Dew Tour / World Cups December
For immediate release
December 13, 2015
McMorris wins men’s slopestyle at Dew Tour, Sharpe third
BRECKENRIDGE, Colorado – Olympic medallist Mark McMorris of Regina took first place on Sunday in men’s snowboard slopestyle to cap a four-podium Canadian performance at the Dew Tour snowboard competition.
Canadians took three of the top-four spots in men's slopestyle on the last event of the four-day competition.
McMorris won the gold with 94.40 points to win the event for the third time in four years. Stale Sandbech of Norway followed in second at 90.00, Darcy Sharpe of Comox, B.C., was third at 87.00 – his first career podium on the tour - and Maxence Parrot of Bromont, Que.,- competing with a fractured forearm - was fourth at 82.00. All four riders earned their best score on their first of two runs.
"To come into finals and be able to drop last, watch everybody ride their first run, then land the run I really wanted to do is icing the cake," McMorris said. "Waiting for everybody to drop and then having a victory lap is like a dream come true."
Sharpe, who also won the snowboard streetsyle event for the third straight year in downtown Breckenridge on Friday, was one of only two riders spinning a frontside 1080 off the toes during his run.
‘’My goal on the second run was to bump Stale out,’’ said Sharpe. ‘’ Mark's run was untouchable but I had a chance at Stale but couldn't quite put it down with the speed going up but I can't be too sour about it.’’
National slopestyle coach Elliot Catton was pleased with Canada’s showing.
‘’The team vibe was great all day,’’ he said. ‘’The boys are all really supportive of each other. Having five Canadians in finals was awesome and any one of them could have put down a podium run. Today it was Mark and Darcy's day.’’
Tyler Nicholson of North Bay, Ont., and Mike Ciccarelli of Ancaster, Ont., were eighth and ninth.
There was more great news for Canada in women’s snowboard slopestyle as Spencer O’Brien of Courtenay, B.C., took the silver with 86.60 on her second run. Anna Gasser of Austria posted a 91.20 on her opening ride which stood the entire the competition for gold.
Canadians graze the podium at European World Cup
In Montafon, Austria at the first snowboard cross World Cup of the season, Canada took fourth spot in the men’s team event and fifth in the women’s team competition on Sunday.
In the men’s team final, France, Italy, Austria and Canada were 1-2-3-4. The Canadian riders were Kevin Hill of Vernon, B.C., and Baptiste Brochu of Saguenay, Que. It was a best-ever international result for Brochu.
‘’It was my first experience in a team event,’’ Brochu, told Sportcom. ‘’It is cool to have a team event in an individual sport.’’
In the women’s team final, Zoe Bergermann of Erin, Ont., and Tess Critchlow of Kelowna, B.C., won the small (consolation) final over France 2, Italy and the Czech Republic for fifth place. France 1 took the gold in the big (main)final.
Bergermann also had a personal best fourth Saturday in the women’s snowboard cross.
At the parallel giant slalom World Cup in Carezza, Italy, 2010 Olympic champion Jasey-Jay Anderson of Lac-Superieur, Que., was the top Canadian in 15th.
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Brendan Matthews
Canada Snowboard Manager of Business Development
E: Oeraqna@pnanqnfabjobneq.pn
T: 778 874 2729
