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Show Page 8 THE DAILY HERALD, (www.HarkTheHerald.com), Provo, Utah, Monday, February 1, 2002 2002 WINTER GAMES Boarder claims first gold for U.S. r - By EDDIE PELLS AP Sports Writer l z CITY OK, snowboarders, maybe the Olympics really are cool, PARK ij,', 4 after all. Kelly Clark flew higher and nailed more dangerous tricks than anyone in the halfpipe Sunday to become the first American to take gold at the Salt Lake City ' !,' 1 ' l - Olympics. ' ' i - ' 4 "I can't even explain what I'm feeling right now," Clark said. With rock music blaring over her headphones, she flew, twisted and slid her way down the hollowed-ou- t snow chute in the final run of a thrilling day. The crowd of 16,500 was the biggest these athletes had ever performed in front of. It was a great day under a crystal-blu- e sky that might have muted many critics in and out of the sport who wondered whether snowboarding really belonged in the Olympics. "Snowboarders have their reputations," Clark said. "But ,my doing this, especially in the U.S., says a lot. Maybe it will shine a light on and people will look at it in a different way." Clark's mark of 47.9 easily beat Doriane Vidal of France, who scored a 43.0 to win the silver, the first medal of these Olympics for her country. of Fabienne Reuteler Switzerland won the bronze. American Shannon Dunn, the bronze medalist in 1998, finished fifth and teammate Tricia Byrnes was sixth. Clark The won the gold with 30 seconds of drama and tension in which most of the fans were squarely on her side. Standing at the top of the chute, Clark played it cool, smiling and pumping her fist fans. at the With "Welcome to the Jungle" by Guns n' Roses playing over the sound system, Clark cranked up Blink snow-boardin- g, flag-wavin- g 182's "This is Growing Up" on her headphones and began her golden descent. Normally, she uses the music to drown out the distractions, but that wasn't possible this time. "The crowd was going so wild, I could hear them over the headphones," she said. With every airborne move and perfect twist, things only LAURA KAtCH'lhc Asswciaicd Frit. Golden: Kelly Clark' of the United States competes in the women's halfpipe qualifying competition Sunday in Park City. Clark went on to win the gold medal. got louder. When it was over, she glided into the arms of her coach. Once her score was announced, she climbed over a retaining fence to celebrate with friends. "I wouldn't have thought in a hundred years that I'd be here," said Clark, from Mount Snow, Vt. "At the last Olympics, I was a kid sitting at Mount Snow Academy saying, Whatever.' I didn't really think anything of making it here until last season." She won the event with a pair of jumps, one called a a McTwist the other a inverted spin spin at the bottom that she knew she needed to overcome Vidal. "L figured I had second place wrapped up, so I had to go for it," she said. "I knew I would regret it if I didn't." Before the big technical tricks, she jumped higher above the lip of the halfpipe than any of her competitors. It's called amplitude, which carries extra weight in the world of Olympic judging, and Clark was up to the task. "I learned how to go big, to make the airs," Clark said of her formative years in the sport. "It made sense to me that once you have your amplitude down, when you try the tricks, they're a lot easier, because you've got more time to do them." Clark's victory marked .the first gold medal for the United States in Olympic snowboarding, a recreational pastime that has continued growing, thanks to the X- - ''rV v " "j . r n.'tit r' if. 1 540-degr- - Mr 720-degr- Kelly Clark J . jL-- SNOWBOARDING Women's Halfpipe GOLD - Kelly Clark, Mount Snow, SILVER CHRIS LEEThe St. Louis Games phenomenon born in said Danny Kass, among the favorites for gold in the men's halfpipe Monday. "Maybe itll make them open up a few more resorts for snowboarding." Indeed, snowboarding has long wrestled with the issue of mainstream acceptance, at the resorts and in the realm of competitive sports. The International Olympic Committee added snowboarding in 1998 in an attempt to I I , modernize its image. But it was a highly disputed move, and there's still a large faction out there that believes competing in the Olympics isn't true to the individualistic nature of the game. Clark hopes she helped change that. "There are two sides of snowboarding, and it's all about personal preference," she said. "But I think it's good for the sport for people to see it this way." It sure looked different from most Olympic sports it Vt. - Doriane Vidal, France Twist and shout: Minna Hesso of Finland performs a spin maneuver during the women's halfpipe finals in Park City. America. "I think it's awesome," "- BRONZE - Fabienne Reuteler, Switzerland Sunday. In the packed stands, young men painted out "U.S.A." on their bare chests in the subfreezing cold. Before the event, break dancers boogied in the parking lot. A rock band played during intermission. It was all part of an day, and even the finisher had to feel good, despite watching Clark win the gold at the last secsecon- d-place ond. "It was a strange feeling, because I like her," Vidal said. "I was hoping she woulpj do good, because it would be good for the show. I was also hoping she wouldn't beat me. But I'm still happy because I did well." Of course, winning the gold never comes easy, and it sure wasn't easy for Clark. ;j She bruised her tailbone after a hard fall in training Thursday, and had to sit out a day and ice it down. "I was pretty sore, but;! had so much adrenalin today, I didn't feel much of anything," she said. Patriotism strong at Medals Plaza I y By MITCH WILKINSON The Daily Herald tain Resort by winning the! gold in women's halfpipe. The snowboarding medal was the last of five given out SALT LAKE CITY at the Medals Plaza, but the! wait while other That's the way Yvonne countries received their due Jackson of Southern Califordid not lessen the enthusi-- " nia described seeing the asm of the crowd. American flag raised and U.S. flags were waving) hearing "The in the stands.) everywhere Banner" played after the hats, flag blankets and; Flag United States Olympic team flag jackets kept the fans' received its first gold medal warm. of the 2002 Winter Games But the loudest, and the on Sunday. proudest, cheers came when) From the warm glow on when highlights of Clark's" her face, along with thouride in the halfpipe were! sands of others, it was clear played on two jumbo televi-- J she wasn't just talking sion screens on either side about the weather. stage. "Incredible excitement. ... "I'm probably going to cry.' I can't believe I'm here for I cry at everything," said! this," said Linda Wolf of Provo's Tricia Osborn, who! Washington, D.C. This has stood behind the flagpole! that hoisted the American1 special meaning this year." The night belonged to flag. She was accompanied! snowboarder by her American daughter,! Kelly Clark, who earlier in Chelsea, and a family4 the day wowed a sellout friend, Brad Larkin of Ausj crowd at Park City Moun tralia. Bone-chillin- g. te ! Star-Spangl- ) e; ! 1 of)-th- e i ' .j ;.. O. ' ' - - K . 2. PETER DEJOMGThe Associated Press Show It off: The three medalists in the women's halfpipe snowboarding competition, gold medalist Kelly Clark, center, of the United States; flanked by bronze medalist Fabienne Reutelier of Switzerland, left; and silver medalist Doriane Vidal, right, hold up their medals at The Medals Plaza in Salt Lake City on Sunday. |