It was our first competition of the year and everything was incredibly stoked to be there. It was a blue bird, albeit, extremely cold day at Meadows, but that didn’t stop at least one rider from forgoing all common sense and riding down in just his jersey . Absolutely crazy! Despite the cold, the atmosphere was very positive and you could tell all the riders were ready for great time and some competitive racing.
The day started off with Banked Slalom and the girls started off the day with a bang! The Meadows Crew build a tight, competitive course, but it didn’t stop the girls from laying down some great lines. They were all smiles at the top, waiting for their turns, but as soon as they got into the gate, ready to blast down the course, it was all-business. All the girls posted great times with the winner Sierra Clasen, a Freshman from school Lake Oswego, posting a 28.83 run, missing 2nd place by 3/100th of a second, which was held by Canby rider,Brooklyn Purtzer . After the girls’ runs, the party continued with some of the competitors bustin’ out portable BBQ’s and grilling up some kielbasa on the slopes.
Girls Banked Slalom – Top 3
1 Oregon City Clasen, Sierra
2 Canby Purtzer, Brooklyn
3 Lake Oswego Bizovi, Galen
Next up were the boys and they were ready to ride hard. Exploding from the gates the boys dropped down onto the course with impressive fashion, cutting the first right turn hard and keeping the pedal on the accelerator the whole time. There was never a dull moment as boys flew though the course. Kevin Holmes, a senior from West Linn, perhaps best-known for his sick park-skills and tight pants, destroyed the course, taking first place for the boys.
Boys Banked Slalom – Top 3
1 West Linn Holmes, Kevin
2 Lake Oswego Scarcelli, Brenen
3 Lakeridge Leib, Graham
After a short lunch-break (for those that didn’t chow-down on hot dogs) and some lines through the newly-done Rose City Park, the qualifying girls and boys from the Banked Slalom event met at the top of the course again for the main event: BoarderX. Big ups to the Meadows Park Crew for lending their rakes, and backs, to the course, smoothing it out for the first round of girls head-to-head competition. With the sun still shining high in the sky, the first round of girls BoarderX began and it was obvious these girls meant business. The girls went all-out, flying out of the gate, vying for that hole shot that would hopefully keep them out of the fray, and on their boards, going into turn two. The race kept everyone excited as racers fought for speed and to keep their edges firmly planted into the banked turns as they made their way down the course. There were some tumbles and few girls pulled some great last-minute saves, but at the end of three rounds, it was Alexa Gilbertson, a Junior from West Linn, that ended up with the #1 spot and Kendall Cohns, a senior from Lake Oswego took 2nd place. Nice work, girls!
With the sun beginning to set and the boys amped up for their turn at the course, the 2nd half of BoarderX began. With people cheering from the Easy Rider chair as the riders laid waste to the course, you can see that the boys were here to do 
one thing: RACE! The first and second place riders from each heat moved onto the next round and after the first couple rounds, some serious racers were beginning to make names for themselves. With their team mates cheering them on, the boys continued to shred, and slash their way ‘round the gates and even though a few got tangled up and fell, they didn’t give up, instead just got right up and finished the race in true winning fashion. But at the end of the contest, it was Kevin Holmes again, who just couldn’t be caught. With his lightning fast board and smooth, powerful style, he secured the #1 spot, giving him two #1 finishes for the day! Way to go Kevin!
Boys SBX – Top 4
1st – Kevin Holmes – West Linn
2nd – Chris Flake – Canby
3rd – Adam Kays – West Linn
4th – Brenen Scarcelli – Lake Oswego
Congratulations to all of our winners in both girls and boys Banked Slalom and BoarderX and to EVERYONE who competed. It was great to see so many riders, of so many riding levels, on the slopes cheering on their friends and team mates. Can’t wait to see what happens next Sunday, in our second round of Banked Slalom and BoarderX competition. GO GET THOSE BOARDS WAXED AND THOSE EDGES SHARPENED!