News
ENLARGE
WANAKA, New Zealand — The 2010 Snowboard and Freestyle Junior World Championships kick off with opening ceremonies today.
Ski and Snowboard Club Vail competitor and 2010 Olympian Faye Gulini will compete in snowboardercross.
The event, scheduled for Saturday through Aug. 31, will be held in New Zealand. The Junior Worlds is the first time that snowboarding and freestyle are performing on the same stage in a World Championship event. The teams were named in the spring, giving nominated athletes plenty of time to prepare for their Junior Worlds debut.
“We are sending an incredibly talented group of athletes to Junior World Championships in New Zealand,” said Snowboarding and Freeride Director Jeremy Forster."It's the first time Junior World Championships will be staged in New Zealand and the first time snowboarding & freestyle will share the same World Championship venues. I know Snow Sports New Zealand will host a world class event.”
“Combining freestyle and snowboard for the first time in a FIS event is a great opportunity to showcase these two sports on one stage,” said Snow Sports New Zealand CEO Ross Palmer, former Vail Valley local. “It makes sense from a logistics perspective, and with the popularity of the new disciplines, it also makes sense from a cultural perspective.”
The 2010 Junior World Champs also marks the first time that New Zealand was selected to host a FIS World Championships, along with the first time snowboarding and freestyle will share the same venues in a World Championship. The Championships will also be the first time slopestyle will be included in a FIS Championship level event.
“We're looking forward to hosting some of the world's best at Snow Park and Cardrona Alpine Resort,” said Palmer. “Both venues have created world-class facilities for this competition, so it should be a great show. We're thrilled that the U.S. is sending so many of its top, up-and-coming freestyle and snowboard athletes to compete in New Zealand in the FIS Junior Worlds.”
The U.S. will be represented by 44 junior athletes in the 10 day event. Cardrona and Snow Park will host nine events between the two resorts, showcasing the top junior athletes from around the world in snowboarding and freestyle.
In the snowboard division riders will take the stage in halfpipe, snowboardcross, parallel giant slalom and slalom, slopestyle and big air. Headlining the U.S. will be slopestyle extraordinaires Ryan Stassel (Anchorage, Alaska) and Caty O'Connor (Auburn, Calif.), snowboardcross up-and-comer and Gulini and halfpipe standout Maddy Schaffrick (Steamboat Springs) joined with the rest of the impressive Junior World snowboarding crew.
“Being able to do the first Junior Worlds slopestyle is really exciting,” said Stassel.
“Snow Park's park is sick and Cardrona's pipe is fun,” said Mikaela Casey (Mound, Minn.). “New Zealand alltogether is exhilarating!”
For the complete schedule, results and updates regarding the 2010 Junior Snowboard and Freestyle World Championships go to, www.juniorworldsnz.co.nz.
Snowboard slopestyle
Dash Kamp, Sandpoint, Idaho
Ryan Stassel, Anchorage, Alaska
Nick Sibayan, Wrightwood, Calif.
Mikaela Casey, Mound, Minn.
Caty O'Connor, Auburn, Calif.
Lauren Tamposi, Hollis, N.H.
Snowboard halfpipe
Paul Brichta, Burnsville, Minn.
Benjamin Farrow, Mt. Holly, Vt.
Cody Weselis, Park City, Utah
Jenna Dramise, Henderson, Nev.
Rainey Pogue, Jackson, Wyo.
Maddy Schaffrick, Steamboat Springs
Shelby Simpson, Bondville, Vt.
Snowboardcross
Roger Carver, Placerville, Calif.
Derek Dicastro, Rome, N.Y.
Alex Tuttle, Stratton, Maine
Chloe Banning, Steamboat Springs
Jenna Feldman, Linwood, N.J.
Faye Gulini, Salt Lake City, Utah
Jackie Hernandez, Londonderry, Vt.
Snowboard alpine
Mack Joyce, Laconia, N.H.
Hunter Murphy, Deephaven, Minn.
Meghan Graham, Minnetonka, Minn.
Cassie Wagar, Steamboat Springs
Ski cross
Kyle Smaine, South Lake Tahoe, Calif.
Ethan Fortney, Tenino, Wash.
Penn Lukens, Steamboat Springs
Morganne Murphy, Truckee, Calif.
Ski halfpipe
Walter Wood, Snowmass Village
Wing Tai Barrymore, Hailey, Idaho
Kyle Smaine, South Lake Tahoe, Calif.
Tyler Wellman, Boyne City, Mich.
Devin Logan, West Dover, Vt.
Brita Sigourney, Carmel, Calif.
Hannah Haupt, Sun Valley, Idaho
Blake Peterson, Park City, Utah
Ski slopestyle
Bobby Brown, Englewood
Alex Dutcher, North Mankato, Minn.
Nick Keefer, Salt Lake City, Utah
Cody Ling, Buffalo, Minn.
Devin Logan, West Dover, Vt.
Blake Peterson, Park City, Utah
Jamie Crane-Mauzy, Waterville Valley, N.H.
Jessica Breda, Marshfield, Maine
Coaches
Dylan Omlin, Snowboard slopestyle
Matt Gustafson, Snowboard halfpipe
Jon Casson, Snowboardcross
Neil Sunday, Snowboard PGS/PSL
Brett Buckles, Ski cross
Elana Chase, Ski halfpipe and slopestyle
Ben Verge, Ski halfpipe and slopestyle
Jen Hudak, Ski halfpipe and slopestyle
Ski and Snowboard Club Vail competitor and 2010 Olympian Faye Gulini will compete in snowboardercross.
