OGDEN — Todd Schlopy and J.D. Christensen stood at the bottom of the Dew Tour's slopestyle course and watched their sons do what they never could.
"When I was a kid, we built jumps," said Schlopy. "And then the ski patrol would knock them all down. Now they help them build them up."
A fact which made watching Park City natives Alex Schlopy and Joss Christensen win first and second, respectively, at the Winter Dew Tour's Ski Slopestyle competition Sunday at Snowbasin both satisfying and vindicating for the Generation X crowd.
"It's incredible," said Schlopy after watching his 18-year-old son grind, flip and twist his way to his third major win in three weeks. "I grew up (skiing) a 450 foot vertical hill that would have been perfect for this stuff, but they didn't have it yet. We had to go into ski racing, or we would have been bored to tears."
It was also thrilling, albeit a little surprising, for the Christensen family as Joss qualified for the event through the Dew Tour's new Last Chance Qualifying competition.
"My goal was just to make the prelims," said Joss Christensen. "I woke up this morning and just wanted to land this run. I'm super stoked."
The fact there were two Park City natives on the podium and a third in Sunday's Final is no accident. While Alex won the event with a score of 94.5, Christensen was second with a score of 92. The two teens have known each other since pre-school and have been shredding the slopes since they were 12.
"The first trick I ever did was in Joss' back yard," said Schlopy, whose mother was an Olympian in Alpine skiing.
After the locals dominated the morning's competition, much of the conversation centered around how Utah is home to so many of the sports emerging athletes — as well some of the most educated extreme sports fans.
"There is a great local scene in Utah," said Chris Pryblo, General Manager of the Dew Tour. "Utah is absolutely fantastic. We have great support across the board — the fans, local government … The crowds have exceeded our expectations once again."
Officials estimated more than 44,300 people attended the four-day event, which makes it the biggest winter sporting event since the Olympics.
Watching locals succeed on the tour could serve as even more inspiration for the emerging sports, which are now hoping to be included in the 2014 Olympics.
Joss said Alex wonning last weekend's first-ever Ski Slopestyle World Championship (at Park City Mountain Resort) gave him confidence he could compete at that level.
"I was watching him on TV," said Joss. "It makes it seem more realistic for me."
J.D. Christensen can't help but smile considering his son is now earning money for doing things that got his boyhood friends into trouble.
"The first flip I ever saw was Stein Ericson's," said J.D. Christensen. "And they made him tear the jump down afterward."
All three teens in Sunday's final attended the Winter Sports School, which gives them time to pursue their passion and access to the same training facilities Olympic Athletes use.
"Training might be tougher if you live in West Virginia because you don't have the same facilities," said Todd. "You have to learn to be able to safely do tricks."
Being able to ski while other boys were sitting in classes gave the young men an advantage. In addition to winters off (instead of summers), students also had teachers who were as concerned with their success on the slopes as they were with their achievements in school.
"I basically dropped out of eighth grade and went straight into ninth grade," Alex said. "My grades got better because I didn't have to balance as much."
Alex said freeskiing gave him the kind of focus that he needed to succeed in all areas of his life.
"Skiing in general, it's just a way to channel your energy," he said. "It keeps you from getting bored. It's active and healthy."
Todd and Holly Schlopy introduced their son to skiing when he was 2 years old.
"We wanted them to have a sport for a lifetime," Todd said. "When he was six, seven, eight, we had to drag him out (to ski)."
But as soon as he was old enough — and skilled enough — to take off on his own with friends, he was hooked.
"He disappeared from the house," said Todd with a smile. It didn't take Alex, Joss and their friends long to find terrain parks at local resorts.
Now, not only did they have the facilities, they had the blessing of resort owners.
"He's had an ADD-type of dedication to learning new tricks," Todd said.
J.D. echoed the benefits of the sport.
"It's huge fun," J.D. said. "It's kept him totally out of trouble. I couldn't be happier."
Dew Tour results
Men's Freeski Slopestyle
1. Alex Schlopy, Park City, Utah, 94.50; 2. Joss Christensen, Park City, Utah, 92.00; 3. Russ Henshaw, Australia, 87.50; 4. Bobby Brown, Breckenridge, Colo., 85.00; 5. Jossi Wells, New Zealand, 84.00;6. JF Houle, Canada, 82.00.
Women's Freeski Slopestyle
1. Kaya Turski, Canada, 89.50; 2. Devin Logan, Dover, Vt., 85.00; 3. Anna Segal, Australia, 79.25; 4. Kim Lamarre, Canada, 68.25; 5. Keri Herman, Breckenridge, Colo., 65.50; 6. Ashley Battersby, Park City, Utah, 61.75.
Men's Snowboard Slopestyle
1. Eric Willett, Breckenridge, Colo., 97.25. 2. Mark Mcmorris, Canada, 95.00. 3. Torstein Horgmo, Nowary, 93.75. 4. Chas Buldemond, Reno Tahoe, Nev.., 93.00. 5. Torgeir Bergem, Norway, 87.75. 6. Spencer Link, Corona, Calif., 85.00.
Women's Snowboard Slopestyle
1.Janna Weatherby, Big Bear, Calif., 96.00. 2. Jamie Anderson, South Lake Tahoe, Calif., 95.00. 3. Spencer O'Brien, Canada, 91.75. 4. Jordie Karlinski, Snowmass Village, Colo., 89.00. 5. Rebecca Torr, New Zealand, 48.75. 6.Nicki Slechta, Los Angeles, Calif., 39.00.
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