L to R: Michelle Parker, Kaya Turski, Meg Olenick
The third and final stop of the Winter Dew Tour rolled through lake Tahoe last weekend bringing together Orage team riders Michelle Parker, TJ Schiller, Matt Margetts, Taylor Seaton, Banks Gilberti and Phil Casabon for three days of slopestyle, halfpipe, and California sunshine.
Matt Margettts
Day one was arrival day and halfpipe practice for Taylor Seaton and Matt Margetts. Taylor came into this stop of the Dew Tour ranked 7th overall and was cleaning a practice run that consistently put him into finals at the last two Tour stops. Margetts, who has been unanimously referred to as “Bubble Boy” by the event announcers after missing finals qualification by one stop in the first two stops of the Dew Tour and X Games, used every available minute of practice time to put his run together.
Pipe qualifiers were divided into two heats, two runs each, with the top nine overall scores advancing to face off against pre-qualified athletes Tanner Hall, Justin Dorey, and Simon Dumont in the finals. Margetts was up first and dropped in with a flat 5 tail, right 900, left 900, 720, and finished it off with a switch 7 putting him in 12th place for the time being. Taylor couldn't put his first run to his feet and dropped down to 23rd with one run remaining. With one last chance to break the bubble Margetts stepped it up in his second run going bigger, cleaner, and ending it with a switch 10 at the bottom earning him a 7th place finish and a spot in Saturday nights final under the lights. Taylor dropped in switch on his second run boosting a switch 7 mute on his first hit followed by a right 5, left 900, right 900, and allyoop 5 at the bottom. Margetts was probably holding his breath a little as Taylors score came in, but despite his efforts Taylor ended up in 12th place and would not advance.
Margett's finally making finals was the talk of the day, but the legacy of Bubble Boy lived on throughout the weekend with the official renaming of the bubble position to “the Margetts Spot.” Sitting in the Margetts Spot is indeed an honor, but still probably not where you want to end. up.
TJ ready to drop in during slopestyle qualifiers
Perfect weather showed up again on Friday for slopestyle qualifiers. The course wasn't as big as some other comps this season but smooth transitions and plenty of options ensured that the focus of the event would be on style and stomped landings rather than big tricks.
Casabon somewhere in the middle of a switch 10 mute
The run started off with an option down rail or down box, into another set with a flat box or cannon rail to choose from.
Michelle on the first rail option
The first jump had two take offs that were about the same size but one had a cheese wedge takeoff and the other shaped more like a true table.
TJ working out some truck driver variations on the table top...
Just past the landing was another slider option with a double kink rail and box leading right into the final two jumps and the finish area. Both rails were a mandatory disaster in order to maintain enough speed to clear the following jump.
Matt Margetts on the last jump
Despite stomping their runs TJ, Banks, and Margetts ended up in 18th, 19th, and 20th, respectively. Casabon had better luck pleasing the judges but only managed to come up in twelfth, and with only the top nine advancing it would not be enough.
Saturday afternoon it was the ladies turn on the slopestyle course and after a quick practice Michelle Parker continued her standout return to the competition scene with a second place finish cleaning the top rail option, a 450 off the flat box into a switch 5, 720, and 540 on the jumps.
Saturday night brought out the biggest crowds of the weekend as thousands of spectators lined up around the halfpipe to watch the main event. The classic Dumont-Hall rivalry was in full effect as the two battled it out for the lead. In the end Tanner Hall walked with the title and Margetts held on to a respectable seventh place finish stomping his run from qualifiers even bigger under the lights.
For more videos and highlights from the rest of Winter Dew Tour check out allisports.com
Photos: Rom Marcucci and John Vandervalk
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