Syracuse.com - Snowboarding Fayetteville woman takes home the gold in boardercross event at Empire State Games

[HuntingNY-News]

She's now ranked third nationally in the women's pro division.

Elaine Supp has been competing in boardercross competitions for three years and is now ranked third in the country in the women's pro division.

David Lassman/The Post-Standard

Syracuse, N.Y.-- Local boardercross racer Elaine Supp has bigger things to think about than a fall that broke her nose before a race two weeks ago.

The 30-year-old Fayetteville resident took gold in her event at the 2013 Empire State Games last weekend. As of this morning, she's ranked third in the country in the women's pro class division.

The Empire State Winter Games were held in Lake Placid, with the boardercross races being held at Whiteface Mountain. Boardercross racing involves four to five snowboarders navigating a steep, obstacle-ridden course while trying to beat each other to the finish line.

After Friday's snowstorm, friends and family who had planned on accompanying Supp to Lake Placid on race weekend backed out because of the weather, she said. She drove to the games by herself for Friday's practice day, with the races beginning on Saturday.

It was a difficult day for racing, Supp said. The races were delayed an hour because of the frigid, zero-degree temperatures, and the amount of heavy powder left behind from the snowstorm made the courses slow. But Supp said she enjoyed the setup of the courses--"They have bigger features like courses out West," she said. "These races are always really fun."

All racers in each class compete in timed trials at the beginning of race day to determine which heat they'll be in later on, Supp said.

Supp on a recent practice run at Toggenburg Mountain in Fabius. David Lassman/The Post-Standard

"I actually fell in my timed trial", she said. "It wasn't anything traumatic, but I ended up with a really slow time." This meant that Supp raced in the "slow" heat later in the day but was still able to qualify for the finals.

In the final race, Supp another boarders jockeyed back and forth for the lead. Supp pushed past her at the very end for the win.

"It was a photo finish," she said.

Supp competed in the Empire State Games last year, but didn't medal.

"Last year the Games didn't even count towards our rankings," Supp said, "but this year they did." Supp checked the rankings this morning and saw that she is now ranked third in the nation among pro-class female racers.

The pro class, or open class, is most advanced level in boardercross competition and welcomes racers of any age who feel they can compete at that level.

Does this get her closer to Olympic trials?

"We'll see," Supp said. "Again, the problem is that all the big events are out West." The Burton U.S. Open, which is normally held at Stratton Mountain in Vermont, was the lone national boardercross event held on the East Coast until it was moved to Vail, Colo. in 2013. But getting out to the Rockies costs money and takes time away from work and family, Supp said.

However, if she wins or even makes it onto the podium at the United States of America Snowboard Association National Championships in April, she'll get noticed by bigger sponsors, Supp said.

"But this is the pro class," she said. Although she won nationals last year, that was in a lower class. "There's a lot more competition out there in (the pro) class," she said.

Given the kind of determination she has shown through a serious injury, her continued winning streak and her upward climb on the rankings board, it doesn't look like Supp will be slowing down anytime soon.

View the full article on The Syracuse Outdoors Blog