MT. HOOD, Ore. - Following touch-and-go weather for the first few days, a perfect halfpipe and three days of sun highlighted a successful 2006 Project Gold freestyle camp for U.S. Snowboarding at Windells on Mt. Hood, Ore.
With U.S. Snowboarding's coaches Mike Jankowski and Rick Bower at the helm, around 34 riders participated in the seven-day camp that will be capped June 20-21 with the final stop of the Chevrolet Revolution Tour.
"We've been having a great time snowboarding," said Jankowski, who took over as head halfpipe coach earlier this month. "When we started the camp last week, Bower and I had all the riders write down six goals and they've been checking them off all week. The progression has been really quick and as the riders nail their goals, they make new goals."
With the mission of making sure the riders have the most fun while working towards becoming the best in the world, Jankowski said each day begins with a group meeting to organize everyone's mental goals and set a theme for the day.
"After breakfast and our morning meeting, we do what we love to do the rest of the day - we snowboard," said Jankowski. "The riders decide if they want to progress, and Bower and I are here to help make it happen. We've had riders like Chris Waker (Stratton Mountain, VT), who came into this camp barely landing a backside five, now he's stomping mute backside nines that look like Shaun White. Everyone has stepped it up. The vibe is good, everyone is feeding off each other's energy and we're all having fun."
Nick Fuca (Park City, UT), who is attending his first Project Gold camp at Windells, credited both Jankowski and Bower for the rapid progression.
"I'm way stoked to be a part of this camp," said the 17-year old. "The coaches have been awesome. They have a no-pressure style that keeps the fun going and makes you want to get better. There are so many good riders here and seeing everyone land new tricks really pushes you."
The Project Gold camp concludes with the final Chevrolet Revolution Tour event with men's and women's halfpipe slated for June 20 and slopestyle to follow on June 21. Winners of each Revolution Tour stop gain an automatic starting spot for the 2006-07 Chevrolet U.S. Snowboarding Grand Prix, the nation's premier snowboarding tour with prizes that total more than $340,000.
The 2007 Chevrolet Revolution Tour is powered by Burton Snowboards, Bonfire, Smith, Palmer, Swix, Snowboard Magazine and Windells.