One year after announcing his retirement from competition, Whitehorse snowboarder Max Melvin-McNutt decided to strap on his board for a friendly contest.
It just so happens the contest was the Yukon Snowboard Championships, hosted by Snowboard Yukon at Mount Sima, March 18 and 19.
“It’s not super competitive or anything, it’s more of just a fun thing to do,” said Melvin-McNutt. “I didn’t train all winter for it, I just did it out of the blue, and it as pretty laid back as far as snowboard contests go.”
Melvin-McNutt became the first Yukoner to make the B.C. provincial team in 2011 and then the national development team in 2014. He retired following a string of injuries sustained during World Cup competitions during the 2014/15 season.
It would seem he’s still got it. The 22-year-old took first place in the open male division at the slopestyle championship on Saturday. He won the same division in 2010, the last time he competed at the championship.
Melvin-McNutt dethroned two-time defending champ Tim Schirmer with a backside blunt-slide 720 out and a 50/50 frontside 360 out on the rails. He then threw down a switch underflip on one jump and a backside 720 on the jumps.
“My body is feeling good … but I didn’t do anything super crazy,” said Melvin-McNutt.
“I’m a snowboard coach now, so it was just good to be out there riding with my athletes,” he added.
A pair of first-time competitors had success at the championships at Sima.
Dawson City’s Jamie Thomas placed first in the open female division with a boardslide and 50/50 on the rails, and indy grabs on the jumps.
“I really liked it, it was a lot of fun,” said the 16-year-old. “I liked all the people I was riding with and it was just fun. It didn’t feel too competitive.”
Thomas is finishing her first season riding with the Snowboard Yukon competitive team.
“I really like all my coaches, they were a lot of help,” said Thomas. “Esa (Suominen) did the slopestyle with me and he really helped me out.”
Thomas isn’t the only boarder meeting success thanks to Snowboard Yukon programs.
Whitehorse’s Josiah Walker, who is a member of the Sandor’s Shredders development program, was the only rider to win gold both days.
He won gold U10 slopestyle on Saturday and first in the U10 snowboardcross on Sunday.
“I am happy about getting gold twice,” said Walker. “I enjoyed it a lot. It was my first time competing, so getting first surprised me.”
Contact Tom Patrick at tomp@yukon-news.com
Results:
Slopestyle
U9 male
1st Connor Boland
2nd Eli Marsh
3rd Michaias Walker
4th Declan Laliberte
U10 male
1st Josiah Walker
2nd Ben McPherson
3rd Beau Yurchak-Lovelace
U11 male
1st Lewis Bunce
2nd Daniel Pike
3rd Kieran Mooney
U12 male
1st Jacob Nickel
Males 13-14
1st Ben Machtans
2nd Syth Charchun
3rd Zander Leslie
Males 15-16
1st Sammy Mather
2nd Asher Brault
3rd Ethan Davy
Open female
1st Jamie Thomas
2nd Teagan Wiebe
Open male
1st Max Melvin-McNutt
2nd Tim Schirmer
3rd Braeden Dolan
4th Mike Richardson
5th Brett Nichol
Snowboardcross
U10 male
1st Josiah Walker
2nd Connor Boland
3rd Eli Marsh
4th Ben McPherson
5th Michaias Walker
Males 11-12
1st Daniel Pike
2nd Kieran Mooney
Males 13-16
1st Asher Brault
2nd Syth Charchun
Open male
1st Tim Schirmer
2nd Ethan Davy
3rd Sammy Mather
4th Robert Faulds
Masters (over-35 male)
1st Matt Johnson
2nd Norm Curzon
3rd Sean Mather
4th David Yule