The Associated Press
Danny Kass (from left), Ross Powers and J.J. Thomas stand on the podium after sweeping the men's halfpipe competition Monday in Park City, Utah. Kass won silver; Powers gold; and Thomas bronze.

The Associated Press
Kelly Clark celebrates at the end of her run at the women's halfpipe event Sunday. Clark's perform-ance kicked off a gold rush for U.S. snowboarders.

U.S. snowboarders sweep halfpipe competition

New sport creates major buzz

EDDIE PELLS, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

PARK CITY, Utah -- Gold, silver, bronze. Red, white and blue.

Snowboarders Ross Powers, Danny Kass and J.J. Thomas rendered those colors interchangeable and indivisible Monday, giving the United States its first medals sweep in the Winter Olympics in 46 years.

With chants of "USA, USA, USA" coming from the crowd of 30,000, the three U.S. citizens made history on the halfpipe, soaring into the sunshine for an unforgettable Olympic moment.

They catapulted their sport out of the fringe and into the spotlight -- and put America alone on the medals stand.

"I couldn't ask for anything more," said Powers, who turned 23 on Sunday. "It's the best birthday present ever. These guys beside me are also huge. Today was just the perfect day."

A standard set

Flying 10 and 15 feet above the hollowed-out snow chute, the Americans won all three medals in a Winter Olympics event for the first time since the 1956 Cortina Games, when the U.S. men's figure skating team did it.

It was only the second Winter Games sweep ever for the United States, and it was topped by Powers, who adds gold to the bronze medal he won in Nagano four years ago.

The sweep bumped the United States up to six medals in these Olympics, including the halfpipe gold won Sunday by Kelly Clark, who was on hand to watch her countrymen sweep.

On Monday, it was a rare sweep in front of frenzied, flag-waving fans.

It was the biggest crowd any of these athletes had performed for, a turnout boosted when winds delayed the women's downhill event and sent thousands down the mountain to see the halfpipe.

And really, there was no better place to be on this day.

After all, where else would fans have taken in the sight of Finnish star snowboarder Heikki Sorsa, who used an entire can of hair spray to spike his hair and give himself a foot-high mohawk?

How about a rock band playing during intermission?

Wild fans, willing stars

Or the way the winners celebrated, signing the bare breasts of an avid fan? (Thomas took care of the left, and Powers did the right).

Olympic victories are supposed to put athletes on Wheaties boxes, but maybe not this time.

"I'm going to be on the Count Chocula box!" Kass yelled. "Count Chocula!"

Snowboarding is a distinctly American sport, created on a lark by a man in Michigan, Sherman Poppen, who in 1965 braced a pair of skis together and tied them with a rope so he could give his daughters something to do during the winter.

He called the contraption a Snurfer, combining the words snow and surfer. A few years later, entrepreneur Jake Burton Carpenter improved the snowboard and started the wave that continues to this day.

When the International Olympic Committee added snowboarding in 1998, many questioned whether the so-called "lifestyle sport" belonged in the Olympics.

Carpenter was one of the skeptics, but he couldn't deny the magic of this moment.

"This is a whole new level," he said. "You wouldn't get riding like that if this was a cutthroat sport. They were out there pulling for each other."

For related stories go to the Salt Lake 2002 section.

The Olympian Copyright 2002

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