Kelly Clark

1983-

American snowboarder

American snowboarder Kelly Clark "had such an awesome run," on February 10, 2002, her Olympic teammate Shannon Dunn-Downing told the Washington Post. "She just kept going big. She did a super-nice McTwist … at the end, she just busted out a seven." Translation: Clark won the gold medal in the women's halfpipe competition in the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah. And she did so by soaring higher, and landing more inverted tricks than most of her fellow competitors. Clark's medal was the first American gold in snowboarding, and also the first gold of the 2002 Olympics.

Clark was born July 26, 1983 in Newport, Rhode Island. Her family moved to Mount Snow, Vermont, and her parents, Terry and Cathy Clark, own a tavern in nearby West Dover, Vermont called T.C.'s Family Restaurant. She was a ski racer until the third grade, when she got bored of skiing and tried snowboarding, which had just been allowed at her home mountain. Her parents tried to convince her to stick with skiing, that snowboarding was just a fad. Clark began competing in local contests at age thirteen. In ninth grade, she enrolled in the ski academy at Mount Snow, where students divide their time between academics and ski or snowboarding training. She started training with the

U.S. Snowboard Team in 2000. Clark graduated high school in 2001 and was accepted at the University of Rhode Island, but deferred her first year of college to concentrate on her snowboarding. She moved to Mammoth, California to train for the Olympics.

When Clark was in ninth grade, and snowboarding debuted as an Olympic sport in 1998 in Nagano, Japan, not a single woman did what is called an "inverted air," which is a somersault in the air after coming off the wall of the halfpipe. In 2002, many women attempted them, but few landed them as confidently as Clark did. She said fear was her biggest obstacle when she first starting attempting the high-flying tricks. "Once you break through that level of fear, and feel comfortable with yourself, you can push yourself to the limit," she told the Washington Post.

Clark entered the U.S. Championships in 1999 and finished third in the snowboardcross event and fourth in the halfpipe. In 2000, she won the World Junior Championships, took second at the Goodwill Games, and took a first in snowboardcross and fourth in halfpipe at the U.S. Championships. In 2001, she swept both events at the U.S. Championships as well as the prestigious U.S. Snowboarding Grand Prix. In addition to her halfpipe gold at the Olympics, Clark took first place at the X Games and U.S. Championships before the year 2002 was through. Though she is a competent snowboard-cross rider, Clark gave it up to focus on halfpipe because snowboardcross riders tend to be more prone to injuries. Even though she was a success on the competition circuit, and the prize money was good for her bank account, Clark could just as soon do without competing. "I don't think snowboarding needs contests," she told WWD, "but they are fun to participate in."

Clark went into the Olympics with a hairline fracture in her right wrist and pain in her back from a crash in practice only days before the competition. Doctors were consulted, X-rays were taken. "When I was lying … in bed that night, I was thinking, 'Ohhh, what am I going to do?'" she recalled in the New York Times. Clark probably knew that she was going to do what she traveled to Salt Lake City to do: compete in her sport.

"The most impressive thing about her is her incredible attitude," Jake Burton, of the Burton snowboard company, told WWD. "Obviously, she's got the skills, but mentally she's unflappable. Nerves are a big part of this, as much as they are for figure skating and golf." In addition to nerve, she is known for being aggressive in the halfpipe, but, off the course, "she is calm and soft-spoken, eschewing the rebel image of snowboarders," Edward Wong noted in the New York Times. "She could very well be the fresh-scrubbed Generation Y champion that Olympic officials hope will draw younger fans."

Clark competes wearing her mini-disc headphones and listening to music to drown out distraction. As she hit the wall and sailed upwards of eight to nine feet in the air on her Olympic halfpipe runs, though, even loud music by the rock group Blink 182 could not compete with the roaring crowd. "They were so amazing," she said of the cheering fans in Teen People. "I've never heard anything like it." And her competitors—most of whom reach heights of five to six feet in the air—had never seen anything like Clark. "I try to have as much personal style as I can to make the most twists and stand out for the judges," she told WWD.

