Y/ - s - /1i91 ys
Snowboarders
Into the C utdoors
Roger
Phillips
BY ROGER PHILLIPS
The Star -News
If there were an award for a sport
burgeoning and defining itself on its
own terms, it would have to go to
snowboarding.
The often misunderstood and
wrongly maligned sport has a follow-
ing of devotees who differ radically
from their skiing counterparts, but
who are well on their way to becom-
ing an integral part of the mountain
community.
"I don't think snowboarders go out
of their way to be different, it's just a
different attitude. It's a different way
of expressing one's self going down
the hill," said Jeff Coulter, owner of
The Slant snowboard shop in McCall.
Coulter sponsors a promotional
team to give snowboarders a chance
to ride together, compete in events,
and be ambassadors for the sport of
snowboarding.
Ultimately, the team members
would like get sponsored by a manu-
facturer, which would allow them to
continue pursuing their passion for
snowboarding.
Coulter said that while there are a
lot of good snowboarders in the
McCall area, they haven't attracted
much attention from the snowboard
industry. He believes that through his
professional connections, he can help
local riders get noticed.
"They're all good kids and they
need something positive to do. I'm
trying to put all their energies in a
positive direction," he said. "I can
help them get to where they want to
go.
Susan Inouye of Weiser agrees with
the concept of a snowboard team.
When her son Jeff was 10 years
old, he decided he wanted to take up
snowboarding. She agreed so long as
he took a few lessons first.
Ordinarily, a pre -teen snowboarder
with an appetite for high speed and
big air would be a mother's worst
nightmare, but not in this case.
Susan joined her son on the slopes
and filmed him snowboarding so he
could present a video showcasing his
talents in hopes of joining The Slant
team, to which he was accepted.
go their
Inouye hardly fits the common ste-
reotype of the grungy rebel boardhead.
Aside from being an avid snow -
boarder, the elf -sized shredder is also
a purple belt in judo, a 4-H member,
and 3.6 GPA student.
Nor does teammate Ted Eberle fit
the mold. He is a 17-year-old McCall -
Donnelly High School senior who is a
former ski racer and varsity football
player. Eberle wants to go on to col-
lege and become a forester, and keep
on snowboarding, preferably with a
sponsor.
Eberle takes an athletic approach
to snowboarding. "I got burned out on
ski racing and it (snowboarding) was
new and I wanted something more
challenging," he said.
Brian Millington, a 15-year-old
teammate from McCall, shares the
dream of being sponsored by a snow -
board manufacturer.
"I think I could if I stick to it, which
I'm sure I will because I like it so
much," he said.
All three riders agree there is a
difference between skiers and
snowboarders. "Snowboarders like to
hang out and go with the flow more,"
Millington said.
own way
"We're a little more loose. Some
of the skiers are a little uptight," Inouye
added.
But none of them want to see an
adversarial relation between the ski-
ers and snowboarders. "You have to
respect each other or it doesn't work
out," Millington said.
And what is it that attracts them to
snowboarding? The camaraderie of
riding without the competitiveness,
for one thing. Depending on how you
look at it, The Slant Team either has
no coaches, or everyone is a coach.
On a recent afternoon at Brund-
age Mountain, they bombed down the
hill, launching off every bump, jump,
drift and lip they could find, shouting
encouragement to each other after
every successful move performed.
"That's why it's fun to be on the
team. Everyone hangs out together,
and free riding is practice," Millington
said.
And they do it often enough to
make any fellow ski bum just a little
envious. Each of them rides more
than 50 days a season.
"I ski every non -school day,"
Millington said, then he sheepishly
admitted, " ... plus a little more."
Photo by Roger Phillips
Snowboarder Crege Hasselstrom of Donnelly takes to the air at Brundage Mountain Ski Area.
- 1Ye w s i i
Matthews takes
awards in Utah
Tom Matthews of McCall took
one first -place award and two sec-
ond -place awards at the USSA
snowboarding events held Jan. 5-6
in conjunction with the Utah Win-
ter Games held in Brighton, Utah.
Matthews placed first in the JII
division in the half -pipe event and
placed second overall among 54
snowboarders in the half -pipe. In
the giant slalom, he placed second
in his division and loth overall
among 59 entrants.
Matthews races
at Targhee meet
Snowboard teams from Idaho,
Utah, Montana and Wyoming com-
peted at Grand Targhee, Jan. 20-21 in
a USSA qualifying event for giant
slalom.
The snowboard racers are compet-
ing for points toward an invitation to
the United States National Snowboard
competitions, the World Cup and the
U.S. Open..
