Anderson takes gold in snowboardcross, seventh in halfpipe at World Juniors

Anderson takes gold in snowboardcross, seventh in halfpipe at World Juniors{mosimage}Less than 24 hours after taking seventh in halfpipe, double-threat Joanie Anderson capped a successful World Junior Championships with a Valentine’s Day snowboardcross victory for the first American gold medal.

“Joanie was definitely the dark horse in the competition,” said U.S. Snowboarding assistant coach Mike Jankowski, “but she won every heat convincingly nobody was expecting her.”

The victory marks the third medal for the U.S. team following double podiums in the World Juniors Big Air debut. Anderson, 17, set her season goal at a good X Games performance, where she finished fifth, an effort that helped land her on the junior team bound for Europe.

On the men’s side, Jayson Hale posted the top U.S. result with 14th. Hale already has two World Cup events under his belt and a fifth place SBX finish from the Mammoth Mountain stop of the Chevrolet U.S. Snowboard Grand Prix. Emma Rahme, who was the only other U.S. woman to start, finished 21st.

In Friday’s halfpipe event, Stratton Mountain School rider Michael Goldschmidt led seven U.S. juniors into the top 15. His second-run score of 36.8 put him in fourth, just 0.2 points behind third-place finisher Sami Saarenpaa of Finland. Fellow SMS student Louie Vito finished sixth.

Matching Vito’s result and giving the U.S. its only spot in the women’s final was Elena Hight, who had a 35-point qualifying run to make the women’s top six. U.S. rider Joanie Anderson was seventh and Clair Bidez ninth.

“These kids rode their hearts out and did a great job,” said Jankowski. “I’m really stoked to see all of them up near the top and it just goes to show how deep the U.S. talent pool is as we continue to build the U.S. Snowboarding program.”

FIS World Junior Championships
Oberweisenthal, Germany
February 14, 2004
Men’s Snowboardcross Final
1. Paul-Henri Delrue, France
2. Francesco Sandrini, Italy
3. Markus Shairer, Austria
4. Tobias Fischer, Germany
5. Michael Schreilechner, Austria
Also:
14. Jayson Hale, Sierraville, Calif.
27. David Manthei, Steamboat Springs, Colo.
45. Lex Carrigan Koski, Steamboat Springs, Colo.
55. Jonathon Cheever, Saugus, Mass.

Women’s Snowboardcross Final
1. Joanie Anderson, Lake Tahoe, Calif.
2. Susanne Moll, Austria
3. Hilde-Katrine Engeli, Norway
4. Niina Sarius, Finland
5. Amelie Kober, Germany
Also:
21. Emma Rahme, Jackson, Wyo.

Klinovec, Czech Republic
February 13, 2004
Men’s Halfpipe Final (top 10 qualifiers made final)
1. Gary Zebrowski, France, 43.4
2. Markus Malin, Finland, 38.0
3. Sami Saarenpaa, Finland, 37.0
4. Michael Goldschmidt, Bondville, Vt., 36.8
5. Valerian DuCourtil, France, 35.7
Also:
6. Louie Vito, Bellefontaine, Ohio, 35.1
15. Kevin Pearce, Norwich, Vt., 29.7
22. Shayne Pospisil, Manasquan, N.J., 24.9
33. Alex Deibold, Manchester Center, Vt., 21.7

Women’s Halfpipe Final (top six qualifiers made final)
1. Sophie Rodriguez, France, 44.4
2. Paulina Ligocka, Poland, 35.7
3. Hayley Van Muyen, Canada, 30.0
4. Angele Clavet, France, 28.1
5. Tiina Lindstrom, Finland, 27.2
Also:
6. Elena Hight, Zephyr Cove, Nev., 17.8
7. Joanie Anderson, Lake Tahoe, Calif., 33.5
9. Clair Bidez, Minturn, Colo., 29.6
14. Mary Sallah, Toledo, Ohio, 23.8
15. Tori Carrigan Koski, Steamboat Springs, Colo., 27.4