Greg Posts

Shaun White wasn't the men's halfpipe winner at the US Open of Snowboarding for the first time in four years. The red-haired one apparently strained his ankle while training last week and was unable to compete in Saturday's finals.


With that opening, not only did Danny Kass pull out the win, but Peetu Piirione, the second-place finisher, clinched the TTR World Title and the $50,000 that goes along with that. Luke Mitrani was third.

Joel Parkinson kicked off the 2009 World Tour in grand style Wednesday by dominating the semifinals and finals on his way to a season-opening victory. Parkinson scored two perfect 10s, one in the semis against Mick Fanning and the other in the finals against Brazil's Adriano de Souza. Parkinson scored a total 18.83 to de Souza's 11.30 in the final.

In the Semis, Parkinson faced off against former world champ Mick Fanning, who put up a strong combined score of 17.66. However, Parkinson's perfect 10 along with a 9.93 sealed the victory for the Aussie. In the other semi, de Souza had a solid 14.84 against Taj Burrow, who couldn't find his rhythm, managing only a 5.34.

The location for the final was Kirra instead of the primary venue of Snapper Rocks or the back-ups Duranbah Beach and Coolangatta Beach. All three were utilized in action yesterday leading up to the Semis.

For the 27-year-old Parkinson, the win was his second at the Gold Coast and gives him the early lead in the World Tour rankings. The next stop will be Bells Beach in Australia for the Rip Curl Pro starting April 7.

For more about the contest, check out the official site at www.quiksilverpro.com.au/

Kelly Slater's quest for a tenth world championship is already looking a little tougher after Slater was knocked out of the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast in the third round Sunday. Twenty-year-old wildcard Julian Wilson defeated the 9x world champ, 15.33 to 13.84, thanks to his second-to-last wave score of 8.50. Slater's best score was a 7.67.

Shaun White saw his chances for another TTR title improve Saturday when he took the Intelligent Design Contest in Park City.

The contest, which evolved from the World Superpipe Championships, was unique for its course, which contained big air, half-pipe and jibbing elements.

White was followed on the podium by Charles Reid and Luke Mittrani. The win moved White to fifth overall in the TTR rankings, with Peetu Piiroinen holding onto the lead (Piiroinen didn't compete in the contest).

Stephanie Gilmore has kicked off her 2009 campaign for a third-straight world championship in good form, winning the season's first contest, the Roxy Pro Gold Coast, Sunday.

Jamie Anderson scored the top spot at the season-ending Toyota Championship at Northstar-At-Tahoe Friday, edging Spencer O'Brien for the win 87.50 to 87.17 thanks to a tie-breaker. Janna Meyen-Weatherby was third.

Anderson won both Dew Tour events but O'Brien was solid in all three stops, giving her the overall honor of the Dew Cup.

"It's pretty amazing," O'Brien said. "I'm so stoked. This whole series has been really awesome and just so much fun. I was really nervous coming into this one, but to clinch the Cup has been awesome."

Torstein Horgmo scored a decisive win Friday at the Men's Slopestyle Finals at Northstar-At-Tahoe's Toyota Championship, the final stop of the 2009 Winter Dew Tour. Horgmo's 93.50 was almost four points better than second-place Shaun White's 89.67. Local rider Chaz Guldemond finished in third with an 88.00.

White's second-place finish was enough to earn him the Dew Cup. He finished the season with 280 points, thanks to two second-place finishes and one win at Mount Snow.

"I was hoping to be up there with the Dew Cup in hand and drop in and have a fun run, and that's kind of what happened," White said.

Shaun White closed out Winter X Games 13 Sunday by capturing his second-straight gold medal in the Men's SuperPipe -- the first person ever to accomplish the feat.

The winning run came on White's last as then-frontrunner Kevin Pearce watched. Pearce ended up in second with a 90.66 while Antti Autti was third with an 87.33.

The win gave White his ninth career Winter X Games gold medal, a record.

Santa Cruz may or may not be "surf city" to you (for some, Huntington Beach owns the distinction) but it still holds a special place in surfing's history.

Like many other cities around the country, Santa Cruz is having some financial issues (to the tune of a $7 million deficit) and last December the city council voted to close several of the city's public institutions, including the Natural History Museum and the Surfing Museum that opened more than 20 years ago.

Torah Bright is back in a big way. After being MIA on some of the biggest contests so far this season, she dominated the women's snowboarding superpipe qualifiers on Thursday at the Winter X Games 13.

Following up Bright in the standings were Kelly Clark and Hannah Teter, with Ellery Hollingsworth and Gretchen Bleiler rounding out the top five.

The finals will be taking place on Friday night. Get more about the games here.

Full results after the jump.