In an emotional day, former FIS World Cup halfpipe champion Tricia Byrnes (New Canaan, CT) secured the final women's spot on the 2002 Olympic Team Sunday, bumping her good friend Gretchen Bleiler (Snowmass, CO) at the Chevy Truck U.S. Snowboard Grand Prix. Tommy Czeschin (Mammoth Lakes, CA) and Danny Kass (Hamburg, NJ) landed men's berths.

In the fifth and final event, ex-World Junior Halfpipe Champion Kelly Clark (Mount Snow, VT) won her third consecutive Grand Prix, and another $10,000, giving her $30,000 in eight days, with 42.1 points to 37.5 for 1998 Olympian Cara-Beth Burnside (Orange, CA), who was runner-up. Bleiler, who was 2nd after the first run, finished 3rd and Byrnes finished 10th; if Bleiler had held onto 2nd place, she would have earned the last of the three women's Olympic spots.

Olympic selection was based on a rider's two best results in five Grand Prix events. Byrnes and Bleiler were tied with two 2nd-place finishes and after two tiebreakers (i.e., third-best result, fourth-best result), officials had to go to a review of international rankings, both the International Ski Federation (FIS), which oversees Olympic snowboarding, and International Snowboard Federation (ISF) standings. Byrnes won on that tiebreaker with higher placings in both standings.

"It was a horrible day," said Byrnes, who rides out of Stratton Mountain, Vt. [Saturday] night Gretchen and I were hanging out and freaking out. I get so much pressure, so much stress, and then it comes down to chance. So, we'd see what happens. The weather conditions weren't in anybody's favor. I was, 'Oh, man, anything can happen.'

"I wanted to do my best run," Byrnes explained, "and I didn't. But, somehow it worked out in my favor. I'm really happy but really bummed because Gretchen deserves to go. We all deserve to go."

In a touching scene, Byrnes broke down crying and was consoled by Bleiler.

The men have four spots for the Olympics. '98 Olympic medalist Ross Powers (South Londonderry, VT) already had clinched one berth and coaches said they would name two other riders after Sunday's event; the fourth Olympic quota spot was secured last September in a race in Chile by local favorite JJ Thomas (Golden, CO).

Third in Friday's halfpipe, Thomas received help Saturday from U.S. Snowboard Team coaches, who overhauled his ride, orchestrating tricks, which they felt could help him score higher. Then he went out and won Sunday's halfpipe at Breck with a score of 47.9.

Second place went to Shaun White (San Diego) with 45.0 and Kass took 3rd place with 43.6 from his first ride.

Kass, who won the first Grand Prix last month, and Czeschin, Friday's winner, were named to fill two of the final three men's Olympics places. Thomas finished 4th in the calculation for Olympic selection; a fourth rider will be named later, officials said. Czeschin injured a shoulder when he crashed on his first run but he completed his second run and then was taken for medical treatment.

— Courtesy, Chevy Truck U.S. Snowboard Grand Prix News Bureau