Young riders will compete next month in Austria; halfpipe's a no-go.
March 16th, 2007
PARK CITY, Utah -- Twenty-seven riders were named for the 2007 FIS Snowboard Junior World Championships set for April 11-13 in Bad Gastein, Austria, announced U.S. Snowboarding Program Manager Abbi Nyberg.
"We are confident we have selected a strong team to send to the Junior World Championships. All of these athletes worked very hard to qualify for this event and we are looking forward to great events in Bad Gastein," said Nyberg.
Highlighting the Team is Brooke Shaw (Bantam, CT), who qualified in all three disciplines: halfpipe, snowboardcross and alpine. Also included are Callan Chythlook-Sifsof (Girdwood, AK) and Ellery Hollingsworth, who both competed at FIS World Championships in January at Arosa, Switzerland.
Chythlook-Sifsof, the recently crowned U.S. SBX champion, was 19th at Worlds and also captured her first World Cup podium in February. Hollingsworth, a U.S. Snowboarding Rookie team rider and 2006 Junior Worlds halfpipe silver medalist landed the first ever backside 900 on a quarterpipe by a woman last weekend during the Paul Mitchell Progression Session in Lake Placid, NY.
Athletes qualified for the Team based on results from both the Chevrolet U.S. Snowboarding Revolution Tour, the Grand Prix series and the U.S. Snowboarding Race to the Cup and will be coached by Jon Casson (Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club), Adam Casanova (also SSWSC), Nathan Park (Ski Club Vail) and Philip Fell (Park City Snowboard Team).
Due to the lack of snow in Europe this season, halfpipe will be left off the program, but U.S. Snowboarding still recognizes eight riders for their outstanding accomplishments throughout the Chevrolet Revolution Tour, the Junior Worlds qualifying series. Included in that group are Shaw, along with U.S. Snowboarding Rookie team riders Dylan Bidez (Minturn, CO), Matt Ladley (Steamboat Springs, CO) and Hollingsworth.
"Unfortunately, due to the poor weather conditions in Europe, the halfpipe will not be contested," said Nyberg. "We have named an outstanding halfpipe team and it is very unfortunate they will not be able to compete."
Bidez took second earlier this month in Calgary, Canada in only his second World Cup halfpipe competition, while Ladley was third in the final stop of the Chevrolet U.S. Snowboard Grand Prix, the most prestigious halfpipe series in the U.S.
The championships open Wednesday, April 11 with SBX followed by parallel giant slalom on the 12th, parallel slalom on the 13th and then closes with big air on the 14th.
The 2007 Snowboard Junior World Championships Team: (birthdate, hometown)
Snowboardcross Men
Chris Mahaney (1/31/89; Greenwich, CT)
Conor Meyer (1/13/87; Basalt, CO)
Mick Dierdorff (4/30/91; Steamboat Springs, CO)
Jarod Minghini (5/21/88; South Lake Tahoe, CA)
Roger Carver (1/23/90; Placerville, CA)
Abe Greenspan (6/6/87; Glenbrook, NV)
Snowboardcross Women
Brooke Shaw (5/12/91; Bantam CT)
Kim Krahulec (3/15/88; Silverthorne, CO)
Heather Doolittle (8/4/89; Belgrade, ME)
Valerie Reynolds (2/23/91; Spokane, WA)
Callan Chythlook-Sifsof (2/14/89; Girdwood, AK)
Jordan Karlinski (8/24/89; Aspen, CO)
Alpine Men (PGS, PSL)
Michael Trapp (7/10/88; Hyannis, MA)
Kevan Beal (1/21/91; Erie, CO)
Bryan Messler (5/7/87; Guilford, CT)
Jonathon Winslow (6/28/87; Auburn, CA)
Emilo Botero (12/31/88; Park City, UT)
Alexander Hernandez (3/26/91; Londonderry, VT)
Alpine Women (PGS, PSL)
Brooke Shaw (5/12/91; Bantam, CT)
Madeline Wiencke (3/1/89; White Bear Lake, MN)
Heather Herde (12/27/88; Oxford, CT)
Halfpipe Men
Matt Ladley (5/17/91; Steamboat Springs, CO)
Dylan Bidez (9/11/90; Minturn, CO)
Ross Baker (8/1/90; Reno, NV)
Broc Waring (6/3/92; Edwards, CO)
Halfpipe Women
Brooke Shaw (5/12/91; Bantam, CT)
Kaitlyn Farrington (12/18/89; Bellevue, ID)
Elizabeth Beerman (7/18/91; Weston, VT)
Ellery Hollingsworth (9/2/91; Darien, CT)
Coaches
Jon Casson (SBX, Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club)
Nathan Park (SBX, Ski Club Vail)
Adam Casanova (Alpine, Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club)
Philip Fell (Alpine, Park City Snowboard Team)
