White, Clark win again at US Snowboard Grand Prix, Lago, Teter move closer to Olympic berths

White, Clark dominate US Snowboard Grand Prix

PARK CITY, Utah — Shaun White was so angry following a rare halfpipe loss two weeks ago, he decided to ditch a planned vacation for a little extra practice instead.

Good call.

The snowboarding star put together a near-perfect run Friday — unveiling his latest trick in the process — to dominate the U.S. Snowboarding Grand Prix and send a message that he’s more than ready to defend his Olympic gold medal at Vancouver.

“It was just the run of my life,” White said.

One he capped with his newest bit of derring-do — called a Double McTwist, in which he packs 1.5 horizontal flips inside two vertical flips.

“Nearly impossible” might be a better way to describe it. Or “nearly flawless.” That trick helped earn him a score of 49.0 — only 1 point shy of a perfect score.

Finding new ways to defy gravity while hurtling down a mountain isn’t easy. And White has paid the price over the last few weeks trying to perfect it. He bumped his head “three or four times” in practice and admitted he was “scared” about doing it in competition.

Good friend Kevin Pearce was severely injured last month practicing a similar trick, and with “I Ride For Kevin” signs scattered throughout the crowd, it was no surprise to hear White say he had Pearce on his mind as he sat atop the hill.

“It’s intimidating, it’s such a commitment right off the bat and to not know what the outcome’s going to be, it takes all your energy and focus,” White said. “I’m just happy to have that trick now. It’s the best trick I’ve ever done.”

One that could be hard for the rest of the field to top if White can do it again in Vancouver. The Double McTwist ended a practically flawless run that included back-to-back double corks and helped him put his loss to Danny Davis two weeks ago firmly in the rearview mirror.

“I was so upset, I needed that extra push,” White said.

White had originally planned to spend a couple days in Los Angeles after the event at Mammoth Mountain. When Davis beat him, White opted to head straight to Park City.

“I panicked,” White said. “I booked it straight to here and next day, I learned it.”

And when he’s on, White proved he’s easily the best in the world. Scotty Lago finished second, 1.7 points back, but the gap felt much wider.

It’s a “pretty sweet score,” White said. “I’m dialing it in, I just have to keep practicing. There’s always room for improvement.”

Lago moved closer to an Olympic berth. Though he got “chills” following his best run of the season, he acknowledged grabbing an Olympic spot while two of his best friends and closest competitors are in the hospital makes it bittersweet.

Pearce was considered one of the top challengers to White, and Davis was closing in on a berth before fracturing his pelvis in a four-wheeler accident last weekend.

“I’m doing it for the ‘Frends’ crew,” Lago said of the group of snowboarders who go by that name. “Poor Danny. I wish he was here. He’s obviously an Olympic contender. There’s no other person I’d rather see in Vancouver. They’d be stoked.”

Lago’s ticket to Vancouver isn’t quite punched yet. White is already on the team and Louie Vito, who finished sixth, is virtually assured a spot. That leaves Lago, Greg Bretz and 2002 Olympic bronze medalist JJ Thomas fighting for one available spot in Saturday’s final qualifier.

The United States will announce three riders for its halfpipe team Saturday night, with a good chance one more spot will open up when the full team is selected Monday.

Kelly Clark again dominated on the women’s side, winning for the third time in four starts. She won Olympic gold on the same mountain in 2002 and put together a solid second run to finish with 45.20 points, just ahead off defending Olympic champion Hannah Teter (44.80).

“My Olympic run will be different,” Clark said. “I’m looking to add some more technical tricks to my run, but this is a good starting point.”

Clark already has a spot on the team, and she’ll likely be joined by Gretchen Bleiler, who was fourth Friday.Teter and Ellery Hollingsworth are battling for the third spot.

“Everyone is throwing down super hard,” Teter said. “You’ve got to be on it if you want to do well. Everybody is on it, so it’s whoever is on it the most.”