CU dominates the Rocky Mountain Regional Championship
The CU snowboard team had a decent performance at Sunday’s regional qualifying tournament – especially since the event almost didn’t happen.
Well, that may be an understatement, given how many students placed at the United States Collegiate Ski and Snowboard Association (USCSA) qualifying tourney. In the men’s half pipe, the top five competitors were CU students. Senior Jeanine Deeb was the only representative for the CU women’s team, beating teams with multiple girls for her second-place finish in slope style and third-place finish in the half pipe.
“We definitely expected to take regionals,” team President Jeff Popp said.
The competitions almost didn’t happen, though. After a mistake on Copper Mountain’s part, the resort canceled the events the day before. The Albertson College team had already driven from Idaho, only to turn around.
At the last minute, Winter Park resort and the judges from Copper were able to turn a canceled three-day event, complete with banquets, into one day of packed competitions. Only three of the original seven colleges ended up participating.
“Winter Park saved us,” Deeb said.
Nine men and Deeb represented CU at Winter Park on Sunday. After the USCSA competitions, the team also competed in the Uptown Throwdown Rail Jam.
“We basically took everything,” Deeb said, referring to the rail jam.
For nationals, coming up in the beginning of March at Winter Park, at least 15 teams will be present. Although CU boarders have been ranked No. 1 for several years based on rails jams and other contests, they have not been able to compete as a team until this year. They do not see this as any different, though, and expect the same success they saw at Sunday’s competition.
Other than a rescheduled event for next weekend, the team will be focusing its energy on nationals. That way, come March 5, the team will be ready to repeat this past weekend’s performance and, as Deeb put it, “dominate the competition.”
Contact Campus Press Staff Writer Margot Schneider at margot.schneider@thecampuspress.com.