France's Doriane Vidal was in the lead when Clark prepared to make her third and final run in the 426-foot halfpipe on February 10, 2002. Her final Olympic half-pipe competition lasted less than two minutes, but she managed to pack in seven tricks, including a McTwist with an indy grab and a front side 720. That is, an inverted aerial trick where the rider does a 540-degree rotational flip, followed by a 720-degree spin.

Chronology

Awards and Accomplishments

Clark's personal style impressed the five competition judges enough to earn her a gold medal—the first for an American in the 2002 Games—in the halfpipe competition. The judges gave her 47.9 out of 50 points, with the French judge turning in a perfect ten. During the awards ceremony, she pulled silver and bronze-medal winners Vidal and Fabienne Reuteler from Switzerland up to share her top spot on the podium after the playing of "The Star Spangled Banner." "It's unbelievable," Clark told the Washington Post after her win. "I've never had a feeling like that in my life. It was so overwhelming, and so rewarding at the same time. It means a lot to me, and all the rest of America."

FURTHER INFORMATION

Periodicals

Anstey, Gabby. "Kelly Clark's new tricks." Sports Illustrated Women. (December 2002-January 2003): 27.

Burris, Joe. "Smokin' pipe Vermonter Clark gets first U.S. gold." Boston Globe. (February 11, 2002): D1.

Chamberlain, Tony. "Clark gets on board." Boston Globe. (March 26, 2001): D7.

Chamberlain, Tony. "Kass, Clark stars of the halfpipe." Boston Globe. (March 17, 2002): D3.

Feitelberg, Rosemary. "Kelly Clark: Gnarly and nice." WWD. (February 13, 2002): 4.

Howard, Caroline. "Person of the month: Kelly Clark." Teen People. (May 2002): 117.

Oberjuerge, Paul. "Women's halfpipe: It's gold for a teen; snowboarder Clark gets first top medal for U.S." Daily News (Los Angeles, CA). (February 11, 2002): S12.

Ruibal, Sal. "For U.S. star Clark, the future is now." USA Today. (February 11, 2002): D4.

Shipley, Amy. "A golden moment: Snowboarder is first American to win at Games." Washington Post. (February 11, 2002): A1.

Wong, Edward. "Clark starts with pain and ends up with gold." New York Times. (February 11, 2002): D1.

Other

"Athlete profile: Kelly Clark." U.S. Olympic Team homepage. http://www.usolympicteam.com/athlete_profils/k_clark.html (January 15, 2003).

"Kelly Clark." EXPN.com. http://expn.go.com/athletes/bios/CLARK_KELLY.html (January 15, 2003).

Sketch by Brenna Sanchez

Kevin Jones

1975-

American snowboarder

One of the most decorated snowboarders in the history of the sport, Kevin Jones has medaled in all but three of the X Games events he's ever entered, settling for fourth place in big air competition at the Summer X Games of 1999, fifth place in big air at the Winter X Games of 2001, and fourth in slopestyle at the 2002 Winter X Games. An avid skateboarder as a boy, he decided to give snowboarding a try after seeing a film in which ace skateboarders Noah Salaznek and John Cardiel showed their stuff on the snow. He competes in an average of only three contests each year—usually the Winter X Games, the Sims World Championships, and one Vans Triple Crown of Snowboarding event. A resident of Truckee, California, not far from Lake Tahoe,

Jones most often boards at Squaw Valley. Of himself and other pioneers in snowboarding, Jones says: "We didn't start snowboarding for the money, but now it's turned into the hunt for the almighty dollar. I think snowboarding should be called 'Jock Boarding'."

Born in Sacramento, California

He was born Kevin Christopher Jones in Sacramento, California, on January 23, 1975. As a boy he took up skateboarding and in his late teens became intrigued by snowboarding after seeing popular skateboarders John Cardiel and Noah Salaznek snowboarding in the film Riders on the Storm. Jones was seventeen when he first began snowboarding and a year later he entered his first competition. Almost from the start, he showed unusual talent for the sport, quickly developing into one of the young sport's emerging stars. To stay close to the slopes, he moved a hundred or so miles east of Sacramento to Truckee, not far from Squaw Valley where he began training.

