Steamboat Pilot & Today

Steamboat Springs — The Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club snowboard program was pleasantly surprised with the places its snowboardcross riders qualified to compete last winter.

Topping that list was the Winter X Games, with Cleve Johnson and Callan Chythlook-Sifsof, and the FIS Snowboard Junior World Championships, with Conor Meyer and Mick Dierdorff.

It was a pretty strong showing, considering program director Jon Casson said the Winter Sports Club's organized snowboardcross training was limited to about one session a week.

Casson hopes to carry last season's momentum forward into this winter. On Wednesday, the Winter Sports Club announced the formation of a full-time pro-am boardercross training program.

"With successful pro-am freestyle and Alpine programs already in place, I think a pro-am boardercross program gives the athletes a chance to cross over to other disciplines and create a real synergy at the high-end competition level that no other club out there can imitate," Casson said.

Former professional Alpine and snowboardcross racer Christopher Massaro will be the program's head coach.

"We're shooting to put riders into marquee events like the X Games, Junior World Championships, World Cups and, eventually, the Olympic Winter Games," said Massaro, a 14-year competitive rider across every discipline. He owns a pair of USSA Giant Slalom national championship titles.

Other snowboard program staff changes include Jo Richards, who will hand over junior program head coaching responsibilities to her assistant of the past two years, Ashley Berger. New Zealand native Dylan Davidson also hasaccepted a full-time position coaching for the junior competition team.

The announced changes occurred on the same day U.S. Snowboarding announced its 41-member 2008 team, which includes eight current members of the SSWSC Snowboard Team. Matt Ladley returns to the Rookie Team of the Halfpipe Men's roster and Chythlook-Sifsof will be riding on the A Team of the Snowboardcross Women's team. Tyler Jewell, Zac Kay and Justin Reiter will be on the Men's Alpine B Team, and Vic Wild and Josh Wylie are on the C Team. Rounding out the SSWSC's representation is Erica Mueller, on the Women's Alpine B Team.

Visit www.ussnowboarding.com for a complete roster.

- To reach Dave Shively, call 871-4253

or e-mail dshively@steamboatpilot.com