(Editors Note: Our own Melissa Becker swept the U.S. Mountainboarding Championships held in Snowmass last weekend - Congratulations Melissa! Here’s her account of the event).
July 31, 2008 - The 2008 U.S. Open Mountainboarding Championships were held in Snowmass Village,
The action started on Friday morning with the Mass Start Downhill. A Mass Start downhill race is just as it sounds. We all got on the ski lift at Snowmass Village and rode it to the top followed by our boards. We lined up in our categories and mad dashed down the ski run as fast as we could. When it was time for the girls to line up and rage down the mountain we were all ready and excited as can be.
The starter yelled ready, set, go and off we went, tearing through the grass, rocks and dirt down to the bottom across the finish line. I remember going so fast that I ended up falling, but the adrenaline got me back up and I kept going. Then there was a creek we had to jump over which was total chaos as well. I remember getting passed and then riding as fast as I could to get back ahead. I made the pass onto the road and crossed the finish line first. The energy was so high and as I tried to catch my breath I watched my other competitors cross the finish line.
My first ever U.S. Open medal won and it was gold. I was so overjoyed, and next up was the Dirt Boardercross. A Boardercross track consists of rollers, berms, quick turns and tons of speed. The women’s class really picked it up this season and all of the girls were racing faster than I’ve ever seen before.
There were 8 of us this year competing, which includes me (Melissa), Katie, Erin, Emily, Sam, Paige, Vanessa, and JuJu. All of the girls were between the ages of 18 and 30. We lined up for the first heat and the gates dropped. I got the hole shot and was in the lead, then got passed by Erin and finished 2nd in the race. In a double elimination four person heat you have to finish in the top 2 to stay in the winners’ bracket. My next race I was wheel to wheel with Katie the whole way and she ended up in 1st and I was in 2nd. I was stoked, though, because I had just made it to the finals by playing it smart.
The final race finally came around; remember there are 85 competitors so it takes a while to get through all the races. The girls all lined up in the gates; Katie, Erin, Sam and me. The gates dropped and off we went. The race was tight throughout the whole course. I got ahead and stayed ahead and ended up winning the gold. Erin finished 2nd, Katie 3rd, and Sam 4th. We finished so close to each other I didn’t even know who came in behind me for a couple of minutes because we were lost in a cloud of dust. What an intense time. We were all so exhausted after the race, it was awesome to see all of us give everything we had and keep pushing each other.
Saturday was the day of history! Slopestyle was the event and we were all ready to get over to the park and start jumping. There were only 5 girls competing today but all have the potential to finish in the top 3. I was first ( I hate being first because I like watching what everyone else does and then I can plan out what I need to do) so I decided to just get a melon grab. I got the grab but it was quick and not exactly as clean as I hoped for. Erin was next and she got a huge method grab so I started to get a little worried and decided I needed to pick it up a bit if I wanted to finish on top. The other girls all went and then it was my turn again. I popped hard and got my double grab. I was pleased. The girls all did their runs, but only a couple of them landed, so I came up to my last jump knowing that I had to really pull out the stops. I have been working on my 360’s on a mountainboard for a while and knew if I landed it I could take the gold. I rolled into the jump, popped off and spun and LANDED!!!
I was so happy, I’m the first girl in the U.S to land a 360 on the dirt! All my hard work finally paid off. I won the gold. What an amazing feeling. I ended up sweeping the whole event, winning the Mass Start Downhill, the Dirt Boardercross and now the Slopestyle event. And on top of that I was the overall champion of the women! I can’t even really explain how accomplished I feel after a weekend of amazing competition and getting to really press the limits of the sport, especially on the women’s side of things.
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