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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Wednesday, April 2, 2014 | 18 Jon Kuiperij Sports Editor sports@oakvillebeaver.com Sports R A I S I "Connected to your Community" N G T H E C U P No medal, but so much more McEachran finishes fourth at Dumont Cup against world-class slopestyle field I M Suddenly, there were no limits except your imagination and gravity. Oakville Beaver staff He competed in this first World Cup event t is the result no athlete wants. One step off two days before his 15th birthday. He joined the podium, a medal tantalizingly within the national development team the following reach, fourth place means you are the best season and earned a silver medal at a Nor-Am of those coming home empty-handed. event -- the top development circuit -- in Evan McEachran has stood atop the podium Idaho. He capped the year with a ninth-place twice this year in Association of Freeskiing Pro- finish at the Dumont Cup, an event orgafessionals (AFP) slopestyle events. He said it's nized by one of the sport's pioneers, Simon an addictive feeling and once you've done it, Dumont, that brings the top pros and ama"you want to get that feeling more often." teurs together to compete. Yet Sunday's Dumont Cup competition in The 17-year-old continued to make big Sunday River, Maine left McEachran feeling gains this season. In January, he scored his better than after any of his wins, despite finish- first AFP victory at the North Face Pipe and ing fourth and missing a medal by three points. Park Open Series in Whistler, B.C. In addiIt could have had something to do with the tion to his usual strong showing on the two depth of the field. It could have had something rail sections, he landed a switch 900 and two to do with the fact that two of double corks, including a the skiers on the podium -- right-side 1260 on the final Americans Gus Kenworthy jump. and Nick Goepper -- had It was followed by a string occupied similar spots six of impressive results, includweeks earlier in Sochi, Rusing a second at the Aspen/ sia. Sunday's bronze medalSnowmass Freeskiing Open list, Bobby Brown, had also and another win earlier this turned in a top-10 finish at month at the SnowCrown the Olympics. Ski and Snowboard Festival Meanwhile, with a score at Blue Mountain, not far of 89.0, McEachran finished from where he got his start. ahead of Olympic gold medThis summer, McEachran allist Joss Christensen as will continue to work on his well as a host of other pros jumps. He hopes to add a and X-Games veterans. switch double misty 1440 -- "It was pretty intimidata jump he enters backwards, ing at first," said McEachran, flips backwards twice while a member of Canada's dedoing four full rotations. Evan McEachran velopment team, "but then I He worked on it prior to this decided to look at it as more of a challenge, season but had to put it on hold once competo see how I rank up against these guys. The titions began. He'll pick it up again training course was way harder than any other and I on water ramps in Quebec before returning had to step it up way more." to the slopes in Whistler and New Zealand The course was praised for its challenge, in toward the end of the summer. particular, the rail section, which McEachran says is his strength and where he's made the is recent success already has the most improvement. Grade 11 Oakville Trafalgar H.S. stu"Last year I only had one double," he said. dent thinking about 2018. McEach"This year I'm doing three in a row in the rail ran still remembers hearing the news that section." slopestyle would be joining the Olympics. "It was really cool," he said. "I was up on cEachran began skiing at the age of a glacier (in Whistler). Sarah Burke, who six at the Craigleith Ski Club near passed away a couple of years ago, worked so Collingwood. But while the family hard (to have freestyle ski events included), it was skiing, McEachran was always off to the was awesome to see it in the Olympics." side making jumps. McEachran said federations in other sports "I was breaking four pairs of skis a year so work toward conformity. But watching the my parents pushed the club to have a free- Olympic competition, he said it was great to style area," he said. see slopestyle stay true to its roots. He began skiing moguls but there was still "We have different styles, different clothes, something missing. Once he got his first look poles, no poles, grabs, no grabs," he said. at a terrain park, he discovered what it was. "You just do what feels right." By Herb Garbutt Tigers goalie Ian Arnott (above) hoists the championship trophy over his head following his team's 3-2 overtime victory over the Golden Hawks in the tyke blue final at the Minor Oaks Hockey Association house league championships. Christian Markakis (right) celebrates his goal, which put the Tigers on the board and later (below) the team celebrates its victory. MOHA crowned champions in 29 divisions from tyke to juvenile over two days at Sixteen Mile Sports Complex. | photo by Graham Paine -- Oakville Beaver H