Gorgone and Fletcher score double podiums in Lake Placid

Gorgone and Fletcher score double podiums in Lake Placid{mosimage}LAKE PLACID, N.Y. (March 3) – Michelle Gorgone (Sudbury, MA) and Rosey Fletcher (Girdwood, AK) railed a double U.S. podium Thursday racking up second and third in parallel giant slalom to open the State Farm U.S. Snowboard Cup from a sun-soaked, but wind-buffed Whiteface.

“I’ve never really been on the team when there’s been a double podium,” said Gorgone, a third-year U.S. Snowboarding Team rider. “I’m glad that the first one I got to experience was one with me on it.”

In men’s competition, Adam Smith (Bend, OR) reeled in all but .1 second of the 1.5 second deficit on Swede Daniel Biveson to finish ninth. Also in the final for the U.S. team was two-time Olympian Lisa Kosglow (Boulder, CO), who rounded out a rock-star final for the American women with seventh. Swiss snowboarding robots and World Cup leaders Daniela Mueli and Philipp Schoch continued their alpine supremacy to claim victories in Lake Placid.

Darwin would have been proud as survival of the fittest defined Draper’s Drop, claiming multiple victims in the qualifying rounds. The brutality continued into the elite 16 as rider after rider was sucker punched by blind holes in the course such is life with alpine snowboarding. One such rider was Gorgone, who persisted through three falls in semi-final to win the round.

‘I’m glad that I stuck with it for all of them because it worked out pretty well’ said the Cape Cod local after claiming her second deuce of the year. ‘This is my snow, I actually liked it a lot and I’m stoked to grab another podium I’m just waiting for the win.’

Fletcher, a two-time Olympian, took the Zen route into the final saying that success in alpine snowboarding is a combo of legs, heart and mind.

‘I probably raced all on heart today and it feels even better having Michelle in second. It’s been probably since 2000 that we’ve had two women on a podium, so it feels great to do it in the U.S. I just wish this was the first race of the year’ said Fletcher, who finally feels comfortable after testing boards all year.

Coach Steve Persons was wearing perma-grin in the finish area as Gorgone and Fletcher took the traditional champagne bath on the podium.

‘Both girls rode really well, we’ve been working on consistency more than anything and that’s what it takes to get on the podium here’ said Persons. ‘Today, the conditions where pretty challenging, so for them to step it up is great and if Smith could have had six more runs like his second run of the finals, he would have won.’

The State Farm U.S. Snowboard Cup continues Friday from the 1980 Olympic Mountain with men’s and women’s halfpipe qualifying.

State Farm U.S. Snowboard Cup
Lake Placid, N.Y. – March 3, 2005
Parallel Giant Slalom
Women
1. Danielia Mueli, Switzerland
2. Michelle Gorgone, Sudbury, Mass.
3. Rosey Fletcher, Girdwood, Alaska
4. Fraenzi Kohli, Switzerland
5. Ursula Bruhin, Switzerland
–
7. Lisa Kosglow, Boulder, Colo.
–
19. Lynn Ott, Bend, Ore.
29. Monica Gemmiti, Mount Vernon, N.H.
34. Erica Mueller, Steamboat Springs, Colo.
35. Lindsay Lloyd, Centerville, Utah
40. Andi Stump,Wenatchee, Wash.
43. Ashley Nice, Gates Mills, Ohio
44. Jessie Hazen, Denver, Colo.
–
DNF
Stacia Hookom, Edwards, Colo.

Men
1. Philipp Schoch, Switzerland
2. Urs Eiselin, Switzerland
3. Siegfried Grabner, Austria
4. Dieter Krassnig, Austria
5. Harald Walder, Austria
–
9. Adam Smith, Bend, Ore.
–
18. Joshua Wylie, Londonderry, Vt.
21. Tyler Jewell, Sudbury, Mass.
24. Anton Pogue, Sandpoint, Idaho
25. Ryan McDonald, Entiat, Wash.
30. Pete Thorndike, Meredith, N.H.
38. David Manthei, Steamboat Springs, Colo.
–
DSQ
Eric Warren, Bennington, Vt., Zach Kay, Mount Shasta, Calif. , Vix Wild, White Salmon, Wash.
–
DNF
Justin Reiter, Steamboat Springs, Colo.

For complete results:
https://www.fis-ski.com/uk/604/1228.html?event_id=14570