Shaun White, Kelly Clark post impressive snowboarding victories at Mount Snow
It might be too early to start thinking seriously about the 2010 Winter Olympics. But those Games are in the back of every top snowboarder's mind, and every big competition this winter and early next winter will serve as a barometer for the athletes and coaches.
So if the Winter Dew Tour is an indication, the gold-medal favorites are Shaun White of Carlsbad and Kelly Clark of Mammoth Lakes.
Both were victorious Sunday in the superpipe competitions at Mount Snow, Vt. -- and both now have a victory and second-place finish after two Winter Dew Tour events.
(White also has a first and second in the slopestyle competition, which is not an Olympic sport.)
White's dizzying winning run included a backside rodeo 720, a backside 900 and back-to-back 1080s into a 720. He finished with an alley-oop rodeo and earned a score of 96.25.
"The first run was really good, but I knew I could go a little bigger than I did in that first run," said White, the 2006 Olympic gold medalist. "It was a weird run. My glove was kind of iced over, and we had to add these marks to my board so I’d make sure I grabbed it. I went through that second run there, and it just all fell together."
Steve Fisher was second (92.75) and Kevin Pearce was third (90.00). Danny Davis, who won the inaugural Winter Dew Tour superpipe competition, was fourth.
Clark, who grew up in West Dover, Vt., executed a frontside air to a backside 520. She continued with a frontside 720, a cab 360 and a frontside 520. She finished with a backside air, and judges gave her a winning score of 90.75.
"I couldn’t be happier coming home to Mount Snow and doing so well in front of all my friends and family," said Clark, who won Olympic gold in 2002 but missed the podium in 2006. "I really had a lot of fun, and it's great to come away heading into the third event with a first and a second place."
Finishing second and posting her strongest finish in some time was 2006 Olympic gold medalist Hannah Teter (88.75). Ellery Hollingsworth, who is only 17, was third (83.00) and just might become one of the big stories 13 months from now.
Up next: the Winter X Games Jan. 22-25 at Aspen, Colo.
--Pete Thomas
Top photo: Shaun White performs in flight during the slopestyle finals. Lower photo: Kelly Clark soars above the superpipe during prelims. Credit: Bo Bridges / Winter Dew Tour
