BEND, Ore. -- Olympic gold medalist Ross Powers won the
halfpipe event Saturday in the U.S. Snowboard Grad Prix at Mount
Bachelor.
Powers, of Stratton, Vt., came in first with a score of 45.2,
ahead of runner-up Luke Wynen of Mammoth Lakes, Calif., who had 45
out of a possible 50.
Powers, who won the gold medal in the halfpipe in Salt Lake City
in 2002, nearly didn't reach the finals, finishing thrid-from-last
in Friday's qualification round.
"I was right on the bubble on Friday," he said "It was a
close one. But I feel great about how I rode in the finals. I got
some height up there and did the tricks I needed to do."
Toni-Markus Turunen of Finland took third with a score of 44.
Lindsey Jacobellis, also of Stratton, won the women's halfpipe
with a score of 40.9, followed by Kelly Clark of Mammoth Lakes,
Calif., (40.4) and Elena Hight, also of Mammoth Lakes (40.3).
Seventeen-year-old Kevin Pearce of Norwich, Vt., won the men's
slopestyle with a score of 41. Shayne Pospisil was second (40.80)
and Wyatt Caldwell was third (39.70).
Leanne Pelosi of Calgary, Alberta, claimed the women's
slopestyle event with a score of 35.40. Chanelle Sladics took
second (33.30), and Emily Thomas was third (30.40).