Goodwill Games

February 18, 2000

Powers, Czeschin and Kingwill Lead U.S. Sweep At Goodwill Games Halfpipe

LAKE PLACID, NY (Feb. 18) - Had the new Whiteface Mountain gondola been hung any lower, it may have been in some serious trouble Friday as Ross Powers (South Londonderry, VT) was busting huge airs en route to winning the inaugural Winter Goodwill Games halfpipe event.

The 3,000 spectators at the pipe and riders on the gondola, which runs directly over the top section of the pipe, were treated to an aerial assault as Powers boosted his way to a winning score of 45.50. U.S. Snowboard Team riders followed, with Tommy Czeschin (Mammoth Lakes, CA) in second with a 43.00 and Rob Kingwill (Jackson Hole, WY) in third with a 42.50. Teammate Ricky Bower (Park City, UT) continued the U.S. domination with a score of 42.10, placing him in fourth.

Powers, the 1998 U.S. Open halfpipe winner, went huge in his first run, but apparently not huge enough to satisfy himself. He upped his score by two whole points in the second pass, starting with a gigantic backside air ten feet above the lip. While the gondola riders were ducking out of the way, Powers was concentrating on his next hit. He had no problems pulling his tricks-and landing them-cleanly, even when the snowfall began to pick up during second runs.

"The first day I showed up, it seemed like the pipe was smaller and the walls weren't as smooth on the way down," said Powers. "Today, the snow was good. It stayed pretty smooth and everything. It was a fun pipe. The crowd was good and really got into the cheering."

Czeschin, who looked comfortable in the small pipe during practice, posted the 43.00 in his first run. He pulled back-to-back 900s and stayed smooth throughout the run. Czeschin faltered in his second run, recording just a 29.70 after sketching in the lower section.

"The pipe was much better today than the previous days," said Czeschin. "It's a little bit smaller than the pipes we've been riding, so I'm still trying to get used to it. We had a wax tech up there and he fixed us up."

Riders have been used to riding SuperPipes this season at contests in the United States. They are longer and wider with less vertical section at the lip, allowing for easier re-entry which will keep a riders speed up. The Whiteface pipe was more comparable to a European pipe.

The contest included many international riders from Canada, Sweden, Italy and Austria. The top foreign finisher was Canadian Justin Lamoureux, who took fifth with a score of 39.90.

"The pipe from the first day was a bit of a concern," said U.S. coach Pete DelGiudice. "But our groomer, Pat Malendoski, I have alot of faith in him and he did a tremendous job. The biggest problem that my riders have is adjusting to a pipe like this. It requires a changing of how they do their runs and how we put it together. They really rallied well to that and the guys did an excellent job-that's what I'm stoked about."

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