Almost a hundred riders impressed
judges with their spins and tricks in the half-pipe
event of the K2 Snowboard Challenge at Cardrona Alpine
Resort near Wanaka.
The
event was the second of six qualifiers for the Nationals
and as a result, the competition was tough. Head Judge,
Steven Webster says, "There was a real range of ability,
but the upper group was top notch. I was very impressed
by them, sitting in freezing cold winds for three hours
and then busting out fantastic runs."
The 1999 Overall
National Champion Suzy Parker, who rides for the Cardrona
free-ride team, won the senior women's group. She
says, "my aim now is to win back the half-pipe National
title. The competition today has been really good
experience and I'm going higher and higher."
In the junior women's
group, Eri Kokubo from Japan swept the board. She
came to Cardrona to train with her brother Kazu who
came second in the men's junior competition.
In the men's group
Aaron Jameson from Christchurch won first place after
performing the highest scoring run in the competition.
Aaron holds a personal record of having won every
event he's entered this season. Close behind him was
Tsuyoshi Fujiso who is a half-pipe coach at Cardrona.
Jah Harris won the junior mens by just 0.07 points.
Another close thing.
As well as praise
for the competitors, there was much praise for the
Johnny half-pipe where the event was held. Ste'en
Webster says, "the pipe was in fantastic condition.
Of all I've seen, this one is amongst the best." Tomorrow
sees the Giant slalom and the Big Air in the Wonderpark
2000. Prize giving will be held at Barrow's Tavern
on Sunday night.
To watch live
action from the event on RealPlayer, click
here. Thanks to the guys at Boarderzone
for this one!.
