LUDLOW, Vt. – The tricks may not have been quite as impressive as those taking place simultaneously a couple thousand miles away at X Games 12, but the determination of the athletes at Okemo’s Powers Series Halfpipe Competition on Sun., Jan. 27, was every bit as heartfelt.
Okemo Mountain Resort’s SoBe Superpipe played host to the second of three events that make up the Powers Series. Thirty athletes registered for the event that took place under cloudy, snow-filled skies. The series is named in honor of Okemo Snowboard Ambassador, Olympic Gold Medalist Ross Powers. Competitors participating in all three events of the season-long series are vying for a $2,000 purse.
Topping the podium in the Men Under 16 Snowboard category was Randall Reynolds, 15, of Higganum, Conn. Sam Hammer, 13, of Ludlow, Vt., took second place and Chris Brown, 12, from Charleston, N.H., placed third.
Skylar Thomas, 21, of Chester, Vt., took top honors in the Men 16 and Over Snowboard category. Chris Mitchell, 32, of Essex Junction., Vt., placed second and Benji Farrow, 15, of Mount Holly, Vt., rounded out the top three spots.
In the Men Under 16 Ski category, first place went to Austin Drimal, 9, of Weston, Conn. Charles Bocklet, 13, of Rye, N.H., took second and third place went to Jumper Ladd, 13, of South Windsor, Conn.
In the Men 16 and Over Ski category, Dale Talkington, age 15, from Weston, Vt., took first and Tyler Galloway, 17, of Westwood, N.J., took second.
There was a strong showing of women competitors. In the 16 and Under Snowboard category, Taylor Owen, 14, of New London, N.H., took top honors. Second place went to Sarah Parish, 13, of Stanford, Conn. Rounding out the top three was Maddy Fass, 14, of Westport, Conn.
In the Women 16 and Over Snowboard category, Christina Lefebvre, 24, of Proctorsville, Vt., took first place and second place went to Sandy Roundy, 16, of Ludlow, Vt.
Caroline Davitt, 11, of Rye, N.Y., took the Women Under 16 Ski category. Women skiers over 16 were Hannah Farrar, 20, of Carbondale, Colo., in first place and Casey craig, 16, of Fairfield, Conn., in second.
This second event in the three-part Powers series was also a benefit for the Lindsey Baron “Bubba” Foundation, which raises money for scholarships and programs that promote acts of kindness. $540 in event registration fees went to the Foundation.
VewDo Boards was on hand offering demos and they conducted a prize toss at the end of the competition.
The Powers Series continues March 23 with a Slopestyle event in the 'Nor Easter Terrain Park. Registration is slated for 8-9:30 a.m. in POkemo’s base lodge mezzanine and the competition begins at 11a.m.
For more information about events at Okemo Mountain Resort, please call (802) 228-1600 or visit http://www.okemo.com.