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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Advertisement Email Story to a Friend April 1, 2006 St. Mary�s snowboarder Seth Hill soars in the air during the national amateur snowboarding championships in Truckee, Calif. Hill finished first overall in his age group in his first trip to nationals. Seth Hill reaches new heights at the national level By KEVIN GOFF Mail Tribune TRUCKEE, Calif. — By his own standards, Seth Hill’s goals for his first trip to the national stage were modest. The St. Mary’s senior would gladly have excepted a top-10 finish against the top amateur snowboarders in the nation. Hill, however, surprised even himself by claiming the overall freestyle title in his age group at the United States Amateur Snowboarding Association 17th-annual National Championships held at the Northstar-at-Tahoe Resort. He was awarded a plaque and two medals for his championship run at a banquet Friday night. The event featured the top 1,500 amateur boarders from around the country and is widely considered the top amateur snowboarding competition in the world. Advertisement Hill, 18, won a bronze medal in the halfpipe event and captured a silver in slopestyle to accumulate enough points (9,262.5) for the championship in the Men Jam’s 18-22 division. Hill, who qualified for nationals by winning the Northwest section, competed against winners from the other 34 regions. Many past competitors at the USASA nationals have gone on to represent the United States in the Olympics. "This is definitely the biggest thing for me so far," said Hill, who won the Oregon halfpipe and slopestyle state championships in early March. "I mean, it’s a big deal...this is the biggest amateur event in the world." Hill scored a top run of 62.05 in slopestyle and 7.483 in halfpipe. He and his coach Steven Strand, who assisted on Hill’s high school team, set up a routine for each event. "We went through and worked out everything I’d do," said Hill, "and practiced them so we’d know which would work. "(Strand) was a huge help. I really couldn’t have done this without him." The halfpipe, which Hill said is not his strongest event, came first on Monday. Hill started off with straight air to set up a trick, then did a 540-degree turn off his toes, followed by a backside 540, a 360 off his heels and a switch 360 off his toes again. He finished off with a frontside 540 off his toes to complete his run. "This is my first trip to nationals," Hill said, "so when I (qualified) I thought I’d be so happy with a top 10 in either event. "After that first day when I got third in halfpipe, I thought, ‘Oh, this is working out for me’. That’s when I knew I could do something better (than top 10)." Hill’s run in slopestyle also went as planned, with the longtime snowboarder landing a switch 540, a trick where he launches off the opposite side he normally takes flight from and turns into a 1½ rotation. He capped off the flawless ride with a frontside 720 off his heels. Hill, who will compete for the University of Colorado next season, hopes his win will someday parlay into a run in the professional ranks. "The idea is to get the sponsors to pay you to ride instead of giving you products," said Hill, whose sponsors include Season Five Clothing, GNU Snowboards, Red Bull energy drink, Extreme Board Shop, DaKine, Tech 9 and Bolle. "Hopefully this will get my name out there in the industry." Reach reporter Kevin Goff at 776-4483 or e-mail Seth Hill reaches new heights at the national level ">[email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2006 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker Custom Build Computers Discount Hotel Reservations online casinos news Ashley Furniture HomeStore Send Flowers Southern Oregon Loans California Casinos GMAT Prep Windermere Van Vleet Sports Equipment Online Casino Reviews Online Bingo Entertainment Guide Online Casino Fundraisers Sudoku Online Casinos Canada Online Pharmacy Advertisement s