The Winter Olympics have taken off! Athletes have arrived across Italy, and opening ceremonies and celebrations have taken place. The Olympics are the world’s biggest stage for sporting events, with competitors from every country coming together to represent their homeland. The athletes have spent years working their way up through the ranks, and they have finally reached the top. The process of reaching the Olympic level begins decades before athletes see the illustrious games. Years of hard work, sacrifice, and dedication all come together for a shot at Olympic glory.
Colorado has been a hub for winter sports athletes for decades. Colorado has one of the highest numbers of Olympians per capita, particularly in winter sports. Some of the most prominent names across winter sports reside in the Rocky Mountains. The state’s geography makes it a great training ground for athletes at all levels. From the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs to Copper Mountain, a major training ground for the US Ski and Snowboard team, athletes from near and far flock to Colorado. Copper Mountain, recently rebranded as “The Athletes Mountain,” has hosted various professional skiing and snowboarding events for decades.
In early December, the official Stifel Copper Cup Ski Race, presented by United Airlines, kicked off, opening the U.S. leg of the Audi FIS Alpine Ski World Cup tour. Soon after, Copper hosted the U.S. Toyota Grand Prix Halfpipe competition. In early January, the first stop of the U.S. Revolution Tour, a free ski competition, kicked off.
The U.S. Revolution Tour—also called the Rev Tour—is a 3-stop tour across the US West Coast for freeski and snowboard athletes in the park and pipe disciplines. The Rev Tour is a part of the larger North American Competition Cup (NorAm). Competing in the NorAm Cup is similar to competing at the D1 collegiate level. Many athletes at this level are beginning to receive professional sponsorships and national team positions. Success at this level helps propel athletes to the full professional international circuit and opens more opportunities for sponsorship and national team positions.
Athletes compete in various competitions across the United States and Canada in order to collect NorAm Cup Points. The athletes are then ranked by the highest number of Cup Points. Whoever wins the overall NorAm Cup in their discipline with the most points (i.e., girls ski halfpipe, boys snowboard slopestyle, overall boys ski winner) receives a World Cup starting position for the following season and typically a national team offer. The first competition of the Rev Tour, which kicks off the NorAm Cup season, takes place at Copper Mountain.
This past January, I was able to attend the men’s and women’s snowboard slopestyle competitions and get a behind the scenes of the events. These events happened on Friday, January 16th. It was a day full of cold chills and strong winds, unlike the rest of the week, which had been sunny and pleasant. The snowfall brought challenges with speed, so many of the athletes struggled to perform the trick that they had originally trained in practice sessions earlier in the week, specifically across the jump section of the course. Copper’s course features two large rail sections followed by 3 large jumps, spanning from 40 to 60 ft. Athletes can expect to travel over 100 feet on these jumps, and each rail section offers 3 features for the athlete to choose from.
The girls’ competitions took place early in the morning in harsh weather. Despite the conditions, the girls were able to push through and put together solid runs. Colorado local, Giada (Gia) Brienza, of the U.S. Snowboard Rookie Slopestle team, finished on top of the podium, followed by her U.S. Rookie teammate, Gabriella (Gabby) Boday (2010) of California. Victoria Zhang (2011) finished third, representing the Ski and Snowboard Club of Vail. On the men’s side, Colin Frans (2009) from Minnesota, took the top podium position. His winning run featured a triple cork 1440 on the final jump, which involved four off-axis rotations while simultaneously flipping three times. His impressive rail capability, combined with technical jump execution, propelled him to victory. His U.S. Snowboard rookie slopestyle teammate and fellow Minnesotan, Liam Johnson (2004), of the U.S. Rookie Snowboard team, finished in second place, followed by Will Solomon (2006) out of Winter Park, Colorado, in third.
These athletes will continue to compete in NorAm events for the rest of this season, hoping to earn a World Cup start. From there, the sky’s the limit, and for many, they are set on Olympic gold. Getting to the Olympic level is not something that happens overnight, and the Rev Tour and the NorAm are among the many training levels that freeski and snowboard athletes go through to reach the top.
Though the Olympics are currently taking place, make sure to keep an eye on the up-and-coming next generation of skiers and boarders. There’s a good chance they may be on your TV screen in four years at the 2030 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics. Only time will tell.