Tom Matthews, a McCall
snowboarder, entered the competi-
tion as an independent. In the race on
Saturday, Matthews fell in both quali-
fying runs, but was able to recover
and took third place in the J2 division
with an overall standing of 13.
The race on Sunday was canceled
because of a 14-inch snowfall, so the
course was considered too dangerous
for the event. After the competition,
Matthews attended a Nitro Snowboard
Convention at Targhee, where he pre-
viewed next year's line of Nitro
Snowboards, which is his sponsor.
Matthews wins more titles
Tom Matthews of McCall took
two first -place awards at the USSA
Inter -Mountain Division half -pipe
snowboarding qualifier' at Wolf
Mountain, Utah, Feb. 3-4
Teams from Utah, Idaho, Mon-
tana and Wyoming competed in the
event. In Saturday's event,
Matthews placed first in the half -
pipe competition in the J2 division
and second overall in a field of 50.
On Sunday, Matthews placed first
in the J2 division and third overall
in a field of 43.
While he was in Utah, Matthews
found out that he had a segment in
TransWorld Snowboarding video
magazine. Matthews also was
asked to represent Simple, a com-
pany that is known for athletic
shoes, clothing and backpacks.
His other sponsors include Ni-
tro Snowboards, Split/Bent Saw
clothing and Newt & Harrold's
Board and Skate. -
Also on Saturday, another
McCall snowboarder, Jeff Inouye,
took third place in the half -pipe
event at the Board Aids Competi-
tion at Anthony Lakes Ski Area.
5t/a2 - `I/- ups
#.2/8/?c,
Members of the McCall team that competed in thehoto Idaho Winter
Pby Allen Congleton
Games snowboarding competition at Bogus Basin Ski Area included:
back row, from left, Brian Millington, Jason Congleton, Matt Moses,
Jim Corbet, Terry Campbell and Doug Burlingame. Middle row,
from left, Chad Summers, Alec Olavarria and Jared Congleton. Front
row, from left, Jeff Inouye, Martin Campbell, Marty Thiede, Alan
Busby and Amanda Millington.
Team competes at games
McCall snowboarders took med-
als in every category they competed
in at the Idaho Winter Games/Newt
and Harrold's Slope Style competi-
tion held at Bogus Basin Ski Area
near Boise last Sunday.
In the 11 and under age group, it
was an all -McCall podium with
Marty Thiede winning agold medal,
Martin Campbell and Jared
Congleton tying for silver, and Chad
iommer taking bronze.
Jeff Inouye won a silver in the
e 12-15 group, Brian Millington
n a bronze in the age 16-18 group,
and Jim Corbett won a gold in the
age 26-35 group. In the Men's Over-
all, Doug Burlingame won a bronze
medal.
Amanda Millington, the only girl
on The Slant Snowboard Shop
Team, won second in the Women's
Overall. Also riding for The Slant
team on Sunday were Alan Busby,
Terry Campbell, Jason Congleton
and Alec Olavarria.
<r' /l ews
006
Slant team
finishes year
The McCall -based Slant Snow -
board Team walked away with more
than half the winning places at the
third of a three-part snowboard com-
petition held last Sunday at Bogus
Basin Ski Area near Boise.
The winners in the Boarder Cross
Derby were: Men's overall, Doug
Burlingame, third place; Men ages
26-35, Jim Corbet, third place; Men
ages 12-15, Burlingame, first place,
Terry Campbell, second place, Alan
Busby, third place; Age 11 and under,
Jared Congleton, first place, Martin
Campbell, second place, Marty
Theide, third place.
Amanda Millington, the sole
woman on The Slant Team, placed
third in the women's age 12-15 divi-
sion. The Slant Team thanks all those
who helped support them during their
great year.
/cg / /1�' 1 '"'a
Snowboard teams seek to reform image
BY ROGER PHILLIPS
The Star -News
Snowboarding's rebel, hooligan
image is making a positive change
this year due to the efforts of two
McCall sports shops.
Gravity Sports and Alpine Sciences
both formed snowboard teams to help
move the sport beyond its punk phase
and help snowboarders improve their
riding skills and contribute to the com-
munity.
"The whole idea of the club is to
give snowboarders a better image,"
Jeremy McGlathery of Gravity Sports
said. "We're trying to clean up the
image of snowboarding."
The two shops are actually spon-
soring three teams. Both shops will
have competitive teams featuring the
top local riders, and Gravity Sports
will also offer a no -dues, no -qualifi-
cations club for anyone interested in
snowboarding.
"The main emphasis is just to have
a fun club," McGlathery said.
So far, about 40 young boarders
are involved in the teams. They will
ride together, hang out together and
learn from each other. They will also
represent the sport and the shops that
sponsor them.
