U.S. Snowboard “Snowboardcross” (Sbx) Team Training At Mt. Hood Meadows
Athletes include Olympic Gold Medalist Seth Wescott and National Champ Graham Watanabe. Nate Holland and Shaun Palmer seeking redemption
Mt. Hood, OR – The U.S. Snowboard Snowboardcross (SBX) team will train at Mt. Hood Meadows January 4 – 8 on custom courses the resort has built for the team. It will be the only high speed competitive training the team will receive before heading to the World Championships in Switzerland later this month. Head coach Peter Foley approached Meadows regarding the training because all the World Cup Snowboard Cross events in Europe have been cancelled this season, leaving the team with virtually no high speed training.
Meadows proved last season that it could construct a world class caliber course, hosting the National Championships in December. Graham Watanabe was crowned the men’s National Champion, and Bend’s Leslee Olson won the women’s Championship. The event dashed the Olympic hopes of Portland favorite Mark Schulz but not for legend Shaun Palmer, neither qualified for an Olympic slot at nationals, but Palmer went on to win a spot on the Olympic team. Then he blew his Achilles tendon preventing him from competing in the Olympics. Nate Holland, a gold medal favorite, competed well at last year’s championship, but he finished a disappointing 14th at Torino after a collision ended his day early.
The team – led by Olympic gold medalist Seth Wescott – will be training at Meadows through January 8. Watanabe, Holland and Palmer are also at Mt. Hood Meadows taking laps to hone their skills for the upcoming World Championships.
Foley had high praise for the Meadows terrain and grooming department for being able to put together challenging courses that will prepare his team for Switzerland.
Meadows’ President and Chief Operating Officer welcomed the team back with open arms, saying, “We are pleased to support U.S. Snowboarding by building these exceptional training courses. We have the terrain, grooming expertise and abundant snow to build features worthy of this competition, which ultimately will help our athletes perform better at the international level. It is an honor, and our entire staff is looking forward to hosting the best SBX riders in the USA. It is also consistent with our goal to become ‘The best in the West’ in terrain park and resort operations.”