by Trenna Sue Hiler

Created on: January 11, 2010   Last Updated: January 18, 2010

Snowboarding has come up and taken the Olympic spotlight.  There is no question that it is a sport of great discipline and here to stay.

The 2010 Olympics will feature the following snowboard competitions. The three disciplines in snowboarding include the Halfpipe, the Snowboard Cross, and the Giant Slalom.  Many of the competitors compete in all the events.

So let's meet the top competitors up close and personal.

~ Shaun White ~

On his best day, this American red head, is in a class of his own.  No one seems to be able to touch him.  But as he will tell you, he has much to learn in the sport.  There are tricks he has not mastered and competitors that, on their best day, could  steal the gold.

He will be hard to beat.  But there is a target on that red hair and he will have to fight to keep that halfpipe title.

~ Liu Jiayu ~

This Chinese halfpiper is ready to give the American women a run for their medals. In 2008 - 2009 she has dominated the season.  She won the World Cup Title and the gold at the World Championships.  At age 17, we are bound to see and hear more from this great athlete.

~Torah Bright ~

Torah Bright is a tough one for the American public.  She lives in Salt Lake City and they love her.  All but the fact that she is an Ausie!

She comes from a family of Olympic champions and is proudly carrying on the tradition.

That is not all she does.  She has her own video game and clothing line.  Watch out Vancouver, here comes Torah.

~ Steve Fisher ~

This is a veteran snowboarder.  He is one of the few that can say he has beaten Shaun White and that is just what he is looking to do in Vancouver. He is twenty seven years old and one of the few halfpipers who does not listen to music during his runs.

From Minnesota originally he learned how to board on a mountain near his home called Highland Hills.  He began snowboarding at the age of eight.  This competitor knows his stuff.

~ Nate Holland ~

This determined athlete finished 14th in his Olympic debut.  Strength is on his side.  She has traveled over the last two years to support the troops in Afghanistan and Iraq.  He is a veteran of the X Games and is expected to make a strong showing in 2010.

~ Seth Wescott ~

He is the man to beat in the snowboard cross.  He is coming in as the clear favorite.   In his spare time he finds that making first descents down treacherous Alaskan slopes is a great time

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