Hundreds Migrate to Lake Placid for State Farm U.S. Snowboard Cup

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Competition Includes Halfpipe, Snowboardcross and Parallel Giant Slalom

LAKE PLACID, N.Y., March 1 /PRNewswire/ -- State Farm Insurance, U.S. Snowboarding and the New York Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA) will host the 2005 State Farm U.S. Snowboard Cup March 3-6 at Whiteface.

More than 250 athletes from 26 nations are set to compete in parallel giant slalom, halfpipe and snowboardcross during the four-day event, basically a mini Olympics with all three 2006 snowboard disciplines. The State Farm U.S. Snowboard Cup is the lone stop on American soil for the FIS Snowboard World Cup tour -- and is the first of its kind for a domestic World Cup.

The U.S. lineup:

A sampling of the American line-up includes: Lindsey Jacobellis (HP & SBX; Stratton Mountain, VT), Tricia Byrnes (HP; Stratton Mountain, VT) and Lisa Kosglow (PGS; Boulder, CO), who will stake out home turf for U.S. women at Whiteface. Men's riders to watch for are World champ Seth Wescott, (SBX; Farmington, ME), World Cup winner Steve Fisher (HP; St. Louis Park, MN), Shaun White (HP; San Diego, CA), Ben Jacobellis (SBX; Bondville, VT), Mountain Creek Grand Prix winner Elijah Teter (HP; Belmont, VT) and brother Abe Teter (HP; Lake Tahoe, CA).

What's on tap for competition:

The PGS competition is set for Thursday on Draper's Drop with qualifications at 9 a.m. and finals at 1 p.m. The Swiss dominate the PGS, with men and women sitting 1-2 in the World Cup rankings. Catch a glimpse of these World Cup leaders Philipp Schoch, Urs Eiselin, Daniela Meuli and Ursula Bruhin tear Draper's Drop apart. American Michelle Gorgone (Sudbury, MA) is currently eighth in World Cup standings and has five top-5 finishes this season including a second at the recent PGS in Sapporo, Japan.

Halfpipe qualifications, to be held on the Bear Trail, are slated for Friday with women in the morning starting at 8:45 a.m. and men in the afternoon at 12:15 p.m. Men's and women's halfpipe finals are Saturday at 1 p.m. on the Bear Trail.

The women's SBX qualifications are Saturday at 9:30 a.m. on the Boreen trail. Men's SBX qualifications are Sunday at 9:30 a.m. The men's and women's SBX finals are set for later that day beginning at 1 p.m.

Off-Hill Event Activities:

Competitors switch gears Saturday night for a quarterpipe and rail jam under the lights in the field of the Olympic Speed Skating Oval. Riders will be towed in by snowmobile for the quarterpipe. The top five will each walk away $1,000 richer. Spectators are invited to bring their own skates for a free session on the Oval or in the hockey box. Rentals will be available on-site for a nominal fee. The Josh Cramoy Band will perform, and fans can enjoy free hot chocolate.

All of the State Farm U.S. Snowboard Cup events are free. Spectators can access the viewing areas on foot or purchase a lift ticket and take a few turns in between. Sunday, March 6 is Super Sunday, presented by Bud Light, with discounted lift tickets of $25 for adults and $15 for juniors and seniors. No advance purchase necessary.

For more information on ORDA venues and events, and for Web cams from five locations, please log on to http://www.orda.org. For complete coverage, visit http://www.ussnowboarding.org.

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