***HOS Note- It's always great to see our Osprey's flying high! Congrats Hank, Ty, Cole, Jamie and Nolan on this season's success! ****
Skiing Stowers brothers reach national finals
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March 11, 2011 - 2:01 am
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www.durangoherald.com
Brothers Hank and Nolan Stowers earned enough points last weekend at the USASA Southwest Colorado Series in Telluride and will be headed to the National Freeride Championships at Copper Mountain in April.
The brothers posted first- and second-place finishes in their respective age groups for skier slopestyle and will join teammates Ty MacGuffie and Jamie Wanzek on the trip.
MacGuffie and Wanzek qualified earlier this season.
The Telluride event included the top USASA freestyle slopestyle skiers from Purgatory, Crested Butte and Telluride.
USASA (United States of America Snowboard Association) is the national governing body for snowboarding and freeride skiing competitions in North America.
With first-place finishes last weekend, MacGuffie and Wanzek won all three events in the Southwest Colorado series.
Cole Korte posted a second-place finish to keep his hopes alive for nationals.
Chance Conaty placed fifth and still has an outside chance to make it to the show.
Other Durango Freestyle team members competing at Telluride included Parker Norvell in sixth place, Toby Goldman in seventh place and Tatum Duke in 10th.
“It was great to see Hank and Nolan step up and get to Nationals,” said J.C. Jones, head coach of the Durango Freestyle Park and Pipe program.
“We are looking forward to the challenge that Nationals will bring.”
USASA Nationals has become the messa for freeride events.
The 10-day national celebration will bring together hundreds of snowboarders and skiers, ages 7 to 70, from the 32 different regional qualifiers across the country.
Athletes will compete in slopestyle, halfpipe, skiercross, boardercross, giant slalom and slalom.
The Durango Freestyle Park and Pipe team will compete in Snowmass next weekend – the last opportunity to earn a trip to nationals.
dstrode @durangoherald.com
