The United States Amateur Snowboard Assn.-sanctioned competitions, part of the San Gabriel Snowboard Series, are qualifying events that lead to the upcoming 2010 USASA National Championships.
Hunt said he watched American Shaun White win Olympic Gold Feb. 17 in the men’s snowboard halfPipe — and took away a few valuable pointers from White’s performance.
“A couple of things really stood out to me,” the well-spoken, animated, Mariners Christian School student offered. “First, I saw how important ‘dropping in’ is in a competition, so you can get a lot of speed. Shaun also showed that if you commit to tricks and aren’t afraid, you can land them.”
Hunt returned home with his family Sunday from Apsen, where he got in some quality halfpipe workout time with one of his coaches, James Brumfield, at the Winter X Games Park in Buttermilk, Colo.
“Chandler, right now, he has shown a lot of improvement since last year,” Brumfield said. “He has a lot of potential. It’s just a matter of getting the fundamentals into place.
“What’s great about Chandler is that he takes the competitions seriously, but doesn’t let it get to him. He’s mentally prepared but doesn’t stress about things. He has fun with it. He has solid riding skills and he’s motivated, but it’s his personality that will set him up for big things in the future.”
Just how did the Newport Beach resident, who says his favorite food is “sushi” and loves to “listen to my iPod!, run fast, hang with my friends and body surf at the beach in the summer,” become so proficient in snowboarding?
