U.S. rider Lindsey Jacobellis wins four SR awards, and she's just 18

U.S. rider Lindsey Jacobellis wins four SR awards, and she’s just 18{mosimage}Daniela Meuli and Sigi Grabner were fast; Hannah Teter and Steve Fisher went huge; Lindsey Jacobellis did both. That’s just part of the story behind the selection of this year’s Ski Racing riders of the year.

Rider of the Year, U.S. Boardercross Rider of the Year, International Rider of the Year, U.S. Junior Rider of the Year
Lindsey Jacobellis
Age: 18
Hometown: Stratton Mountain, Vermont
Sponsors: Palmer, Section, Scott
Lindsey Jacobellis absolutely killed it in boardercross this season. She won six of six starts, including the X Games, Grand Prix and four FIS World Cups. She won the boardercross national title, and basically could have taken the World Cup title, too, if she had competed in World Cup Finals, but she opted to compete in the U.S. Open instead. And Lindsey isn’t only a boardercross ace. She actually spends most of her time in the halfpipe, where she has some impressive results to her name. Out of eight halfpipe starts, Lindsey had five top-fives this season, with a win at the FIS World Cup in Japan, seconds at the World Cup in Chile and New Jersey Grand Prix, and fourths at the Mammoth Grand Prix and the X Games. Her results are even more remarkable when you take into account that she’s only 18, which is why she beat out Daniela Meuli, Sigi Grabner, Xavier Delerue and Risto Matilla for the Rider of the Year Award.

International Alpine Riders of the Year
Daniela Meuli
Age: 22
Hometown: Davos, Switzerland
Sponsors: Suttero, Phenix, Oakley, Snowlife
The Swiss team joke that their chocolate is what makes them fast. If that’s the case, then Daniela Meuli must eat a ton of it. Meuli led the world this year, winning the women’s World Cup parallel title by a landslide 11,890 points. Out of 16 World Cup starts, Meuli landed on the podium 13 times, taking the top step eight times. Her consistency is even more impressive when you consider that virtually every race was plagued by bad weather and inconsistent snow conditions. Add in the deep ruts and no resets endemic to the parallel format, and her consistency is downright flabbergasting. Meuli says there’s no big secret to her success: “I just got a good feeling and tried to have it go to the end.” Whether it’s chocolate or riding out “a feeling,” her recipe works.

Sigi Grabner
Age: 29
Country: Austria
Sponsors: Red Bull, Karntern Sport, KIA
Grabner was a staunch supporter of the now defunct ISF and only came to compete full-time on the FIS World Cup during the 2001-02 season. In his first year, he finished third in the rankings despite having start bibs at the end of the pack. Last season, he was plagued by injuries and sickness, and he ended up a disappointing 10th place in the World Cup rankings. This year, Grabner returned to World Cup competition healthy and ready to go. His quick smile and positive outlook are renowned on the tour. At Mt. Bachelor, competing in a blizzard that had most athletes complaining, Grabner only mentioned the fun he was having riding the canyon-like ruts. His fun-at-all-costs attitude landed him on the podium seven times this season, including four wins that earned him the coveted World Cup globe. “I am very happy to have reached another big goal,” says Grabner. (If you read German, you can learn more about Grabner and his views on the snowboard industry in his book, Sigi Grabner Boarder Zwischen den Welten, being released this spring).

U.S. Junior Alpine Rider of the Year
David Manthei
Age: 18
Hometown: Angel Fire, New Mexico
Sponsors: Mom and Dad
David Manthei quietly began racing snowboards three years ago. Coming from Angel Fire, New Mexico, and being a mild-mannered guy, he flew under the radar his first few years. Radar screens picked him up loud and clear this year, when he placed third in slalom at the U.S. Alpine Nationals in Breckenridge. The 18-year-old high-school senior also nailed two other NorAm podiums this season, helping him finish in the top 10 on the NorAm list. A few years ago, Manthei decided that he needed a coach to launch him to the next level. His search led him to Steamboat to train with the fine-tuned Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club, and the move paid off. Not only is he fast, he’s smart too. When asked about any Olympic aspirations, Manthei wisely said, “I’d rather focus at being competitive at a high level than focus just on the Olympics.” That’s a sensible insight for the new guy.

U.S. Alpine Rider of the Year
Michelle Gorgone
Age: 20
Hometown: Sudbury, Massachusetts
Sponsors: Donek, Carerra
Last year, Michelle Gorgone came to the U.S. Team and the World Cup circuit with a toe-side turn that made the women and men on the team cringe with envy and — admittedly — a little fear. In only her second full year on the World Cup, Gorgone proved that she’s on track for the Turin Olympic Games. She started the season with an early win in a Continental Cup in Colorado in November, followed that with her first World Cup podium in Whistler and a handful of top-10 World Cup results, making her the American woman with the most World Cup points at the end of the season. Gorgone finished the season on a high note with a PGS win at the U.S. Alpine Nationals but remains humble about her accomplishments. “It’s intimidating to train with the other women on the team, because they’ve been around forever, and I used to want to get their autographs when I was little,” explained Gorgone. At 20, Gorgone is leading the veterans into next season.

