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USSA Halfpipe and Mogul Competitions
BY KATIE BERG
STATESMAN STAFF WRITER
TYLER SWEENEY / STATESMAN
*Austin Torvinen, 15, of Duluth, is catching some air out of the halfpipe.
A gorgeous Saturday at Spirit Mountain found athletes and fans alike gathering on the hill for the Division Championships of the United States Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA) Half Pipe and Mogul Competitions.
Competitors from as young as six to as old as 56 were competing for spots in the National Championships as well as spots in the Junior Olympics for some of the younger competitors. “There are people from all over out there today—right here in the Central Division with Minnesota and Wisconsin, the Rocky Mountain Division with Colorado and we even have some Canadians out there,” said Netesse Regenold, one of the helpers for the event. Martin Sundquist, the head of the Central Division and organizer of the event, said that they had about 40 competitors.
TYLER SWEENEY / STATESMAN
Kyle Schenkelberg, assistant coach for the
Duluth Superior Alpine Club’s freestlye team,
is in the middle of the flare.
TYLER SWEENEY / STATESMAN
Flying out of the half pipe gives a great view
of Duluth.
“Tomorrow, we’re heading down to the cities to Hyland [Ski and Snowboard Area in Bloomington] where 40 to 60 competitors will compete in Slope Style and Aerials,” said Martin Sundquist. Martin Sundquist’s brother, Lewis Sundquist, helped to clarify what was in store for the competitors. “Each [athlete] does the run twice, and the best run is the one that counts,” said Lewis Sundquist. “We then combine the scores of all the events, and look at the scores from the rest of the season … [this is how we] pick the Junior Olympic team. The Junior Olympics will be held in Steamboat, Colo. in March and it’s for ages 18 and under.”
Not everyone is that young, though. The freestyle half pipe competition saw UMD sophomore Kyle Schenkelberg competing. The Secondary Education major is the assistant coach for the Duluth Superior Alpine Club’s freestyle team, and has been skiing for 12 years. “I like freestyle because it’s not as strict as racing,” said Schenkelberg. “I’ve been doing that [freestyle] for about six years.”
As the assistant coach of the freestyle team, Schenkelberg is helping younger kids make their way to the Junior Olympics. “We’ll probably send a lot today,” Schenkelberg said. For his own run on the half pipe, Schenkelberg attempted a ‘flair,’ which was described by him as being, “like a back flip 180,” but unfortunately, he fell on both his runs. The mogul competition was held later that afternoon, and the variety of age got wider with 56-year-old competitor Skip McKinley from Iowa. “It’s taken me 33 years to get as good as some of these 12-year-olds,” said McKinley. “I may not be the best, but I’m the oldest.”
McKinley likes the moguls the best. “I try first for the turns, second for the air, and third to try and do it fast … half of it is getting done,” said McKinley. “I love these competitions because of the energy and adrenaline that you get, especially from these younger kids ... I’m an adrenaline junkie, and this is where you find it.”
