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U.S. women go 1-2 in halfpipe
By: Charean Williams
KRT News Service
Posted: 2/13/06
BARDONECCHIA, Italy - Hannah Teter has spent her life trying to keep up with her three snowboarding brothers. On Monday, she quit following.
Teter, 19, won the gold medal in the halfpipe, while her U.S. teammate, Gretchen Bleiler took the silver. Only Norway's Kjersti Buaas prevented an American sweep, stealing the bronze from defending Olympic champion Kelly Clark.
"(Hannah) was always the rag-tag little tomgirl, kind of following around and trying to keep up with her older brothers and do her thing," said Amen Teter, who manages the professional snowboarding careers of Hannah and brothers Elijah and Abe. "Hannah's always been about keeping up with the boys. It shows. She's always like, `I can do that.'"
Snowboarding has been the best news for the U.S. Olympic team thus far. The U.S. won four of the six medals awarded in the all-American sport. Shaun White and Danny Kass won the gold and the silver respectively Sunday, with Mason Aguirre finishing fourth.
"We set some high goals," U.S. coach Bud Keene said. "We wanted to sweep everything. Our actual stated goals were two medals for men and two medals for women, which is exactly what we got. We're stoked about that."
Riders get two trips down the chute in the halfpipe final, with only their best score counting. On Clark's final run, knowing she was in fourth place, she went for broke with a go-big run. Clark had the gold medal until losing her balance on the landing of a 2 ½-spin jump at the end.
"She would have won with that run," Keene said.
Clark, who scored a 47.9 out of 50 to win the gold in Salt Lake City in 2002, had a 41.1 on her first run Monday. Buaas scored a 42 on her second attempt for the bronze.
But Clark was the first to congratulate Teter and Bleiler and stayed around to watch the flower ceremony afterward.
"I really went for it," said Clark, who was born in Newport, R.I., and now resides in Mammoth Lakes, Calif. "I figured I might as well leave here not regretting anything, and that's how I'm leaving today. There was amazing riding thrown down today. The people who are on the podium are the people who should be on the podium. . . . I'm so happy for my friends."
It was Teter's day from the start.
The Belmont, Vt., native had the gold medal won on her first run in the finals, with a frontside 900 scoring her a 44.6. But her victory lap was even better.
Teter turned "Strive Roots" on her iPod and put on a show.
Jumping into a crystal-clear blue sky, Teter hit a frontside 540 followed by a frontside 900 to wow an estimated crowd of 7,000 and the judges. She scored a 46.4.
"I was standing up there, and Gretchen went and just threw down so hard, and I thought she had me," Teter said of Bleiler, who had her final run immediately before Teter. "So I was like, `Whoa, I'm going to have to step it up.' Then, my coach, Bud, was like, `OK, victory lap.' I was like, `No way, a victory lap.' I just wanted to step it up and do my thing and go as big as possible and totally represent. My brother, Abe, has helped me with my style so much throughout my career. Thank you family."
Bleiler's 43.4 on her final run allowed her to leapfrog Buaas. The Snowmass Village, Colo., resident, had been in third place after Buaas surprised even herself by knocking Clark off the medal stand with the run of her life.
"All of us were hoping for a (U.S.) sweep," said Bleiler, who was kept out of the 2002 Olympics on a tiebreaker. "But Kjersti stepped it up. She rode an amazing race. She deserves it. It's disappointing because Kelly and Elena (Hight, who finished sixth) are amazing riders, too. . . . On any given day, any of us could have gotten on the podium."
Buaas admitted she "never thought it was possible" to prevent an American sweep. The U.S. team had the rest of the riders right where they wanted them.
"We definitely were in the other teams' heads," he said. "When these girls come rolling into a halfpipe competition, we're rolling in like a freight train. It scares the crap out of everybody. You see the way they ride. It's head and shoulders above the rest of the competitors."
It was Teter who led the way Monday.
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