SUNDAY RIVER, Maine — Snowboarders never were into high fashion.
Sondra Van Ert competed in the U.S. Snowboard Championships slalom race Thursday wearing a pale green fighter jacket and blue jeans.
"Usually I try to be the fashion one with the slalom sweaters, assorted jewelry, headbands," U.S. teammate Rosey Fletcher deadpanned. "But today, Sondra just busted it out for the second run, and I was totally caught by utter surprise. Of course there was nothing I could do. I was at the top of the course."
Fletcher let her snowboard do the talking, getting to the bottom of the grueling 59-gate course faster than any woman and most of the men. Her two-run combined time of 2 minutes 1.41 seconds put her a whopping nine seconds ahead of the second-place finisher.
"It's very challenging . . . You get half way and your legs are burning. It's the equivalent of three parallel slaloms all put together," she said.
American Jeff Greenwood won the men's side despite riding backward through a gate on his second run.
Racers competed in a blizzard as a major nor'easter dumped at least 6 inches of wet snow during the first day of the national championships.
North American riders as well as a handful of Japanese and Europeans are scheduled to challenge each other in parallel giant slalom and halfpipe — the two Olympic disciplines — Saturday. Snowboard cross is on tap for Sunday.
The heavy snowfall Thursday made staying on line tough.
"So it went from nice conditions this morning, although the course was a lot bouncier than expected, to just a rodeo out there now," said U.S. rider Stacia Hookom, who finished second.
Greenwood managed to stay on his horse, though his bumpy second run wasn't without a couple of close calls.
"I went fakie (backward) halfway down the course," he said. "I slid out around a heel-side gate and went around the next heel-side gate going toe-side."
Greenwood righted himself and poured on the speed. Even a little wobble through the last few gates didn't keep him from edging Canadian Jasey Jay Anderson.
"It's a nice way to end the season. I love coming to nationals," said Greenwood, who posted a time of 1:58.18. "It gives me a bit of confidence going into next year for sure."
Van Ert's racing attire — her bags were lost en route from a World Cup meet in Finland — epitomized the laid-back attitude most racers brought into the final snowboard meet of the season.
Riders are eager for a break before the 2002 Winter Games intensity and hype shift into overdrive. Regardless of how well they do this weekend, American snowboarders still have to compete for spots in Salt Lake City next season.
Fletcher and Greenwood hope to take some of this week's playfulness into "the big Games" as Fletcher calls the Olympics.
"Just have fun. I think you lose that. You lose the mind frame of we're just here snowboarding," Fletcher said.
U.S. SNOWBOARDING CHAMPIONSHIPS
MEN'S SLALOM
1. Jeff Greenwood, Hartford, Conn., 1:58.18
2. Jasey Jay Anderson, Canada, 1:59.85
3. Jerome Sylvestre, Canada, 2:00.97
4. Chris Klug, Aspen, Colo., 2:01.66
5. Claude Boivin, Canada, 2:01.91
WOMEN'S SLALOM
1. Rosey Fletcher, Girdwood, Alaska, 2:01.41
2. Stacia Hookom, Edwards, Colo., 2:10.88
3. Ran Iida, Japan, 2:11.99
4. Sondra Van Ert, Ketchum, Idaho, 2:12.40
5. Helene Cloutier, Canada, 2:12.44
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