Kevin Rolland dominates the Men’s Ski SuperPipe at Winter X Games 15
Kevin Rolland was holding his head high on the eve of 28 January, 2011. The French had just earned himself the bragging rights for yet another year by defending his title in the Men’s Ski SuperPipe final at the Winter X Games 15 (WX 15), being held in Aspen,
Colorado. The 15-year-old Torin Yater-Wallace of Aspen nailed silver whereas the bronze went to the legendary Simon Dumont of Bethel, Maine.
Kevin Rolland, also known as Mitch, entered this year’s Winter X competition feeling quite confident. He had participated in the Dew Tour at Wellington, Vermont, recently and walked out with a gold medal in the SuperPipe event. Mitch seemed at the top of
his game, successfully carrying his form to the mega event in Aspen to meet his next challenge and defend his title.
Rolland’s top form became evident after he ended the elimination round with a score of 95.00 as his best. The final, consisting of the top 6 skiers from the elimination round, was bound to be a tougher challenge, and one could only speculate what the final
results would be.
After missing out on the first run and a modest second run, Rolland came strongly in his third run. An impressive double flair up top, followed by an alley-oop flatspin 3, moving into a double cork 1260, earned him a score of 93.66, a score that saw him
off to his second SuperPipe victory.
A real surprise came in the form of Torin Yater-Wallace, the youngest competitor in Winter X roster this year, and the third youngest male in WX’s history. The young skier from Aspen was living his dream by being part of the most popular winter extreme sports
event, after attending it as a spectator for the last seven years.
Wallace made it to the finals of the SuperPipe quite comfortably after coming third in the elimination round. He started his final with a disappointing first run. However his confidence built up after a decent second run. The third run took everyone by surprise.
An electrifying alley-oop double flat spin 9 on his bottom hit and remarkable amplitude and style through his run left the every one present at the scene in awe. He ended up with a score of 92.66, falling short of Rolland’s score by 1.00, and made it to the
podium with a silver medal to his name. He also became the youngest athlete to win a WX medal.
The legendary Simon Dumont came in third, taking home the bronze. The most exciting skier at WX because of his amazing SuperPipe amplitude, Dumont has been taking home medals every year since 2004 till 2009. These include 2 gold, 2 silver and 2 bronze medals.
Facing a disappointing WX in 2010, he landed himself on the podium once again this year.
Dumont’s first run in the SuperPipe final would indeed be an unforgettable one, not because it was something amazing, but because of the nastiest pipe crash in recent memory. However, the man had no intention of letting the minor setback put him down. His
second run was spectacular, pulling off the largest doubles, consisting of a double cork 12 up top and a ridiculously big and grabbed flair in the middle, and huge airs all around. The judges awarded him 90.33 for this run, which remained his best and saw
him off to third bronze.
Duncan Adams, who came at fifth place in last year’s contest, moved up a slot this year with his best score of 86.00.
The Men’s Ski SuperPipe may have reached its end, but surely it will be talked about for a long time. Kevin Rolland’s gradual rise to legendary status, Torin Yater-Wallace’s Cinderella story, and Simon Dumont’s endurance after the devastating crash in his
first run has left everyone wondering what the future holds in terms of excitement and talent at Winter X Games. A more exciting SuperPipe contest is inevitable in the future.
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