NEWS
SBX Men Not Daunted by Rain
02/12/2010
SBX Men Not Daunted by Rain
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CYPRESS MOUNTAIN, BC (Feb. 12) – The 2010 U.S. Olympic Men's Snowboardcross Team encountered wet weather in training again on Friday, but the rain didn't dampen their spirits.
"It's snowboarding," said five-time X Games gold medalist Nate Holland. "We work in this stuff all the time. Super cold, icy conditions … wet, rainy fog … it's all a part of it. I grew up in this stuff over in Idaho (on home resort Schweitzer), so I'm pretty comfortable."
Holland said the conditions won't change the playing field, so there's no reason to worry about them.
"It's a race, someone's gotta win it," Holland said. "Like I said before, I've done a lot of work to get here, I'm pretty fired up on it. I'm just going to lay my heart down on the course and see where I end up."
Two-time Olympian Graham Watanabe (Sun Valley, ID) said his only concern is getting one or two runs on the course on race day, in order to get a feel for the snow.
"It is pretty wet, so as it compacts, it's going to form ripples in the snow, especially in the turny sections," he said. "Being stable on the board is going to be more difficult than on a smooth course."
On the day of Opening Ceremonies, Watanabe said he had no expectations after qualifying in his final opportunity with second place at the World Cup event in Stoneham on Jan. 21.
"Basically, that was just a relief," he said. "I knew I was on the team. But it was definitely a challenging day emotionally because it was bittersweet. Shaun Palmer (South Lake Tahoe, CA) and Ross Powers (Bennington, VT) were both one placing away from qualifying. When you're this close with your teammates, it's hard to celebrate when you've suffered a loss as a group."
Watanabe's remaining teammates include reigning Olympic gold medalist Seth Wescott (Sugarloaf, ME) and World Championship Nick Baumgartner (Iron River, MI), and that crew will vie for more podium finishes Monday, with qualification beginning at 1:30 p.m. PT.
