Saturday, December 13, 2008
AIR TIME IN JAPAN
By: TTR Press Office
Tokyo, Japan – December 12th, 2008: In traditional Japanese fashion the Tokyo Dome in Japan was packed to the brim with a beyond stoked and energetic crowd. US rider and Japanese favourite Shaun White emerged victorious from an epic Quarterpipe session at the 6Star Swatch TTR Nissan X-Trail Jam. The first day of competition of the combined-format contest hosted brilliant riding all around with US rider Chas Guldemond in second place, followed closely by Finnish shredder Peetu Piiroinen in third.
Improving upon the previous day’s already stellar set up, Claes Hoegstroem and his crew relieved some of the compression that riders were experiencing through the transition, resulting in the best Quarterpipe the contest has ever seen alongside cleaner tricks and bigger airs. Always a treat for Japanese fans, Shaun White cleaned up impressing both crowd and judges with his always stylish, perfectly honed maneuvers that included a switch BS Rodeo, McTwist Mute, BS Rodeo Alley-Oop 7 and an epic FS 10 that arguably won him the contest.
In what was considered a surprise attendance, Shaun was excited to get an early jump on the Nissan X-Trail Jam: “It was a last minute thing and to do so well makes me feel really pumped –so hopefully I rip it up tomorrow and squish some points”.
Chas Guldemond proved once again that he’s here to put up a hard fight on the Tour, continuing upon his success in the Southern Hemisphere with a second place in Tokyo. Motivated by a loving crowd, “Guldemondo”, as the Japanese like to call him, redefined the word “tweak”, boning out his tricks to near breakage, stomping an appropriate McTwist Japan, two BS Rodeo 5s and a huge BS 7.
The crowd also rose to their feet for Finnish phenomenon Peetu Piiroinen who placed third and managed to take home the highest air of the night after numerous attempts, reaching 6.7 m. Piiroinen earned his spot on the podium with a solid BS 5, BS 5 Alley-oop and a BS 7.
Riders endured a hard day’s work at the Tokyo dome, pushing through a 16-man, 20 minute qualification jam, with 8 moving on to the semi-final session, and ending with a 12 minute, 4-man final. Somehow the competitors pushed through a grueling process of having to hike up the in-run to bag to get as many hits possible in each session, sweating buckets and proving their athleticism and desire to win.
The Judges, comprised of snowboarding greats such as Brian Iguchi, Michi Albin, Jamie Lynn and Ingemar Backmann, had their hands full with a truckload of QP hits in each session as they did their best to score riders on style, completion, amplitude and variation. Unfortunately, competitors such as Kazuumi Fajita, the best Japanese rider of the day, along with 07/08 Swatch TTR Champion Kevin Pearce (USA) and even the great Terje Haakonsen (NOR) were unable to make the finals in Japan despite their best efforts. Travis Rice, who was also expected to do well in Tokyo was unable to compete due to a sore back.
After an epic day of transition riding, the 6Star Swatch TTR Nissan X-Trail Jam throws riders a new bone to chew on with tomorrow’s straight-jump, Big Air format. Will Shaun White come through with another win to claim the first 6Star TTR Title of the Season? Will Chas Guldemond maintain his Tour Lead? Or will we see some Japanese talent rise to the occasion and earn a victory on home turf? Find out tomorrow for the final day of competition of the Nissan X-Trail Jam. Visit www.ttrworldtour.com to watch the upcoming video of today, and read blogs and rankings with all the highlights of Saturday’s event. Remember to also read up on the 6Star Roxy Chicken Jam going down in Kaprun this weekend as the Tour’s leading ladies battle it out in the first all-women competition of the season.
Labels: Chas Guldemond, Shaun White, TTR
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