Mike Goldschmidt takes "Best Trick" award at U.S. Open.
March 19th, 2007
STRATTON MOUNTAIN, Vt. -- Olympic silver medalist Gretchen Bleiler (Aspen, CO) linked up a super technical run at the 25th US Open Championships to finish second behind Kelly Clark (Mount Snow, VT), while Shaun White (Carlsbad, CA), the Olympic gold medalist, unloaded a dizzy run to win for the second straight season at Stratton.
U.S. Snowboarding rider Mike Goldschmidt (Stratton Mountain, VT) stomped a double grab mute stiffy air-to-fakie at 15-feet out of the pipe to take home the best trick award.
Bleiler boosted her signature crippler on her first hit, followed by a backside 540 to frontside 540, backside air and frontside 900 with a huge frontside air to cap the run, but it was Clark's monster amplitude that sealed the deal again for the 2002 Olympic gold medalist.
White, who won every contest he entered last season, landed the best contest run ever witnessed with a double overhead frontside 1080 into a cab 1080 stalefish, to frontside 900, backside 900 to frontside 720 with a switch alley-oop backside rodeo 720 to finish it off.
"Gretchen was able to land a really good run with some nice combos, but couldn't stick it in her final run," said Head Coach Mike Jankowski. "She and Kelly have been trading podiums all season and today was Kelly's turn, but this is still a solid finish for Gretchen and a great way for her to end the year."
Despite winning the qualifiers, two-time X Games champion Steve Fisher (Breckenridge, CO), missed the podium after falling on the last air in his final run; one which Jankowski called a "definite podium run" without the crash.
"Fisher was in a really tough spot, he had to go directly after Shaun just absolutely destroyed the pipe, but he did a good job and if he didn't go down on that last trick, he'd have been up there too. 'Fish' has been on the US Open podium before (2nd in '04 and '05) and he had an unreal season. He's bummed, but did such a good job this year."
Jankowski also praised Goldschmidt, a Stratton Mountain local who finished 11th, for throwing down a huge air on his first hit to win the best trick award. Other U.S. Snowboarding riders in the final along with Bleiler and Fisher were Louie Vito (Bellefontaine, OH) in seventh for the men and Clair Bidez (Minturn, CO) and Tricia Byrnes (Stratton Mountain, VT) seventh and eighth for the women.
"This season has been excellent for the entire U.S. Snowboarding program. The vets like Fisher, Gretchen and Tommy (Czeschin, Mammoth Lakes, CA) have been solid all year, and our rookies have been absolutely killing it too. Last weekend in Lake Placid, NBC announcer Kevin Delaney said this year's crew will go down as one of the best ever put together and I couldn't agree more."
25TH US OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS
Stratton Mountain, VT - March 17, 2007
Men's Halfpipe
1. Shaun White, Carlsbad, CA
2. Danny Davis, Highland, MI
3. Markus Malin, Finland
4. Kevin Pearce, Norwich, VT
5. Antti Autti, Finland
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7. Louie Vito, Bellefontaine, OH
11. Mike Goldschmidt, Stratton Mountain, VT
13. Steve Fisher, Breckenridge, CO
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Women's Halfpipe
1. Kelly Clark, Mount Snow, VT
2. Gretchen Bleiler, Aspen, CO
3. Torah Bright, Australia
4. Manuela Laura Pesko, Switzerland
5. Soko Yamaoka, Japan
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7. Clair Bidez, Minturn, CO
8. Tricia Byrnes, Stratton Mountain, VT
For complete details:
http://www.usopen-snowboarding.com/
