copyright the Chronicle February 18, 2015
by Joseph Gresser
JAY PEAK — The last high school snowboard competition before the state championships drew 70 boarders to Jay Peak Thursday afternoon, February 12. Judges rated riders as they performed tricks on a slope style course that included three jumps and a pair of boxes.
The event is judged according to both the difficulty of aerial maneuvers performed by the riders and the quality of their execution, said Natalie Guillette, who coaches the North Country Union High School team.
Under the somewhat subjective rating criteria, an easier trick performed with greater flair can garner more points than a more complex trick executed in a less spirited fashion. Each judge gives a score ranging from zero to ten points, and competitors get two runs down the course.
After a run judges’ scores are added together. At the end of the day, a rider is credited with the better of the two runs.
In Thursday’s competition, the tricks performed on jumps ranged from an assortment of grabs, in which riders reach down and take hold of their board while flying through the air, and spins, including two complete rotations while airborne.
After the three jumps riders had a choice of performing tricks on fun boxes or rails. Both are a pair of long metal slides, which riders can take in a variety of ways. The two differ in that the fun boxes are a foot or so wider than the rails.
A typical trick involves riders shifting the board so it’s sideways while in the air headed toward the box. They slide down the box with the board still sideways, only resuming the normal downhill alignment of the board at the dismount.
North Country’s Olivia Miller finished fourth among women, racking up a best of 11.80. Walker Farley, at 15.30, had the highest ranking among the male Falcons, capturing tenth place.
The other two North Country women finished tenth, Dehlia Wright (9.7), and eleventh, Jilli Fortunati (9.6), among the 22 women who took the slopes Thursday.
Five North Country students and one representative of Lake Region Union High School were among the 48 male riders.
In addition to Farley, Christien Ducharme, Caleb Winnick, Elijah Laplume, Ryland Brown, and Nick Garcia rode for North Country.
Ducharme finished nineteenth with a score of 13.30, tying with Mr. Winnick.
Laplume, at 11.80, came in thirty-third, followed immediately by Brown and Garcia, who each scored 11.70.
Mr. Gage, the lone Ranger in the competition, came in forty-second place with a score of 10.50.
contact Joseph Gresser at [email protected]
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