That means they will have to forego
snowboarding's bad -boy image and
show the sport in a positive light.
"They have to be good kids in gen-
eral," McGlathery said.
Mike McDonald, owner of Alpine
Sciences, agrees. He turned away a
few strong riders who tended to take
snowboarding's rebelliousness too
seriously.
"These guys (on the team) are all
good people," he said. "They repre-
sent my shop, and for that reason
there has to be standards."
On Gravity's teams, all school -
age riders must maintain 2.0 grade
point averages. Everyone on the team
receives a 10 percent discount on
equipment at the shop, and anyone
with a 3.5 or higher grade point aver-
age receives a 15 percent discount.
Club members are also expected to
give something back to the commu-
nity.
Teams from both shops recently
joined together to do brush cutting at
the Little Ski' Hill to improve the
slopes. Gravity Sports donated a truck-
load of hay bales, which club mem-
•bers placed on the slopes to make 1umps.
While this year's turnout of young
riders is the largest and most visible,
snowboard teams have been around
for several years.
The team concept started locally
several years back when Jeff Coulter,
ormer owner of the now -defunct Slant
Roger
Phillips
Snowboard shop, gathered a bunch of
hotshot local snowboarders to ride
together and compete at snowboarding
events.
Coulter wanted to give local rider
some recognition and a shot at earn
ing sponsorships from companies
the snowboard industry.
McDonald has assumed that same
concept for his team. The six Alpint
Sciences riders concentrate on com
petition and have big-time aspirations
"Their goal is to ride for manufac
turers," he said.
But with only six slots on the Al-
pine Sciences team, there was a large
void remaining for a town deep in
snowboard talent.
Gravity's two teams help fulfill
the large demand for organized
snowboard teams. McGlathery said
numerous young riders said they
wanted to become involved in orga-
nized snowboarding and asked i1
Gravity Sports was going to have
snowboard team.
"The kids wanted a club so we
answered their call," he said.
Gravity's riders meet every Tues-
day at the shop, and they will go to the
Little Ski Hill and ride twice a week
when it opens later this month.
They will emphasize teamwork
where older, more experienced rider!
help beginning riders.
McDonald said that while the twe
shops' clubs may meet each other it
competition, they are not going to bE a
pitted against one another.
"This is not an intra-town compe
tition thing at all," McDonald said
"We don't need to create any separat
ism. These kids are friends and they
should stay friends."
Star -News Photo by Roger Phillips
The Busby family stacks hay bales for snowboard course at Little Hill.
S17-4/2 N E-u> S 16,/ 17
Snowboarders compete in McCall
Amanda M ill ington of McCall and
Jesse Sexton of Boise were named top
and female and male riders Saturday
at the Slopestyle Snowboard Compe-
tition held at the Little Ski Hill west of
McCall.
The free -style competition, spon-
sored by Alpine Sciences in McCall
and Newt and Harold's in Boise, at-
tracted 33 riders. It was the second
snowboard competition held at the
Little Ski Hill this season.
Here are results:
Age 9 and under Male: 1. David
Thiede, McCall.
9 and under Female: 1. Claire
Olavarria, McCall.
10-12 Male: 1. Chad Sumner,
McCall, 2. Marty Thiede, McCall, 3.
Mason Darling, McCall. Other
McCall finishers: 4. Andy Dagleish,
5. Tyler Stright, 6. Eric Dyrud.
10-12 Female: 1. Sara Davis,
McCall.
13-15 Male: 1. Jesse Cordtz,
McCall, 2. Alan Busby, McCall, 3.
Derek Weimer, Boise. Other McCall -
area finishers: 7. Clint Ross, 8.Omar
Abbas, 9. Cole Robison, 10. Shaun
Whitney, New Meadows.
13-15 Female: 1. Kaytie Meyer,
McCall, 2. Jenna Sumner, McCall.
16-25 Male: Josh Isaac, Boise, 2.
Nate Crouch, Boise, 3. Kris Baker,
Boise. McCall finishers: 5. Dylan
Darling, 6. Rodney Akers.
16-25 Female: 1. Laura Kirk, Lake
Fork, 2. Jennifer Titscze, Lake Fork.
26 and over Male: Mike Rosenthal,
Boise.
Sich- News Appi ( i7, /qq7
Jeremy Jones of Cambridge takes to the sky
on Sunday during the "Big Air" competition
held at Brundage Mountain Ski Area. Jones
placed second in the men's age 13-18 division
in the contest, one of several held as part of
Star -News photo by Roger Phillips
Crazy Daze during the final weekend of
skiing at Brundage. For results from the
contests, and for a report on the just -
ended ski season at Brundage Mountain9
S74,4 v��S rvrr g c/ a i9 pr,
Boarders fly at Brundage event
The Second Annual Alpine
Sciences Slopestyle Snowboard
competition held last Saturday
at Brundage Mountain Ski
Area attracted 91 riders and
tripled the number of competi-
tors who competed last year.
