New Zealand Snowboard Team Enjoys Success Overseas

EUROPE (January 30, 2008) - The New Zealand Snowboard Team has completed its final competition of the 2008 European campaign: the FIS World Cup Halfpipe in Bardonecchia, Italy.

Kendall Brown (Mt Manganui), after a great week of training, landing backside 720s and attempting her first 900 was consistent throughout qualifying, semi-finals and finals finishing in 5th place – her best result of the season and ranking her 13th on the World Cup tour. She is well on her way to achieving a top-30 end of season ranking which will guarantee New Zealand an additional start at next season's crucial Olympic qualifying period.

Ben Stewart (Whangamata) made it through to semi-finals and finished 14th, getting close to the 12-man final. Stewart, aged just 15, has been rapidly progressing over the past few months consistently making the final cut whilst competing against the world’s best on the Ticket To Ride (TTR) World Snowboard Tour. The ‘TTR World Snowboard Tour’ is the largest culmination of independent snowboard freestyle events acting under one common tour flag.

He qualified 5th for his first ever 6 star TTR final the “Davos Evolution” in Switzerland. Most recently he placed 13th overall at the European Open TTR 6 star event and 10th in the "Rock the Spot” TTR 4 star event in Bardonecchia Italy.

Ashley Light, Performance Director, New Zealand Winter Performance Programme (WPP) said these results, together with the recent successes enjoyed by the New Zealand Free Ski Team, indicated a strong New Zealand team going into the next Winter Olympics.

"The WPP Snowboard programme is going from strength to strength. The hard work and dedication of both the athletes and the coaches is paying off as we track towards Vancouver 2010."

The team is now back in Colorado for a month of training under the Winter Performance Programme prior to the second competition phase of the season in North America. The next event is the FIS Word Cup in Calgary, Canada in a 22-foot halfpipe on 28/29 February.

ENDS

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