Copper hosts USASA National Championships

COPPER MOUNTAIN Š Sunday will mark the first day of USASA nationals competition where top regional finishers from around the country will compete in slopestyle, superpipe, boardercross, slalom and giant slalom. Hosted by Copper Mountain, the week-long competition will run through Friday and host up to 1,600 competitors.

Registration will be held from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. today in the Copper Conference Center. Events will kick off with opening ceremonies and an athlete parade in the Burning Stones Plaza beginning at 5 p.m. Venues are open for competition from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sunday through Friday. Awards ceremonies in Burning Stones Plaza will be held each day from 4-6 p.m. Wednesday will feature the High Cascade & Oakley Boombox Rail Jam above Burning Stones Plaza from 7-9 p.m. The schedule of events is subject to change.

The 2008 USASA open class halfpipe and slopestyle events will be 3 Star TTR (Ticket to Ride) events. TTR is the premiere international competition series in the world featuring hundreds of events across the globe culminating in a final TTR world champion.

Due to the USASA National Championships, terrain openings and closures are subject to change during the duration of the competition. Guests can inquire at the ticket windows or guest services locations for information regarding spectator access, foot passenger lift access or other details regarding the competition.

According to Copper Mountain spokesperson Lauren Pelletreau, the diverse group of skiers and snowboarders in attendance thrive on a sense of competition and camaraderie and span every age group, from seven to 70.

"It's not just for teenagers," she said. "It's for everybody."

Throughout USASA Nationals, competitors and guests will have access to several evening events, including skateboarding competitions, Monday through Friday at Woodward at Copper. With so many nationals participants in Copper for the week, Pelletreau hopes that nightly skateboarding competitions will entertain both athletes and visitors.

"We're trying to make this a total experience," she said.

The USASA is a grassroots snowboard organization with more than 5,000 members and 500 events in 36 regional series across the U.S. For more info, including detailed schedules, competition groups and more, visit www.usasa.org.