Snowboarding: US Grand Prix tour at Mt Bachelor

US Grand Prix Snowboarding in the Mountain Zone

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Shannon's Mctwists Prove Potent and Ross Retains World Domination
LIVE: Dec. 19, 1998

God Richards faked flailing until finals today revealing the mortal within. For the finals he busted out a solid run worthy of the God title. It was too little too late. Ross was running the show with huge runs every time. Mike Michaelchuck was on pain killers and tape for the third competition of the week. He took third in Wednesday's halfpipe, first in Friday's quarterpipe and second in the halfpipe today for a total of "maybe ten grand". The young eastern ruler Adam Petraska proved his comfort level with the elders by placing third.

Shannon Dunn Right
Shannon's smooth mctwists above the lip gave her the win today. Her signature 7's seemed absent and everyone else was busting them out instead. Tricia Byrnes has been busting them out for victory recently, but was suppressed to third today behind Shannon and Cara-Beth. CB is about smoothness. Her methods are relaxed. She rides like a natural woman. Michele Taggart took fourth with her back to back 540's and Kim Stacy still boosted above all females, but the judges didn't seem to notice.

Ross didn't have to take a final run again today. Like Wednesday's competition, he had won before he finished. So does he straight line it down the pipe? Does he mock the whole freezing, dark, continually TV delayed, hype? No, Ross may be young, but Rosco's got style. He showed the dwindling crowd another huge run with extra sauce. "I look at all the good riders out here, the good pipe and this year you have to go for it all," he said with stoke.

Michaelchuck Injured
Todd Richards stepped up to the mic this weekend and mocked many a rider. Jimi Scott showed some stoke going old school with a Phillips 66 on his final run. Ian Spiro pushed past vast and right into pretentious levels of amplitude to no avail. The overall level of competition today was impressive.

Any of the top 10 could have taken it. The finals found the light and crowd diminishing and the cold stinging. Sweden's Fredrik Sterner and Americans Seth Wescott and Tommy Czeschin battled to the end looking warm. Natasza Zurek did more than look on like she did for the World Cup and posted 11th and Victoria Jealouse signed up just to ride the pipe and still placed in the middle of the pack at 21st.

Fredrik The Freak
By the end everyone listened to Todd's instructions and dumped boiling cocoa on their feet and extremities. Unsure of the consequences, but always one to follow the crowd I found myself covered in cocoa with my frozen french fry fingers cracking off my hands. I now type with my nose and fear removing my boots to find two still frozen spuds swimming in cocoa.

— Hans Prosl, stoked to do this in Maine for The Mountain Zone

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