Getting ready at the start of the Dumont Cup.
Amidst some of the warmest weather seen all winter on the competition circuit, the 2012 Dumont Cup is here. This marks the fourth time that Simon Dumont has held his event in his native Sunday River, ME. The eponymous event marks one of the few open events that still grace the Northeast. The Dumont Cup is also one of the few events left that uses a jam session format for qualifying, giving competitors more than two or three runs to prove their worth in the judges' eyes.
Slushy spring park days in Sunday River, Maine.
Whereas last year's Dumont Cup was riddled with cold weather, this year's contest kicked off today with the thermometers reaching the mid-60s. This year's course has once again changed slightly from the previous three iterations. The course starts off with a down bar or down-flat-down rail. The second feature gives you the option of either a flat rail or a pole-jam to rail on top of a wall ride. Then the course goes into a triple jump line, each increasingly bigger than the previous.
The slopestyle-only event got underway today with the customary jam session. This year is different in the fact that there was only one session, as opposed to two. But that didn't stop the burgeoning amateur talent of the country from coming out and putting on their best show. And with the sun shining, Luke Van Valin on the mic, the pre-qualified pros lapping with the ams—and Simon Dumont himself checking out the runs—the day was well on its way. While the speed was the biggest concern of the day due to the conditions becoming ever slushier, that didn't stop the ams from throwing down.
Backflips for everyone.
The judges had their work cut out for them, with the ams putting down a battery of trickery. The radios were abuzz with "bib number so-and-so dropping" and, "Did we get them in to finals?" The Dumont was in frequent contact with the six judges to make sure that the 20 athletes that qualified from today were the cream of the crop. The judges and Simon are not releasing the 20 who qualified until later tonight at the group dinner, here in Sunday River.
Once the names are released, the stage will be set for tomorrow's semifinals and finals. The 20 athletes from today will meet up with 20 pre-qualified athletes. Guys like Nick Goepper, the 2011 Dumont Cup winner and Alex Schlopy, the 2010 winner are in attendance. Jossi Wells, Joss Christensen, Torin Yater-Wallace, James Woods, and more are also making an appearance to drop some hammers at Simon's event. Tomorrow's slopestyle will be an AFP platinum level event, with the winner taking home not only cash and prizes, but valuable points towards the overall AFP rankings.
Stay tuned for more from the Dumont Cup, and be sure to check out the video below of pre-qualified Ian Cosco enjoying the slushy spring weather here in Maine.
Gus Kenworthy showing off for the people.
