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<< See Article 1 | 2
| Burlington, VT (March 19, 2002) For the 20th consecutive
year, the global snowboarding community descended upon Stratton Mountain,
Vermont, from March 14-17, 2002, to witness world class competitive snowboarding
at the premier event of the A staple at the U.S. Open, the Boys and Girls Junior Jam Halfpipe event (open to riders age thirteen and under) went down on Sunday, March 17th in the same Superpipe that the men and women competed in a day earlier. The airs may not have been as high, but these up-and-coming riders showed the same style and pulled many of the same tricks as the seasoned pros. Eleven-year old Luke Mitrani (USA), who barely missed qualifying for the Men s Halfpipe competition earlier in the week, wowed spectators and judges alike as he consistently boosted airs double his own height. Luke was rewarded with the top podium spot for his efforts, with Oliver Gittler (FRA) and Adam Dyroff (USA) finishing in second and third, respectively. For the girls it was Eliza Greene (USA) who landed herself on top of the podium by riding consistently and pulling stylish methods and smooth airs to fakie. Danielle Kain (USA) took home second place honors, and Brooke Shaw (USA) rounded out the top three. On Saturday March 16, 2002 the top riders in the world took to the pipe and threw it all on the line in the Mens and Womens Halfpipe final. Ten men and ten women competed in a jam format, and when the 60-minute jam session came to an end, it was Danny Kass (USA) who took it home for the men, with Markku Koski (FIN) in second and Keir Dillon (USA) in third. For the women, Kelly Clark (USA) kept her golden streak alive as her smooth McTwists and lofty spins earned her a first place finish. Perennial ripper Tricia Byrnes (USA) took home second place honors, and Stine Brun Kjeldaas (NOR) rounded out the womens top three. The 2002 U.S. Open Snowboarding Championships has come
to close, and there is already a sense of excitement that permeates the
air in anticipation of next years Open. As has been A huge thank you goes out to all of the 2002 U.S. Open Snowboarding Championships sponsors including Burton Snowboards as Owner/Presenting Sponsor, Right Guard Xtreme Sport as Presenting Sponsor, SoBe Beverages and Volkswagen as Supporting Sponsors, FHM, Gore-Tex, Activision02, Sports Illustrated Women, and Feria as Associate Sponsors, Clif Bar as Display Sponsor, and Stratton Mountain Resort as Event Host. Look for network-televised coverage of the 20th Annual U.S. Open this April 2002 on Fox Sports Net April 15th, 17th, and 22nd. 2002 U.S. Open Snowboarding Championships Complete
Results: Please visit the official U.S. Open website for a complete broadcast schedule. www.usopen-snowboarding.com << See US Open Article 1
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season. The 2002 U.S. Open Snowboarding Championships wrapped up on Sunday,
March 17, 2002, with the Junior Jam Halfpipe event and the inaugural Mens
and Womens Slopestyle competition. 
On
Sunday afternoon, March 17th, blue skies and mild temperatures ushered
in the first ever Mens and Womens Slopestyle final at the U.S. Open
Snowboarding Championships. An enthusiastic crowd and an excellent course
packed with jumps, gaps, hips, rails and a vert wall pushed the riders
to the next level. In both the mens and womens final, the crowd was
treated to creative lines and ultra technical handrail mastery by the
best riders in the world. When it was all said and done, it was Vermonts
own Rahm Klampert (USA) who took home the inaugural Slopestyle crown for
the men, with Travis Rice (USA) and Ryan Paris (USA) finishing close behind
in second and third, respectively. On the womens front, it was Annie
Boulanger (CAN) whose consistent riding earned her the top podium spot,
with the battle for second and third a true nail biter as Hannah Teter
(USA) narrowly edged out fellow countrywoman Jaime MacLeod (USA) by only
one-tenth of a point to secure second place honors, leaving MacLeod in
third. 
the case for the past twenty years, there is no doubt that the global
snowboarding community will once again flock to Southern Vermont come
mid-March for another weekend of world class competitive snowboarding
at its very best.
