Passion is what warms the hearts and bodies of the many young athletes gathered atop the Grostè on this cold, damp, and windy Sunday for the Big Air stage of the Triveneto Cup championship.
Five men’s and women’s age categories were contested (Baby, Cuccioli, Ragazzi, Allievi, Giovani), with no fewer than thirteen snowboard teams arriving from across the Triveneto region—including, from farthest afield, the students of Liceo Bachmann in Tarvisio (Campiglio Snowboard Team, Zebra Team, US Cornacci, Ski Team Fassa, Liceo Bachmann, US Primiero, US Dolomitica, Val Biois, Tutto Bianco, Ski College Veneto, AG Sportmarket, Club Alpino Edelweiss, Freestyle Academy).
The day kicked off with the usual practice session, where no one felt the cold yet—constantly lapping without having to wait for their turn to drop kept everyone warm despite the chilly, blustery weather that felt anything but spring-like… Two kickers were set up for the event: a 6-meter (M)edium jump and a 3-meter (S)mall jump for the youngest riders.
Right on schedule at 11:15 a.m. thanks to the impeccable organization of Snowboard Team Campiglio, the contest got underway over three runs, with the best two scores counting toward the final standings.
First up were the youngest athletes (Baby and Cuccioli categories), all under 10 years old, who already showed off some impressive tricks—though what mattered most was the dedication and passion these pint-sized riders brought to their mini boards. Taking first place in the Boys’ “Baby” category was Federico Giovannini of Snowboard Team Campiglio, followed by Andrea Bettin and Cristian Baronchelli. Alba Dusi and Valery Vegher, the two youngest local riders at Ursus Snowpark, battled it out for first and second place in the Girls’ division—being the only two competitors in their class! In the Boys’ “Cuccioli” category, Tommaso De Martin of AG Sportmarket was in a league of his own, taking first place ahead of Andrea di Tonno (US Cornacci) and Tommaso Pagani of Campiglio Zebra Team.
In the “Ragazzi” category—where more technical tricks began to appear—Francesco Jogna Prat of Liceo Bachmann in Tarvisio finished ahead of Martin Fosco of Ski Team Fassa and local rider Edoardo Giovannini. In the Girls’ “Ragazze” division, local rider Syria Stanchina edged ahead by a few tenths of a point to take first place in front of teammate Marilù Poluzzi (both Snowboard Team Campiglio) and Ginevra Zulian from Val di Fassa.
In the “Allievi” category (born in 2001 or later), Syria Buzzoni of Tutto Bianco claimed a decisive victory ahead of Isabel Murer (Val Biois) and Francesca Loffredo of US Cornacci from Tesero/Val di Fiemme. In the Men’s Allievi division, Francesco Vanzetta won by a comfortable margin ahead of Samuele Cristel from Val di Fiemme and Giovanni Zulian from neighboring Val di Fassa. The technical level kept climbing, and despite the flat light making everything much tougher, the competitors put on an impressive display of skill. The competition pressed on through the wind and cold…
Finally, it was time for the oldest age group (“Giovani,” born before 2000), delivering top-level aerials including backflips, frontflips, and mind-bending spins with textbook air awareness. Friuli’s Chiara Meula clinched victory by a single hundredth of a point ahead of talented local rider Olga Martinelli, with Carolina Valentini almost a point back in third (both Snowboard Team Campiglio)—a one-hundredth margin that made Chiara’s long trip from Tarvisio to the snows of Madonna di Campiglio well worth every kilometer. In the Men’s “Giovani” category, standout rider Vlad Khadarin stomped three clean runs without a mistake to finish ahead of fellow Friuli high-schoolers Cesare Grotto and Federico di Girolamo.
Another day of pure “made in Ursus” freestyle up on the Grostè, where passion and the drive to ride proved the best antidote to the cold on a wintry day in this upside-down season—which felt like spring just a few weeks ago and now feels like mid-winter in spring!
Special thanks to all the participating teams and their young athletes, to the Italian Winter Sports Federation (FISI) for making this championship possible, to Funivie di Campiglio for believing in freestyle, to the Ursus Snowpark shapers who are always ready to dial in the contest features to perfection, and to all the riders who pour so much passion and commitment into the sport!
For the official results: www.snowboardteamcampiglio.it/news.html
For all photos:
www.ursus-snowpark.com
www.facebook.com/ursussnowpark
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