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Dylan Bidez claims first podium in Grand Prix event

Ian Smith
ismith@vaildaily.com
Vail, CO Colorado

MINTURN, Colorado ” Dylan Bidez may be a rookie on the U.S. Snowboard Team, but he isn’t competing like one.

The Vail Valley native landed his first career podium recently in a Grand Prix event at the U.S. Snowboarding Grand Prix at Boreal Resort in California. Bidez, who graduated from Battle Mountain in Nov. 2008, claimed third in the halfpipe behind snowboard regulars Steve Fisher and Louie Vito.

After taking a spill on his first run, Bidez nailed his second to finish with 44.90 points ” two behind Fisher’s winning score.



“Since I fell on my first run, my coach told me to just go for it,” Bidez said. “I’ve landed that run before, so it wasn’t a complete gamble. But it was my first time doing that run on the trip. I was feeling good.”

On Jan. 10, Bidez won qualifying at Mount Snow in Vermont, but couldn’t reach the podium. This time, he took fourth in qualifying and improved on that in the finals to take third.

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Bidez, 18, tweaked his game plan before the second run. Instead of being conservative, Bidez went all out, landing a handful of tricks.

“I just went for it and landed it,” Bidez said.

Last weekend, Bidez traveled to Italy to compete in a World Cup event. He easily made it through two rounds of qualifying before running into some judging problems in the semifinals. Bidez and his coaches felt like he nailed his semifinal run, but the judges disagreed saying he wasn’t in control the whole time.

Bidez ended up missing the finals by one spot, but he took it well, saying (the judging errors) “happen to everyone.”

A busy schedule will give Bidez many more opportunities to stand on the podium. He left today for Vancouver, British Columbia, to compete in a World Cup event on the 2010 Olympic halfpipe course. The experience should proved valuable for next year.

“They are having the same guy cut (the halfpipe),” Bidez said. “It’s pretty much going to the exact same as Olympics.”

Sports Writer Ian Smith can be reached at 970-748-2935 or ismith@vaildaily.com.


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