"We had a really good com-
petition and everyone enjoyed
themselves," Alpine Sciences
owner Mike McDonald said.
The event featured riders
launching off a series of jumps,
where they were judged for
their height, style and difficulty
of tricks.
Here are the results from the
slopestyle competition:
Men overall: 1. Josh Isaac,
Boise, 2. (tie) Jeremy Bradley,
Boise and Matt Rigby, Boise. 3.
Doug Burlingame, McCall.
Men 12 and under: 1. Marty
Thiede, McCall, 2. Tyler Stright,
McCall, 3. T.J. Wilcomb, Boise.
Men 13-15: 1. Chad Sumner,
McCall, 2. (tie) Mason Darling,
McCall, and Jake Wilson,
McCall, 3. (tie) Shaun Whitney,
New Meadows, and Jake
Cordtz, McCall.
Men 16-18: 1. Levi Brown,
McCall, 2. (tie) Terry Campbell,
McCall, and Jesse Cordtz,
McCall, 3. Dylan Darling,
McCall.
Men 19-25: 1. (tie) Kris
Larson, Boise, and Michael
Perez, Payette, 2. Donnie
Comstock, New Meadows, 3.
Chris Imel, Lewiston.
Men 26 and up: 1. Chris
Klimko, Moscow, 2. Bryon
Siegrist, Boise, 3. Justin Yount,
Boise.
Women overall: 1. Amanda
Millington, McCall, 2. Mandy
Mehler, Boise, 3. Daniell
Hawkes, McCall.
Women 12 and under: 1.
Claire Olavarria, McCall.
Women 13-15:1. Josie Noah,
Cambridge.
Women 16-18: 1. Shanti
Wintergate, McCall, 2. Jenna
Sumner, McCall, 3. Courtney
Caneer, Boise.
Star -News Photo by Roger Phillips
Shaun Whitney of New Meadows gets "big air" at snowboard contest.
_1//q/?s'
7-1-0 ,5,74a � News
Boarders rip up Bend
Jared Congleton of McCall
makes a leap at a snowboard
half -pipe contest held last week
at Mt. Bachelor near Bend, Ore.
Alan Busby, Jr. and Doug
Burlingame, both of McCall,
placed first and third for their
age groups. The two will now
Photo by Al Congleton
advance to the national cham-
pionships at Telluride, Colo.,
April 7-12. Jordon Congleton
placed second in the 8-9 year -
old age group. Martin Campbell
finished fifth in the 12-13 year -
old group, and Jared Congleton
finished eighth in that group.
BigAir contest set for March 28-29
Alpine Sciences will host the
Big Air and Boarder Cross com-
petition at Brundage Mountain
Ski Area March 28-29.
The Boarder Cross event on
Saturday, March 28, will consist
of four snowboarders at a time
racing down an obstacle strewn
course of jumps and bumps.
The Big Air contest is open to
snowboarders and skiers and will
take place at noon Sunday, March
29.
Late sign-ups will be accepted
from 9 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. the days
of the events.
Practice will be 9 a.m. to 10:30
a.m., with the first runs of com-
petition getting underway from
11 a.m. to 1 p.m, the second runs
starting at 2 p.m.
Entry fees are $20 for both
events if competitors preregis-
ter at Alpine Sciences, or by
calling 634-4707. That cost goes
up to $25 the day of the competi-
tion. One -day fees for the events
are $15.
Ribbons and trophies will be
awarded for first through third
places and Arbor and Hobie
snowboards will be included in a
prize raffle.
In addition to the Big Air con-
test, there will be a live band
playing.
J� f9s/
�h Mp ✓s
40 compete
Alpine Sciences in McCall
hosted the Boarder Cross
snowboard race at Brundage
Mountain Ski Area last week-
end. About 40 competitors raced
in the first -ever Boarder Cross
held at Brundage where
snowboarders were sent
through an obstacle course in a
race against each other.
Here are the results of the
Boarder Cross race:
Women
L Emily Bussolini, Lewiston,
2. Shanti Wintergate, McCall.
Men
12 and under:1. Marty Thiede,
in Boarder-X
McCall, 2. T. J. Wilcomb, Boise,
3. Ben Rodes, Garden Valley.
13-15:1. Jake Wilson, McCall,
2. Sean Gould, McCall, 3. Barry
Beichner, McCall.
