March 17, 2004
Mayhem strikes Mt. Holiday
Snowboarders and skiers compete in slope style, big air contests
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
Mayhem it wasn't, just an afternoon of controlled chaos, sparkling athleticism and wholesale fun.
Held Saturday at Mount Holiday, the Mount Mayhem event featured snowboard and ski competition for area youth. Pulled together by students at Traverse City High School and drawing young boarders and skiers from around the area, Mount Mayhem participants showcased their gravity-defying skills on rails, a terrain park, tabletops, cheese wedges and hips.
"It was a great level of competition, the kids were blowing everyone's mind," said Tim Smith, lodge manager for Mount Holiday. "They were going bigger than I've ever seen at Holiday and they were doing great tricks and nobody was doing inverts, which are not allowed for insurance reasons."
Tyler Cook, a tenth grade student at Traverse City High School, topped the field in the 15 and under Big Air competition for skiing. He also took second place in the Big Air skiing for the 15 and under field. An avid skier, he relished the relaxed atmosphere of the event.
"It is not so competitive here, just everyone having fun," said Cook, a skier for nine years who hits the slopes as often as he can. "You can just take your runs and see how they compare to everyone else's."
Watching other skiers and snowboarders hurtle down the course also gave Cook some ideas for moves he might add to his repertoire next season.
"It's so late in the year, it is hard to learn moves now, but it is fun to see what others are pulling down," he added.
Marco Dedenbach, the Community Living Center coordinator at Traverse City High School, conceived of the event because a number of his students are skilled snowboarders. He approached Smith, who had already been thinking of holding a second competition this season; a rail jam in early February was very successful.
With the green light from Smith, Dedenbach turned his kids loose. They organized, advertised and solicited sponsors and contributions from the community. Sponsors ranged from Eastern Mountain Sports and Don Orr Ski 'n Beach Haus to B Extreme and Street Level; Modern Skate and Surf was the title sponsor. Three donated snowboards were raffled off during an awards ceremony late Saturday afternoon.
"I was just completely satisfied at the end, it just felt great to see all the riders leaving with smiles on their faces," Dedenbach said. "I just didn't realize there was that much snowboarding and ski talent in Traverse City."
Dedenbach also noted that the effort helped students at his school, who sometimes chafe at being tagged troubled or difficult, feel a part of the community.
"All the students from our school feel part of something big and wonderful," he said. "We're always looking for good activities to get them out in the community and doing something positive. Basically these kids are going to be in our community for a long time."
The students also turned out to help Smith sculpt a new course for the event. Working until 1:30 Saturday morning, Smith and his volunteer crew crafted a challenging and fun course.
"The kids want the newest stuff that they see on TV, they always want it to be innovative, with a diversity of terrain, big take offs and big landings," Smith said. "There's a lot they look for and it's very demanding, especially when we're building it with old groomers, very old machines."
Other students volunteered at the event, helping out in a variety of ways, including Melanie Krumrie, a senior at Traverse City High School. Krumrie helped create the event by requesting donations from the community and on Saturday helped track participants' scores.
"I like to volunteer at anything we can get involved in," said Krumrie, despite not being a skier or a snowboarder.