Kelly Clark was back on the podium for the second weekend in a row only this time it was on top. Kelly crushed her first run at the U.S. Grand Prix at Copper Finals with a 95.5 score but it was her second run that reminded everyone why she’s an Olympic gold medalist. She didn’t sit back despite already being the winner. She improved her score to a 98.0 with a monster run full of tricks and was nearly perfect.
It was an American sweep in the Women’s Snowboarding Halfpipe with Ariell Gold second and Gretchen Bleiler third. The event served as a U.S. Olympic qualification. Ariell Gold was aggressive in the pipe and it earned her the runner-up position. Gretchen moved into the top three with a clean run that showed she’s deserved of another trip to the Olympics. Gretchen’s runs are flashy but they are technically sound and she gets solid air out of the pipe.
Kelly seemed much more confident in her approach on Saturday night than she had the week prior at the Dew Tour. Maybe it was performing under the lights which gives the event a much cooler atmosphere than during the day. When you see Kelly nail a 1080 you can’t help but be in awe of how amazingly talented these women are.
U.S. Grand Prix Women’s Snowboarding Halfpipe Results:
1. Kelly Clark USA 98.00 (bib #1)
2. Arielle Gold USA 91.25 (bib #22)
3. Gretchen Bleiler USA 86.00 (bib #5)
4. Sophie Rodriguez FRA 85.00 (bib #25)
5. Kaitlyn Farrington USA 84.75 (bib #3)
6. Rana Okada JPN 82.00 (bib #35)
7. Xuetong Cai CHN 79.25 (bib #10)
8. Elena Hight USA 63.75 (bib #2)
9. Queralt Castellet SPA 78.25 (bib #4)
10. Ellery Hollingsworth USA 78.00 (bib #26)
