22 March 2005

Freestylers hit the heights
Andy Bennett and Mike Wakefield pushed each other to the limit at the Orange British Freestyle Skiing and Snowboarding Championships. And with 17-year-old Brad Scott hot on their heels, it was a top quality battle.

Bennett from Kneesall in Nottinghamshire triumphed in the big air and slopestyle while Pontefract's Mike Wakefield successfully defended his half-pipe crown. Former Olympian Graham Bell gatecrashed the party to win the skiercross, pipping Scott on the finishing line.

Wakefield takes a turn
Wakefield landed a d-spin 1080 - three full turns. It was the first time he had attempted the incredibly tough trick and he pulled it off in the final of the half-pipe to the delight of the crowd at Laax in Switzerland.

"I wasn't sure whether to attempt it or not but everyone was cheering me on so I thought I might as well have a go. I was stoked to pull it off." Wakefield had hardly been able to prepare for the Brits as he was recovering from a twisted ribcage and sprained diaphragm sustained in a competition in Val d'Isere. And his week started poorly when he finished fourth in big air and fell in the slopestyle.

Bennet kept it together
Bennett was delighted with his double win but said fortune had played its part. "There are four or five guys who could have won it and it simply comes down to who keeps it together on the day. I was lucky that I didn't make a mistake," he said.

It was Scott's first appearance at the championships, and the Coventry-born teenager, now based in Lake Tahoe in America, had a fantastic time. "To race against Graham Bell was awesome and the whole week has been amazing. I've learned lots and have been stoked by my performances."

[Source: bbc.co.uk]

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