|
Huck & Tuck 2004LAKE PLACID, N.Y. – Dylan Ferguson of Amesbury, Mass. led the morning qualifiers, dropped into a first place tie midway through the finals, then rallied to defeat close friend Michael Clarke of Lake Placid Saturday in the first annual Lake Placid Huck and Tuck. The competition, featuring freeskiers and snowboarders at the Kodak Sports Park on a steamy, 80-degree day, was conducted by the New York Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA) and may have doubled as a peek into the future of the freestyle skiing venue. |
||||||||||||
With the freeskier movement in full bloom, youngsters gravitating into that discipline in the winter will perhaps need a training site in summer to perfect their tricks.
Maneuvers with their own lexicon, such as Ferguson’s signature Switch 1080 Tail Grab, need a laboratory such as the Kodak Sports Park for experimentation. The 750,000 gallon pool at the site works perfectly.
“I’ve been training in Lake Placid for five years and staying at the Olympic Training Center,” said the 16-year old student at Waterville Valley, N.H. “This venue helps a lot. I train every day getting my tricks down.”
Ferguson was deadlocked with schoolmate Clarke at 27 points after the opening round of the finals. But the winner’s final trick, where he descended the in-run skiing backwards, or switch, and executed three revolutions while holding the back of a ski, gave him a perfect second round score of 30 to Clarke’s 26. That bested the local skier, 57-53.
Despite the loss, Clarke mimicked the mantra of the many youth who have joined the new school movement. “I’ve picked up lots of new tricks this summer and it will help this winter,” said Clarke, who also attends school at Waterville Valley. “I’m not disappointed. Dylan’s a good friend and we ski a lot together. This event was fun and I had a good showing.”
Lindsay Kellett, a female freeskier from Plattsburgh, N.Y., improved from fifth in the first round to a final placing of third with 51 points.
A total of 48 skiers and riders began the morning looking to qualify for the top prize of $300 and a Kodak Sports Park training pass for next season. Other finishers in the field chose from the many items donated by Burton Snowboards and Rossignol.
The field was trimmed to 30 for the afternoon finals.
After the awards ceremony, ORDA staff packed in snow from the Olympic Center and set up a series of rails for the athletes to session before many of the 500 patrons who remained for the additional entertainment.
It was that final point – entertainment – that was the key to the day. Judging was based on the “wow” factor, and included Phillipe Belanger of Montreal, Quebec.
One of the original freeskiers, Belanger, owner of two ski shops in Montreal and Quebec City, was quick to complement the activities. “I liked the format,” he said. “It was pretty mellow. It’s important to have fun. I saw lots of young skiers and I enjoyed seeing that the sport really exists and the kids are loving it. It makes me glad to say I was one of the pioneers.”
Added Belanger, “I was impressed with the number of people who showed up and it was great to see how the people here are involved in the sport.”
“Free riding is rocketing and this could be the wave of the future,” concluded Clarke.
