SSWSC Snowboarders and the Olympics
Wednesday, 09 September 2009 11:37
The SSWSC has a long history of sending athletes in all disciplines to the Winter Olympics. Snowboarding was added to the Olympic slate in 1998 and riders from Steamboat have been there from the start. Shannon Dunn, while not a member of the SSWSC, was the first US Snowboard Winter Olympic Medalist capturing bronze in the Haflpipe at the Nagano Games. Current Head Race Coach, Thedo Remmelink also competed in the 1998 games and eventually found his way to Steamboat. Fast forward to 2010, and we have 6 current and former riders gunning for those coveted Olympic Team slots. Maddy Schaffrick and Matt Ladley are both in the mix for Halfpipe slots. Their path begins in December at the first Grand Prix stop in Copper, CO. Next up are two Halfpipe competitions in Mammoth, CA. Finally, the top ranked riders from the first 3 Grand Prix events will be invited to the final 2 halfpipe competitions in Park City, UT- site of the historic US men's halfpipe podium sweep in 2002.
The Olympic path for our snowboard racers takes them overseas to compete on the FIS World Cup circuit. First on the slate is a BoarderCross World Cup in Chapelco, Argentina on September 12th. Mick Dierdorff made the journey to the southern hemisphere to take his first shot at the Olympic Team. Mick earned his 2010 World Cup spot by winning the North American Championship in 2009. Mick's Olympic hopes will take him to World Cup events in Telluride then to Austria, Switzerland and finally to Stoneham, Canada for the final qualifying event. Joining Mick on the SBX Olympic Path is Callan Chythlook-Sifsof. Callan has been a member of the US Team for the past 3 years, but was sidelined in 2008-2009 with a knee injury. She is coming back feeling stronger than ever and is looking for one of the women's SBX slots.
The Alpine racers start their World Cup season in Landgraaf, Netherlands in October with an indoor tune-up race. The official Olympic qualifiers begin in Italy and take them to Telluride, Austria, Switzerland and back to Canada to finish the selection process. Tyler Jewell and Justin Reiter are both coming off injuries in 2008-2009 but are still the favorites to gain the men's PGS slots. Erica Mueller is a strong contender for one of the women's slots.
Keep an eye on the SSWSC and US Snowboarding websites for the latest news as we follow these amazing riders on their Olympic journey.
