We have no snow, lets go to Canada . Well, it turned out to be a great trip. We made it across the border with little difficulty. The roads were good. Big White lived up to its name and had snow. It was a well run event as Cathy and Flynn had just come from key roles at the Snowboard World Championships at Whistler, BC the week before.

  The Slope Style course on Friday was up to par with many professional events. It had our guys a little ruffled with its size, but after the practice session in the morning they were ready to go. Kyle Woodley used his strong skateboarding skills to ride many of the features and push his comfort zone. Riding stronger with each run, Kyle finished in fourth place. In the next age group up, Ian Anderson took some risks and tried some newly learned skills. Unfortunately, a couple mistakes held him back finishing in fourth. In the 15-16 age group, Auston Sorensen stepped up to the plate and hit a home run when it counted. With a run that included a smooth back flip over a 30 ft tabletop, Auston received a score that put him 11 th overall and went on to win his age group.

  Unfortunately, the weather didn't cooperate for the Halfpipe. A layer of fog reduced the visibility and produced very flat light. Thinking quick the judges turned the day into an exhibition with the Canadian National Halfpipe Champion, Crispin Lipscomb, doing a demonstration and helping the athletes try new moves. To prep for the next day, Kyle insisted we go for Sushi that night. It might have worked.

  On Sunday the weather improved and the Boadercross looked great. It was a well built course that was just challenging enough for the first one of the year. Again, the guys were treated to National team riders competing, including Tom Velicek ranked 6th in the world last year. Kyle was able to pick up speed with every run, finishing in fourth for the second time. Auston faced some tough competition unfortunately coming up a little short in the qualifying rounds. Ian backed up his 5 th place finish at Nationals last year with his second win of the year, edging out a competitor a foot taller who was starting to grow a beard.

  More great results achieved for the team and an excellent introduction to more professional events. Stay tuned, taking over the world one small step at a time.