Snowboardcross: X Games Xplained with Peter Foley

After Friday’s snowboardcross seeding at Winter X Games 13 in Aspen, CO, Nate Holland will go into Saturday’s race No. 1, Graham Watanabe No. 2, Seth Westcott No. 3 and Nick Baumagarter No. 4. For women, Lindsey Jacobellis earned seeding No. 1. Needless to say, the U.S. Snowboardcross team is poised to shine. Here is what head coach Peter Foley has to say about the X Games.

SR: How is the cross team feeling going into the Games?
PF: Everyone is riding great and really keyed up.

SR:  What sets the X Games apart from any other cross event?
PF: The US Media coverage is so big.  This is really the showcase for the sport in the US media each year, except the Olympic year.
After Friday’s snowboardcross seeding at Winter X Games 13 in Aspen, CO, Nate Holland will go into Saturday’s race No. 1, Graham Watanabe No. 2, Seth Westcott No. 3 and Nick Baumagarter No. 4. For women, Lindsey Jacobellis earned seeding No. 1. Needless to say, the U.S. Snowboardcross team is poised to shine. Here is what head coach Peter Foley has to say about the X Games.

SR: How is the cross team feeling going into the Games?
PF: Everyone is riding great and really keyed up.

SR:  What sets the X Games apart from any other cross event?
PF: The US Media coverage is so big.  This is really the showcase for the sport in the US media each year, except the Olympic year.

SR:  In your opinion, what are the best and worst parts of the X Games as far as cross races go?
PF: The best part is that they really put so much into the courses and venues.  The length of the course and the size and frequency of the features are awesome.  It is also great to have the athletes from all the different sports in snowboarding and skiing together.

SR: Describe the cross course at Buttermilk. What aspects of it will pose the biggest challenges?
PF: The length is a big factor as you really need to be strong to handle so many runs on such a long and demanding course.  There are some big jumps especially at the bottom but they are built well and have been running great.  I am worried that if it snows the speeds could be too slow on the 2nd to last jump and it may be hard to make it to the landing.  This year the first turn seems to be tight and I hope it get adjusted wider and more banked for the finals.

SR: Who in particular should we keep an eye on this weekend?
PF: Lindsey is really killing it, but on the men’s side there are just so many that are really looking fast.

Snowboardcross men’s seeding results:
1. Nate Holland / 101.255 / Truckee, Calif. / Bib 608
2. Graham Watanabe / 101.699 / Hailey, Idaho / Bib 620
3. Seth Westcott / 101.821 / Sugarloaf, Maine / Bib 621
4. Nick Baumagarter / 102.083 / Iron River, Mich. / Bib 600
5. Stian Sivertzen / 102.347 / Kongsberg, Norway / Bib 615
6. Jonathan Cheever / 102.670 / Saugus, Mass. / Bib 623
7. Max Schairer / 103.259 / St. Gallenkirch, Austria / Bib 614
8. Shaun Palmer / 103.508 / South Lake Tahoe, Calif. / Bib 611
9. Alex Pullin / 103.973 / Mansfield, Australia / Bib 612
10. Francois Bolvin / 104.679 / Jonquiere, QC, Canada / Bib 601
11. Jason Smith / 105.883 / Basalt, Colo. / Bib 616
12. Hans-Joerg Unterrainer / 105.986 / Salzburg, Austria / Bib 618
13. Jayson Hale / 106.102 / Sierraville, Calif. / Bib 642
14. Tom Velisek / 106.158 / Squamish, BC, Canada / Bib 619
15. David Speiser / 106.290 / Oberstdorf, Germany / Bib 617
16. Michal Novotny / 106.450 / Prague, Czech Republic / Bib 610
17. Bobby Minghini / 106.789 / Snowshoe, W.Va. / Bib 185
18. Rob Fagan / 107.547 / Cranbrook, BC, Canada / Bib 604
19. Damon Hayler / 107.619 / Sydney, Australia / Bib 607
20. Pat Holland / 108.339 / Sandpoint, Idaho / Bib 609
21. Ludovic Guillot-Diat / 108.399 / Villard De Lans, France / Bib 606
22. Chris Mahaney / 108.93 / Bangor, Maine / Bib 643
23. Rogert Carver / 110.216 / Placerville, Calif. / Bib 173
24. Derek Wintermans / 112.468 / Port Coquitlam, BC, Canada / Bib 622

Snowboardcross women’s seeding results:
1. Lindsey Jacobellis / 1:50.380 / Stratton, Vt. / Bib 634
2. Sandra Frei /  1:51.174 / Flims-Dorf, Switzerland / Bib 645 
3. Zoe Gillings /  1:51.838 / Isle of Man, Great Britain / Bib 633
4. Mellie Francon /  1:53.481 / La Chaux-De-Fonds, Switzerland / Bib 632
5. Maelle Ricker /  1:54.110 /  Whistler, BC, Canada / Bib 639
6. Helene Olafsen /  1:54.695 / Oppegard, Norway / Bib 638
7. Olivia Nobs /  1:55.970 / La Chaux-De-Fonds, Switzerland / Bib 641
8. Joanie Anderson /  1:57.000 / South Lake Tahoe, Calif. / Bib 630
9. Simona Meiler /  1:57.237 / Flims, Switzerland / Bib 637    
10. Erin Simmons /  1:58.847 / Steamboat Springs, Colo. / Bib 640
11. Faye Gulini /  2:06.608 / Vail, Colo. / Bib 381
12. Tara Dakides /  2:12.431 / Mammoth Lakes, Calif. / Bib 631