Killington, Vermont - January 29, 2012
This week's rain washed away some snow at Okemo Mountain forcing a junior pro ski and snowboard event to move to Killington. But it seems the lack of snow hasn't dampened the spirits of those hoping to make it to the big time.
Wet weather forced the Gatorade Free Flow Tour to switch mountains.
"A slight weather change makes everything a little more intimidating," said Nick Rosenberger, a skier taking part in the event.
Intimidating, perhaps because it meant the junior participants now got to share something in common with their idols. "It was pretty good, the pipe is still left over from the Dew Tour so it's nice," said snowboarder Sophie Anderson.
Kids from ages 9 to 21 got to take a chance on the half pipe used just last week by the professional skiers and riders of the Dew Tour. "The pipe was so nicely cut and everything," said snowboarder Maggie Leon.
Anderson and Leon, natives to the area, had a sort of home court advantage, taking first and second place in their division.
But despite the lack of winter weather, others, like Logan Dobson, still traveled from as far away as Vernon, British Columbia. "Six hours by plane and then three and-a-half hours driving," he said. Dobson says he doesn't let the mild weather and icy slopes slow him down.
"Skiing is just what I do -- it's worth the experience and good fun."
Fun -- but possibly fruitful as well. The kids are all competing for a chance to move on to a Dew Tour qualifier -- meaning if they win -- they're two steps away from going pro. "Yeah, that's the ultimate goal. I don't know, not many people make it, but it's worth a shot," Dobson said.
And it's worth a shot to 16-year old Nick Rosenberger who moved away from home in Massachusetts to a ski academy in Maine to focus on his dreams. Like the fleeting snow flakes Sunday, fleeting is his time in the classroom. Rosenberger more often trades in the classroom for a hotel room on the road. "My teachers give me packets so I usually just hang out in hotels and get my work done there and then bring it back when I'm done competing," he said.
For Rosenberger, it's all part of a bigger plan. "Basically iIm hoping to take a few years off before college, head out to Colorado, ski there for a little bit and then apply to college and see what happens," he said.
While some of the day's participants were just there to have some fun, for others it's all about the future.
