U.S. rider Fisher tops in X Games halfpipe; Jacobellis wins snowboardcross

U.S. rider Fisher tops in X Games halfpipe; Jacobellis wins snowboardcross{mosimage}USSA — Minnesota native and U.S. Snowboard team rider Steve Fisher jumped from a 12th place finish a year ago to the win in this year’s Winter X Games halfpipe Monday night. In a three-run final, Fisher’s first run of 93.33, including a huge backside 540, a cab 900 and even the elusive 1080, secured him the win.

It was a big weekend for the U.S. team, with Hannah Teter topping the women’s pipe, while teammate Lindsey Jacobellis finished fourth, then won the women’s snowboardcross Monday afternoon. In the men’s snowboardcross, Seth Wescott nabbed silver before Fisher and teammates put an exclamation point on the pipe as 2002 Olympian Tommy Czeschin finished sixth and Mason Aguirre and Andy Finch landed in seventh and ninth, respectively.

“I’m really proud of our U.S. Snowboarding athletes tonight,” said director Jeremy Forster. “We have some truly talented athletes working with some dedicated U.S. Snowboarding coaches in our program. Steve and Hannah showed that in the superpipe this weekend, as well as Lindsey in the boardercross. It was a great weekend for U.S. Snowboarding.”

“This is so killer,” said head coach Peter Foley. “To me it just shows what good solid coaching and a consistent program does.”

The men’s halfpipe drama began when favorite and No. 1 qualifier Shaun White was injured during practice earlier in the day on Monday and was unable to compete. Fisher then waited and watched as Keir Dillon moved into second with a 92.66-point run. He waited as Olympic silver medalist Danny Kass rocked a 93 point run with a huge 1080 to cab 900, bumping Dillon to third. Then with Olympic gold medalist Ross Powers the last rider to drop into the Aspen pipe, Fisher still waited. Powers opened with his signature huge method, but lost speed after his McTwist and was unable to keep the momentum to the bottom of the pipe, ending the night fifth behind 15-year-old Japanese superhero Kazuhiro Kokubo.

Fisher’s first major win came in April 2003 as he topped the U.S. Snowboard Finals in the same Aspen pipe. He is now a staple in the final of every major pipe contest in the country and a constant threat on the World Cup circuit after nailing bronze in the 2003 World Championships.

WINTER X GAMES
Aspen, Colorado
January 26, 2003
Men’s Halfpipe Final
1. Steve Fisher, St. Louis Park, Minn., 93.33
2. Danny Kass, Hamburg, N.J., 93.0
3. Keir Dillon, East Stroudsburg, Pa., 92.66
4. Kazuhiro Kokubo, Japan, 90.66
5. Ross Powers, South Londonderry, Vt., 90.0
6. Tommy Czeschin, Mammoth Lakes, Calif., 86.33
7. Mason Aguirre, Duluth, Minn., 84.66
8. Luke Wynen, Reading, Pa., 84.0
9. Andy Finch, Fresno, Calif., 72.0