Superpark 5, Day 3
"This is classic Superpark," says Event Director Keith Carlsen as crews tear down banners at the end of the day. "Every year we expect the guy who killed it the year before to do so again, and every year someone new steps up."
What started as a typical day, with most of the athletes sessioning the smaller hits in the lower half of the park, turned into a showdown of sorts on the 90-foot hip/table. When the proverbial dust settled, Jon Olsson emerged as the undisputed star of the day.
Jon spent the morning dialing in technical spins in the park's rhythm section. On the first jump he'd throw an unnatural cork five, and follow it with a switch cork five on the second hit, spinning natural this time. While no one else seemed to notice, the young Swede never seemed happy with his style. "I suck today," he exclaimed at one point, flashing his trademark cat-who-ate-the-canary grin.
Others at the sesh had a different take. "It's sickening," said Superpark veteran Mike Douglas. "He makes it look so easy."
Other highlights from the morning came from Iannick B., who was the only rider to grease the entire lower half of the course in a constant run; Candide Thovex, who exhibited his classic tail grabs and technical spins; and Sarah Burke, who reestablished herself as the top female style skier in the world by stomping Cab 540s despite having not jumped for three months because of torn cartilage in her knee.
"Sarah is hands-down the best female skier in the world right now," said Douglas. "Pipe, park...everything but [big mountain] skiing, only because she's doesn't do it. But honestly, what women are stepping up in that right now? No one."