Throughout the history of the X Games, which were launched in 1995 by the ESPN cable TV network, Jones has been a dominant force in the snowboard events, which consist of two main forms of competition—big air and slopestyle. Slopestyle events are judged competitions in which one rider at a time goes through a series of jumps and other obstacles, performing tricks along the way. In big air competition, boarders perform tricks, including flips and multiple rotations, while airborne. In the Summer X Games of 1997, Jones took the silver medal in big air competition. At the 1998 Winter X Games he won silver in slopestyle and bronze in big air. Jones got the gold medal in big air competition at the Summer X Games of 1998.

In 1999, Jones took silver and bronze medals in slope-style and big air, respectively, at the Winter X Games. In big air competition at the Summer X Games of 1999, Jones failed to medal, finishing in fourth place. He really performed brilliantly in slopestyle at the Winter X Games of both 2000 and 2001, taking home the gold medal in the event both years. In slopestyle, he went bronze at the 2000 Winter X Games and placed fifth at the 2001 event. For his impressive performance in 2001, Jones was named Best Freestyle Rider of the Year in the annual Transworld Rider's Poll, an honor that he again received the following year. At the Winter X Games of 2002, there was no big air competition, but Jones finished fourth in the slopestyle event. Jones has been linked romantically with gold medal-winning female boarder Tara Dakides.

Takes Care of Business

Not only is Jones one of the country's premier snow-boarders, but he's a businessman as well. A co-owner (with Tara Dakides) of Jeenyus, a manufacturer of competition-class snowboard and other boarding gear, including boots, Jones also gets corporate support from Billabong, Go Ped, and Mountain Surf, all of which sponsor him in competition. Late in 2001 he signed an endorsement deal with Von Zipper, a big player in the sports eyewear market.

Chronology

Awards and Accomplishments

In addition to his competition stateside, Jones travels extensively around the globe, filming snowboarding action documentaries. In an interview with Dave Sypniewski of Trans World SNOWboarding, Jones explained his fascination with film. "I like to film because I liked watching them when I was a tadpole. I would watch them over and over 'til they wouldn't work anymore." Film companies for which Jones has filmed include Standard Films, FLF, and Mack Dawg.

Jones is likely to continue to be a major player in professional snowboarding competition for some time to come. Between competition, his filming schedule, and tending to his business, he has little time for non-snowboarding activities, but when he can grab an hour or two, he loves to go fly fishing. In July 2002, he participated in the Great Outdoor Games Fly Fishing Tournament at Lake Placid, New York. Asked how he thought he'd do in the fishing competition, Jones told an interviewer, "I enjoy fly fishing, and I think it's great that I get to experience something that puts me outside of my element. I'm not expecting to win or anything; these guys are heavy hitters."

CONTACT INFORMATION

Address: Kevin Jones, c/o Jeenyus Snowboards, Truckee, CA.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Periodicals

"Snowboard Warrior Kevin Jones Joins Von Zipper Tribe." Trans World Snow Boarding (December 13, 2001).

Sypniewski, Dave. "Kevin Jones Interview: The Golden Boy." Trans World Snow Boarding (August 30, 2000).

Other

"Jones and Dakides Sweep Rider's Poll Awards Again." EXPN.com. http://expn.go.com/snb/s/riderspoll2002.html (February 2, 2003).

"Kevin Jones." Snowlodge. http://www.angelfire.com/ab4/snowlodge/kevin.html (February 1, 2003).

"Kevin Jones." EXPN.com. http://expn.go.com/athletes/bios/JONES_KEVIN.html (February 1, 2003).

"Kevin Jones." Kevin Jones Fan Site. http://www.geocities.com/chung_girl/kevinjones.html (February 1, 2003).

"Kevin Jones." Trans World Snow Boarding. http://www.transworldsnowboarding.com/snow/features/article/0,13009,246375,00.html (February 1, 2003).

"Kevin Jones to Compete at Great Outdoor Games." EXPN.com. http://expn.go.com/snb/s/kjflyfsh.html (February 1, 2003).

Sketch by Don Amerman

snow·board / ˈsnōˌbôrd/ • n. a board resembling a short, broad ski, used for sliding downhill on snow. • v. [intr.] slide downhill on such a board: [as n.] (snowboarding) the thrills of snowboarding. DERIVATIVES: snow·board·er n.

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