International Halfpipe Rider of the Year, U.S. Halfpipe Rider of the Year, U.S. Junior Halfpipe Rider of the Year
Hannah Teter
Age: 17
Hometown: Belmont, Vermont
Sponsors: Burton, Anon, Nakita, Clif Bar, Mountain Dew
One of the hardest decisions in the awards process was trying to figure out who to name top female halfpipe rider: Kelly Clark or Hannah Teter. Between the X Games, U.S. Open, Nippon Open, European Open, Grand Prix, Triple Crown and FIS World Cup, there are enough events to confuse even the most diligent statistician. The depth of the women’s field and the fact that none of the riders compete in all the events complicate the nomination process even further. After much debate, we decided that weighting the events was the only way to come up with a fair voting process. The X Games, U.S. Open and Arctic Challenge are arguably the biggest halfpipe events of the season. Teter won the X Games, and Clark came in second. Clark won the U.S. Open, where Teter placed second. Thus far, the tally was pretty even, so the next level of criteria, so to speak, would have to determine the winner. Teter had five other major wins, including two FIS World Cup wins, giving her more international exposure. Clark had four other major wins, including one international podium at the Nippon Open. Both women had two second places, with Teter taking an additional second place in a slopestyle at the Triple Crown in Breckenridge. In the end, Teter narrowly edged out Clark for this season’s award. At just 17, Teter easily captured the U.S. halfpipe Junior of the Year award, but in the international category, the decision was again tough: Soko Yamaoka won the 2004 World Cup halfpipe title, but Yamaoka only competed in the FIS World Cup and never came to the other big events to compete, so Teter, who dominated many of the bigger U.S. events and a few of the FIS World Cups, also takes the international award.

International Halfpipe Rider of the Year
Risto Matilla
Age: 23
Hometown: Kannus, Finland
Sponsors: Billabong, Spy, Dakine, Flow
There were nine World Cup halfpipe starts this season; Matilla competed in eight of nine and never placed lower than fourth. His World Cup results solidified his grasp on the halfpipe crystal globe, and two FIS World Cup big air podiums added icing to the cake. Throw in the third place he earned in Norway in the Arctic Challenge against one of the toughest fields of the year, and Mattilla’s worthiness is i
ndisputable, even if he didn’t compete at the X Games or any of the other big U.S. events this season. “The title will motivate me to learn new tricks for the next year,” he says. With the level of riding as strong as it is these days, that’s not a bad idea.

U.S. Halfpipe Rider of the Year
Steven Fisher
Age: 21
Hometown: Breckenridge, Colorado
Sponsors: Head, Smith, Breckenridge
The race for the U.S. halfpipe men’s award came down to two athletes: Steven Fisher and Andy Finch. Both riders had phenomenal seasons, with Finch claiming the national champion title named off the Grand Prix series. Yet when you look at all the events, Fisher stands out with his huge win at the X Games, a second at the U.S. Open and a second at the Arctic Challenge. Of the three big ones, Finch beat Fisher only in the Arctic Challenge. In addition to the big three, both riders claimed three other wins. Fisher attributes part of his success this season to staying healthy and relocating to the Rockies. “I moved to Breck, and they’ve been helping me out,” explains Fisher. Fisher’s plans for next year include more slopestyle events, but for now he’s simply basking in the glow of a season that, in his own words, was “epic.”

International Boardercross Rider of the Year
Xavier Delerue
Age: 26
Country: France
Sponsor: Dynastar
Take a quick glance at Delerue’s FIS profile, and you might think he’s a rookie. That isn’t so. Delerue was an ISF rider who came to the FIS side only when the ISF went belly up. In his first full season on the FIS World Cup (2002-03), Delerue landed on the podium in every World Cup he started, which won him the snowboardcross title. His second season was equally successful: Of eight starts, Delerue took six World Cup top-fives, including wins in the last three stops, which was more than enough to reap him a second consecutive snowboardcross globe. The Frenchman proved his skills can dominate any field by taking third in Boarder X at the X Games and second in the X Games Ultracross.

U.S. Boardercross Rider of the Year
Nate Holland
Age: 25
Hometown: Lake Tahoe, California
Sponsor: Black Dot
Nate Holland was a newcomer to the FIS World Cup this season, but he isn’t a stranger to snowboard competition. In past seasons, the Idaho-bred snowboarder competed in everything from racing to slopestyle. “My whole thing is riding the whole mountain. … I think that’s what allows me to be good at boardercross,” explains Holland. A diverse portfolio paid dividends this season, during which Holland took top 10s in every event he entered, including a win at the X Games in Ultracross and another first at the Grand Prix that earned him the national champion title.