The lack of ESPN on campus deprived Tufts students of four days of intense record-breaking on the slopes at the tenth annual Winter X Games held at Buttermilk Mountain in Aspen, Colo. on Jan. 28-31.
Two celebrated snowboarders continued their dynasties in one of the fastest-growing sports in America. Janna Meyen, one of the sport's veterans, and Shaun White, still a teenager but one of the nation's best all-around male boarders, both captured gold in slopestyle for the fourth year in a row, an unprecedented feat in X Game history.
The week's events featured Moto-cross, skiing, snowboarding, and snowmobile SnoCross. Meyen and White four-peated in the slopestyle category, one of three classifications for snowboarding, in which a competitor performs tricks one at a time through a course with various jumps and rails.
Meyen went into the Games a fan favorite, but with her grandmother in the hospital, victory may not have been foremost in her mind. Nonetheless, her qualifier run, peppered with complicated tricks, was flawless and put her 13 points ahead of the pack.
After the initial qualifiers, competitors are allowed two final runs to showcase their skills. Meyen struggled in her first run and dropped into last place behind nine other qualifiers. She attempted a 720, but came up short on the last rotation, coming down with messy landing and losing all momentum for the remainder of the run.
Hana Beaman, 23, a well-respected and progressive risk-taker, scored an 83.33 points out of 100 on her first run, securing the lead for the majority of the competition.
Despite her first-run mishaps, Meyen came into her second run with her full bag of tricks, exuding confidence to anyone and everyone in range.
Meyen began her second run riding switch, or weak side, moving into a 180 to board-slide down the rail. Acing the jump she missed on her first run, a switch 720 off the larger ramp, she took off, hitting a 540 on the next jump and following up with a stellar backside 540 over the 55-foot gap jump, the only women in the competition to do so.
After clearing the exchange box with a grab, Meyen polished her flawless run off with a 360. Watching the veteran land all of the largest jumps, the crowd made their preference clear and Meyen set a new X Games record as the first woman to four-peat in the history of this annual event.
"I don't feel like I broke any records; I just feel like I had a good day on the snow," the humble Meyen told EXPN after the race. "Making history is making history."
The following morning, Meyen visited her grandmother in the hospital, bringing along her record-setting gold medal.
Hours later on the same slopes, 19-year-old Shaun White made history as the first male to four-peat in the same slopestyle event as Meyen.
A truly versatile athlete, the Carlsbad, Calif. native is a celebrity for his abilities not just on the snow - he won gold in the SuperPipe and slopestyle this year in the Winter X Games - but in the skate park as well, earning one of 10 invitations to the Summer X Games given out for Skateboard Vert.
In the qualifying round at the X Games, White took it easy, saving his big tricks for the finals and coming in comfortably in fourth place. Unlike Meyen, White made his first run his winning run, which allowed his mellow attitude to shine through in his final run.
He began his first run with a frontside 270 into a backside boardslide. He then completed a 900, landing switch to set up for his cab 1080, three full rotations in the air beginning in weak stance. White then did another 1080 over the same 55 foot gap Meyen hit and, after hitting the exchange box, executed his third 1080.
The teenager's fluidity and relaxed demeanor might have tempted spectators to strap on the board and hit the park to attempt a 1080. Even fellow competitor and snowboarding legend Danny Kass couldn't top White's stellar 95.1-point run.
White added to his achievements the next day, competing in the SuperPipe competition and performing tricks in a halfpipe with walls reaching 17 feet. Soaring to heights of 20 feet and executing two 1080s, the phenom secured another gold medal with a score of 91.00, his best out of three attempts.
Taking just two weeks off, White will return to the slopes to compete for the US Olympic Team in Torino.