The event, scheduled for Saturday through Aug. 31, will be held in New Zealand. The Junior Worlds is the first time that snowboarding and freestyle are performing on the same stage in a World Championship event. The teams were named in the spring, giving nominated athletes plenty of time to prepare for their Junior Worlds debut.
“We are sending an incredibly talented group of athletes to Junior World Championships in New Zealand,” said Snowboarding and Freeride Director Jeremy Forster."It's the first time Junior World Championships will be staged in New Zealand and the first time snowboarding & freestyle will share the same World Championship venues. I know Snow Sports New Zealand will host a world class event.”
“Combining freestyle and snowboard for the first time in a FIS event is a great opportunity to showcase these two sports on one stage,” said Snow Sports New Zealand CEO Ross Palmer, former Vail Valley local. “It makes sense from a logistics perspective, and with the popularity of the new disciplines, it also makes sense from a cultural perspective.”
The 2010 Junior World Champs also marks the first time that New Zealand was selected to host a FIS World Championships, along with the first time snowboarding and freestyle will share the same venues in a World Championship. The Championships will also be the first time slopestyle will be included in a FIS Championship level event.
“We're looking forward to hosting some of the world's best at Snow Park and Cardrona Alpine Resort,” said Palmer. “Both venues have created world-class facilities for this competition, so it should be a great show. We're thrilled that the U.S. is sending so many of its top, up-and-coming freestyle and snowboard athletes to compete in New Zealand in the FIS Junior Worlds.”
The U.S. will be represented by 44 junior athletes in the 10 day event. Cardrona and Snow Park will host nine events between the two resorts, showcasing the top junior athletes from around the world in snowboarding and freestyle.
In the snowboard division riders will take the stage in halfpipe, snowboardcross, parallel giant slalom and slalom, slopestyle and big air. Headlining the U.S. will be slopestyle extraordinaires Ryan Stassel (Anchorage, Alaska) and Caty O'Connor (Auburn, Calif.), snowboardcross up-and-comer and Gulini and halfpipe standout Maddy Schaffrick (Steamboat Springs) joined with the rest of the impressive Junior World snowboarding crew.
“Being able to do the first Junior Worlds slopestyle is really exciting,” said Stassel.
“Snow Park's park is sick and Cardrona's pipe is fun,” said Mikaela Casey (Mound, Minn.). “New Zealand alltogether is exhilarating!”
For the complete schedule, results and updates regarding the 2010 Junior Snowboard and Freestyle World Championships go to, www.juniorworldsnz.co.nz.
Snowboard slopestyle
Dash Kamp, Sandpoint, Idaho
Ryan Stassel, Anchorage, Alaska
Nick Sibayan, Wrightwood, Calif.
Mikaela Casey, Mound, Minn.
Caty O'Connor, Auburn, Calif.
Lauren Tamposi, Hollis, N.H.
Snowboard halfpipe
Paul Brichta, Burnsville, Minn.
Benjamin Farrow, Mt. Holly, Vt.
Cody Weselis, Park City, Utah
Jenna Dramise, Henderson, Nev.
Rainey Pogue, Jackson, Wyo.
Maddy Schaffrick, Steamboat Springs
Shelby Simpson, Bondville, Vt.
Snowboardcross
Roger Carver, Placerville, Calif.
Derek Dicastro, Rome, N.Y.
Alex Tuttle, Stratton, Maine
Chloe Banning, Steamboat Springs
Jenna Feldman, Linwood, N.J.
Faye Gulini, Salt Lake City, Utah
Jackie Hernandez, Londonderry, Vt.
Snowboard alpine
Mack Joyce, Laconia, N.H.
Hunter Murphy, Deephaven, Minn.
Meghan Graham, Minnetonka, Minn.
Cassie Wagar, Steamboat Springs
Ski cross
Kyle Smaine, South Lake Tahoe, Calif.
Ethan Fortney, Tenino, Wash.
Penn Lukens, Steamboat Springs
Morganne Murphy, Truckee, Calif.
Ski halfpipe
Walter Wood, Snowmass Village
Wing Tai Barrymore, Hailey, Idaho
Kyle Smaine, South Lake Tahoe, Calif.
Tyler Wellman, Boyne City, Mich.
Devin Logan, West Dover, Vt.
Brita Sigourney, Carmel, Calif.
Hannah Haupt, Sun Valley, Idaho
Blake Peterson, Park City, Utah
Ski slopestyle
Bobby Brown, Englewood
Alex Dutcher, North Mankato, Minn.
Nick Keefer, Salt Lake City, Utah
Cody Ling, Buffalo, Minn.
Devin Logan, West Dover, Vt.
Blake Peterson, Park City, Utah
Jamie Crane-Mauzy, Waterville Valley, N.H.
Jessica Breda, Marshfield, Maine
Coaches
Dylan Omlin, Snowboard slopestyle
Matt Gustafson, Snowboard halfpipe
Jon Casson, Snowboardcross
Neil Sunday, Snowboard PGS/PSL
Brett Buckles, Ski cross
Elana Chase, Ski halfpipe and slopestyle
Ben Verge, Ski halfpipe and slopestyle
Jen Hudak, Ski halfpipe and slopestyle
