Crispin Lipscomb, Mercedes Nicoll on top in Quebec
The top snowboarders from across Canada, including several Whistler riders, converged in Charlevoix, Quebec last week to battle it out in the 2004 Honda Element Canadian Snowboard Championships.
Although prize money is down this year and national team members are selected by world rankings, the nationals help the Canadian Snowboard Federation to identify talent for the national development team. A few riders opted to miss the events, but the majority of national team athletes were on hand to compete.
Whistler athletes were a huge factor in the halfpipe where locals Mercedes Nicoll and Crispin Lipscomb took the gold medals. They were joined on the podium by Maelle Ricker and Mike Michalchuk, who both train in Whistler.
Things got underway on March 25 with the parallel slalom event. Mont Tremblant’s Jasey Jay Anderson, who recently won his fourth consecutive overall World Cup title, took the gold medal ahead of Tyler Jewell of the U.S. and Fuyuki Hattori of Japan. This was Anderson’s fifth straight national title in the sport.
"This was such a fun event and a fun way to cap off the season," said Anderson. "I always enjoy coming to the Canadian Championships and checking out the young riders coming up, and I’m very impressed with Canada’s future snowboard athletes. They are a talented group, but I am definitely starting to feel old out here – even though I’m only 28."
The next Canadian on the podium was 24-year-old Jerome Sylvestre of Bromont, Quebec in fourth place. Montreal’s Adam McLeish, 23, who was on the national development team this season, was fifth.
In the women’s PS the gold went to Tomoka Takeuchi of Japan. Christelle Doyon of Sherbrooke, Quebec and Kimiko Zakreski and Ekaterina Zavialov of Calgary were the top three Canadians in second through fourth places respectively.
The alpine events continued the next day with the parallel giant slalom. Anderson was once again unbeatable on his way to his second title this year, and his second consecutive title in the PGS.
"This is such a great way to finish another remarkable season," said Anderson, who edged out American Tyler Jewell once again to win gold.
Third place went to 19-year-old Philippe Berube of Pierrefonds, Quebec.
Patrick Ferrell of the men’s development team finished fifth overall to rank third among the Canadians.
In the women’s race, Ashley Nite of the U.S. edged out Canadian veteran Alexa Loo of Richmond to win the big final. Tomoka Takeuchi of Japan was third. Kimiko Zakreski and Christelle Doyon rounded out the top-three for Canadians in fourth and fifth respectively.
In the halfpipe, Whistler’s Crispin Lipscomb led from the beginning with the highest score in the qualifying round, and continued to impress judges and fans to win the national title with 45.6 points. He started his run with a few ‘unique’ straight airs, before throwing back-to-back 720’s in the middle of his run.
"I just showed diversity and tried to keep it pretty big and pretty clean," said Lipscomb.
"I would say that my hardest competition there didn’t make it to the finals, (Ontario’s) Brad Martin who won the junior nationals a few days before. But yeah, it was still really hard out there, all the guys from Calgary were riding really well."
Lipscomb returned to Whistler after the nationals to rest and get ready for the Ripzone Snowboard Invitational on April 17. He finished third in the Superpipe event last year and went on to win the athlete-judged Superhit contest.
With some of the top U.S. riders coming to Whistler this year, including X-Games champion Steven Fisher, Lipscomb knows he has his work cut out for him and has been working on some new tricks.
"I’m working on more big spins, and trying to make it really technical to step up to the same level as the boys (American riders). The guy who won the X-Games is on his way here, but he’s a good friend and I’ve got some insight into his stuff. It should be fun. It’s going to be a very impressive field," he said.
Competitors had a tough time with the nationals halfpipe at Mont Olympia, which was short, wide, lacked vertical and turned slushy during the course of the competition. As a result the competitors had to work extra hard to build enough speed to land their best tricks.
Pemberton’s Mike Michalchuk was impressive as always to finish second with a 41.2. Chris Waddell of Caldeon, Ontario took the bronze medal with 40.2 points.
The women’s event went to Whistler’s Mercedes Nicoll, 20, who just completed her second full year with the national team on the World Cup circuit. She won a bronze medal at a World Cup competition in Whistler last December and finished the season ranked 24 th overall. This was her first national title, although she has won the national junior title.
"It was pretty much the same run as I did on the World Cup, I did a backside five (540) to start off and further down I did a frontside five (540)," said Nicoll.
She knew the competition was going to be close.
"It was pretty exciting," she said.
She scored a 36.3, which was good enough edge past Dominique Vallee of Beaconsfield, Quebec, who posted a 35.8. Maelle Ricker, who divides her time between North Vancouver and Whistler, finished third with a 35.2. Whistler’s Valerie Legere was 29 th .
All four women will be in Whistler for the Ripzone Snowboard Invitational.
The national championships wrapped up on Sunday, March 28 with the snowboard cross competition. Snowboard cross was recently added to the Olympics, and will be an official medal sport in Turin for 2006.
Vernon’s Tom Velisek, 23, one of Canada’s top snowboard cross competitors and one of eight Canadians to win World Cup medals this year, took his first national title.
"The course was really good today and we had a lot of fun riding and competing against each other," said Velisek. "I’m really happy to have been able to finish the season on top and I’m already looking forward to next year."
Rob Fagan of Cranbrook, B.C. was second, and Francois Boivin of Jonquiere third. Whistler riders include Simon Bonenfant in 14 th and David Sakolinsky in 22 nd .
Dominique Maltais of Charlevoix, Quebec, the top Canadian woman on the World Cup snowboard cross circuit this season, took her second consecutive national title after a very close race.
"I am really happy to win this event in consecutive years, especially because this is my first gold medal of the season," she said. "It was a great event today and an awesome way to finish a very good season on the World Cup."
She was followed by Jessica Kimura of Vernon and Whistler’s Cori Olafson, making it an all-B.C. podium. Whistler’s Kerry Martin was ninth.
