‘We’re Both Stoked’: Team USA Women Snowboarders Excited After Strong First Day

Jamie Anderson Leads Women's Slopestyle Snowboarders Into Final (TeamUSA.org)

The Opening Ceremony isn’t scheduled until Friday, but competition is officially underway in Sochi following the men’s and women’s slopestyle snowboarding qualifying runs on Thursday at the Rosa Khutor Extreme Park.

The U.S. saw all seven members from its slopestyle snowboarding team advance past the opening round – including four from the women’s team. Jamie Anderson and Karly Shorr automatically qualified for the women’s slopestyle final, while Jessika Jenson and Ty Walker advanced to Sunday’s semifinals.

Anderson, a native of South Lake Tahoe, Calif., scored a 93.50 on her first run, which was second only to Austria’s Anna Gasser, who scored a 95.50. Anderson did not start a second run, but her sheer jumping ability in the first run was enough to even take her by surprise.