16-18:1. David Cobb, Council,
2. Tyler Wasden, Boise, 3. Jesse
Cordtz, McCall.
19-25:1. Ryan Neptune, Boise,
2. Chris Sheets, Boise, 3. John
Hernandez, Walla Walla, Wash.
26-40: Chad Frost,
Leavenworth, Wash., 2. Greg
Gemelli, McCall, 3. Chris
Klimko, Moscow.
40 and over: 1. Al Congleton,
McCall, 2. Al Butler, Vale, Ore.
4//.%9‘/ r 57as
Matthews places 4th overall
at national snowboard races
McCall snowboarder Tom
Matthews placed fourth overall in
the men's division and third in the
Junior Division of the United
States Snowboarding National
Championships last weekend at
Sunday River, Maine.
Olympic bronze medalist Ross
Powers placed first in the event
and U.S. Open winner Rob
Kingwell placed second. Powers
also took first in the Junior Divi-
sion.
In the elite level of snowboard
competition, Matthew's overall
points rank him fifth among
American men in FIS standing and
sixth in United States Snowboard
Association. He is also ranked sec-
ond in the Junior Division of the
USSA and is the youngest rider to
hold a place on the U.S. Men's Snow -
board Team.
Since October, Matthews has
competed in 15 competitions, many
of which were invitation only.
These events included three Grand
Prix for Olympic selection, World
Cups, Junior Worlds, the ESPN
sports network "X-Games," U.S.
National Championships, as well
as a number of open events such as
the American Snowboard Tours N.
American Championships series.
Hall, Williams
win gold at
U.S. national
snowboarding
championships
Brooklynn Hall and Ian Williams
won gold at the USASA Nationals
snowboarding event held this past
week at NorthStar Resort on Lake
Tahoe, Nev
Hall and Williams compete with
the Tamarack Sports and Education
Foundation based at Tamarack Re-
sort and competed at the nationals as
part of the Payette River Mountain
FreeRide Series team.
The event attracted more than
1,200 boarders and skiers from
across the country.
Hall won gold in the age 11-15-
division HalfPipe and silver in
SlopeStyle, making her the overall
FreeStyle champion for the 2006-07
season.
Williams threw down in the
Open Skier division to take the gold
while TSEF teammate Ben Moxham
took silver and Payette River series
member Steven Dickens of Boise
took fifth after throwing out his
shoulder while spinning to win on
his last jump.
This finish gave the Payette River
Mountain team the top two spots on
the podium and three spots out of
the top five.
Brayden Bringhurst of Boise,
last year's SlopeStyle champion in
the 16-19 age group, won silver this
year while Arlie Hoene of Boise won
bronze in the 11-15 division.
Other outstanding performances
by skiers were TSEF's Conner
Hall placing fourth in the age 11-
15 division HalfPipe, TSEF's Max
Sherrow placing seventh in age 16-
19 SlopeStyle and William Marcial
of Albertson College of Idaho and
Justin Little of Lewiston taking fifth
and seventh respectively in HalfPipe
Open Skier.
Ben Greenland of Donnelly, ski-
ing as an independent, ground out a
fifth in the age 16-19 division Overall
FreeStyle, and TSEF's Carson St.
Pierre finished ninth in the age 10
and under division.
The boarders also had an out-
standing showing with Al Butler
of McCall competing in the Me-
thuselah 60-plus, taking silver in
the SlopeStyle and bronze in the
HalfPipe, placing him second in the
FreeStyle Overall.
xij,210-7
Parker Duke of Boise hada strong
showing by taking silver in the
HalfPipe and fourth in SlopeStyle,
giving him the No. 1 overall Free -
Style ranking.
Janell Kren of McCall put on a
great showing, taking the women's
BoarderCross bronze in the senior
women division. Sean Riddle of
Lewiston placed fourth in the senior
men BoarderCross.
KixKamp of Sandpoint competed
in the Gromet boys age 8-9, taking a
bronze in slalom and fourth in the
Giant Slalom, giving him fourth in
the Alpine Combined.
Dash Kamp of Sandpoint round-
ed out the top 10 finishers, placing
seventh in Youth Men SlopeStyle.
Overall the Payette River Moun-
tain FreeRide Series took home
11 medals and numerous top fives
and tens.
"I could• not be prouder of our
kids," said series director Randy
Hall, who is also mountain events
manager at Tamarack Resort.
"To go into a national event and
show this much swagger and con-
fidence says a whole lot about our
community," Hall said.
"I would not be surprised to see
some of our kids competing in the
World Junior Olympics in the next
two years," he said.