Consistency earns Bobby Brown Ski Big Air gold at Winter X Games Aspen 2012
The Buttermilk Mountain in Aspen, Colorado, transforms into winter action sports paradise at the beginning of the year as some of the world’s most exciting athletes travel to the site in order to reap rewards for all the hard work that they had put into
grooming their skills and polishing their arsenal. At Winter X Games, it takes more than just skills to secure a place at the top of the podium. The athletes need to put together technical runs while keeping consistency and safety into mind.
This trade-off between technical skills and consistency was precisely the highlight of America’s Bobby Brown’s performance during the Ski Big Air Final on Saturday, January 28. The 20-year-old freeskier was not new to the greatest stage of winter action
sports and thus was pretty much aware of the requirements of making it to the top. He had already made his mark in Winter X Games after becoming the first person to win gold in both Ski Big Air as well as Men’s Ski Slopestyle in 2010. Despite not being 100
percent fit during 2011 Winter X Games, he had still managed to grab a silver medal in Ski Big Air.
Arriving at the latest edition of the action sports mega-event, there was a lot of hype surrounding Brown and the possible tricks that he was attempt during the Big Air contest. While his switch double misty 1260 and 1440 were indeed a treat to watch, it
was his triple cork 1440 that had everyone really excited. He had introduced the vaunted triple cork to the sport last year and left everyone guessing whether he would bring the trick along with him to Aspen. However, one factor that filled everyone, including
Brown, with doubt, was the size of the jump at Winter X Games. While the Squaw Valley jump had given him sufficient air time to complete the rotations, the same could not be expected of the jump in Aspen.
Despite dominating the elimination round of Ski Big Air, the Breckenridge-resident left everyone in a huge doubt whether he would go for the colossal trick. Everytime he sped towards the jump, the crowd held their breath, anticipating a triple. Even though
they did not get to see the vaunted triple cork, they did get an opportunity to feast their eyes on a perfectly executed switch double misty 1260 and a switch double cork 1440. The two runs earned him a couple of 44.00 to put him in first place with a two-run
combined total of 88.00 points.
The most notable part of his victory was the fact that he had managed to secure it without unloading the highly-anticipated triple. He reclaimed the throne without taking any undue risk and aimed for consistency instead.
“It's all about consistency,” Brown said after the final. “It's not about someone coming out with the gnarliest tricks ever. It's about laying it down when it needs to be [laid down].”
Brown received a little scare at the hands of Sweden’s Kai Mahler as he saw the latter go for a switch double misty 1620, though not executing it successfully. The 16-year-old sensation had been announcing himself as a threat in the recent months and was
expected to make a solid impact in Aspen. Scoring a 43.00 and 41.00 off his top two tricks, Mahler finished with a two-run combined total of 84.00 points to take home the silver.
Brown admitted that the young athlete had him sweating for a minute and conceded that the competition had actually become anyone’s game considering the amount of talent that the freeskiers possessed.
“I feel good,” Brown said. “But then I see Kai almost land a switch double misty 1620 [which would have been the first in competition], come bolts to his feet, and I'm like, 'Whoa, I've gotta learn some stuff.' It was pretty fun. Everyone's at such a high
level now that no one person is that far above anybody else.”
New Zealand’s Jossi Wells found himself struggling to find an answer to Brown’s two phenomenal runs. In the end, he settled for a bronze medal after earning a 44.00 and 39.00 off his top two runs.
Colorado’s Gus Kenworthy finished fourth for the second time this week, missing out on the podium in Ski Slopestyle earlier. Pre-event favourite Sammy Carlson of Oregon finished in fifth place despite a solid 40.00 off one of his top run. However, he crashed
while attempting a double-cork 1620 and apparently sustained an injury in his lower right leg. X-rays later on revealed that it was a partially torn MCL and won’t require him to undergo any injury.
Brown’s decision to avoid a triple during the contest did work out his way, though it left everyone wondering if the trick would ever make its appearance in the competition at all.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely of the writer’s and do not reflect bettor.com’s official editorial policy.
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