The Canuck Chuck Rookie Fest was held at Horseshoe Resort an hour north of Toronto this past Saturday and showcased the next generation of Canadian slopestyle riders. Brought to you by Jesse Fulton and the crew at 365 sports, this event focused on giving riders 18 and under the opportunity to compete against others of their age and skill level. All this while vying for a chance at competing in Austria at the world rookie finals.
Located in the area that up until this season housed the resort’s halfpipe, this new slopestyle course was a perfect venue for Canada’s up and comers. The course breakdown was a good mix of rails and jumps with something for almost everyone. From the drop-in, the first feature was a set of stairs complete with two urban rail options, after that there was an “L” shaped bank/hip complete with corrugated pipe coping. This feature changed the rider’s direction and led them in to the jump line. Two solid jumps led into the bottom feature which housed a quarter pipe/hip combo on riders left and a corrugated pipe pointing to the clouds to give riders one last chance to impress the panel of legendary judges.
When all the riders had had their chances at glory, the judges had 20 minutes to tabulate and confer with each other before the prizes were handed out. After a very strong showing all day, Cole Cummins was awarded for his efforts. Cole’s final run earned him the best style award for the day, based on a backside 720 tweaked hard, as well as the top spot on the podium and an all-expense paid trip to Austria to compete against the best rookies in the world.
One of the great things about having a passion like snowboarding is seeing that same passion in reflected in kids. With events like this, we as snowboarders should all be stoked that our sport has progressed to a level where companies and athletes understand that giving back and supporting the next generation (or in Terry’s case, the next three) plays a huge role in the future of all things snowboarding.
RESULTS
Male Rookie Finals
1. Cole Cummins 2. Taylor Watling 3. Michael Izzard 4. Max Wharin 5. Jack Heysel 6. Malcolm Eppinger
Male Grom Finals
1. William Izzard 2. Coulton Conway 3. Quin Thielman 4. Gordon Hall 5. Ryan Parkhurt 6. Jaden Dankevy
Female Rookie Finals
1. Ali Cannon 2. Hilary Gardiner 3. Bree Simpsons
Female Grom Finals
1. Megan Simpson 2. Natalie Maugeri
All photos: Connor Dudgeon
Text by Guest Column from www.push.ca
