Liberty University Club Sports
Snowflex USCSA Event
Skiers, snowboarders thrive in Sunday’s USCSA Rail Jam at Snowflex
2/7/2023 5:23:00 PM | Ski & Snowboard
After Saturday's USCSA Big Air competition was canceled due to the low temperatures that caused the misting system to freeze atop the Liberty Mountain Snowflex Centre, Liberty University's men's and women's ski & snowboard teams had the opportunity to showcase their stunts and tricks during Sunday afternoon's USCSA Rail Jam, sweeping first place on the podiums individually in all four divisions.
"It went pretty smoothly, as the conditions were favorable in the 50-degree range, with the sun preventing any ice from forming," Liberty Head Coach Isaac Gibson said. "The competitors all performed pretty well and had a really good time, and we finished everything off with a little cookout and invited other teams to join us."
The layout of the Rail Jam featured two sets of rails in a line, similar to the setup at the USCSA Mid-Atlantic Regional Championships, set for Feb. 17-18 at Seven Springs, Pa., and the USCSA National Championships to be contested in Mammoth Lakes, Calif., from March 6-11.
"Even just hiking the hill and getting conditioned was helpful to prepare us for the Rail Jam at nationals, when we will have to be able to hit two rails in a row and connect that line," Gibson said. "When we go to Mammoth, which has one of the top trail parks in the country, there is a good chance the features will be very technical and pretty large. I expect a really spectacular set up, with rails that are going to be challenging and technical."
In the men's snowboard division, which included 20 competitors from Appalachian State, the University of Virginia, JMU, and UNC Chapel Hill, the Flames swept the first four positions — senior Jesse Mast (74.5), sophomores Tate Gardener (69.5) and Jayden Horrocks (65.75), and freshman Curren Cook (54.25).
"Jesse has grown tremendously in his time with the team, not just in the tricks he can do, but with his consistency and I am really excited for him to continue growing and building up to his last performance at nationals, which will hopefully be his best showing yet," Gibson said. "Having teammates around at a similar skill level, all encouraging one another, has definitely helped, along with former teammate Tyler Sherbine, who is back helping to coach and pushing him to get stronger."
Competing among a total of 18 skiers including those from UVA, JMU, and UNC, Liberty took the first five spots in the men's ski division, led by freshmen Loken Siebert (69.5) and Justin Maier (60.75) as well as sophomores Coby Liebelt (53.75) and Charles Barkow (49.75) and senior Oliver Harner (36.5),
"Going into the season, we definitely had high hopes and expectations for Loken, but he hurt his knee a little bit in our first competition," Gibson said. "In this second contest, he really figured it out and instead of going for his hardest tricks, toned it down so he could put down fully landed runs, hone his skills, and then go for higher-risk tricks. He loves rails but is excited about going to regionals where he can showcase his all-around skills on Slopestyle."
The women's divisions were not as deep as Liberty only had competitors from Virginia and Appalachian State in the snowboarding competition and UVA in skiing.
Senior Emory Orlando (48.25) led a 1-2 snowboard showing followed closely by sophomore Emmaus Rich (44.0) with freshman Hannah Walder (40.25) and Abigail Tobin (39.75) placing fourth and fifth, respectively.
"Emory and Josie have been on the team a few years now and have progressed a ton," Gibson said. "At the end of the day, it doesn't matter how hard a trick you can do if you're not consistent with it. Both have picked up really technical tricks but have learned to start off with tricks they can land and go from there."
Junior Josie Rich finished first in the women's ski division with her score of 32.25 followed by sophomore Isabella Tinney in third (26.25), though the Lady Flames finished second in the team competition to UVA, which had more competitors.
The Flames and Lady Flames will travel to Wintergreen Resort in nearby Nelson County, Va., this Saturday and Sunday to compete in their final USCSA regular-season Slopestyle and Rail Jams, respectively.
By Ted Allen/Staff Writer
Players Mentioned
