Veteran Anton Pogue (Hood River OR) and newcomer Lisa Odynski (Reno, NV) muddied the picture of Olympic parallel giant slalom selection Friday by leading the PGS qualifying on the opening day of the Chevy Truck U.S. Snowboard Grand Prix at Mount Bachelor.

Pogue went on to win the controversial men's race and earn the $10,000 winner's purse, upsetting 1998 Olympian Chris Klug (Aspen, CO), who was the No. 5 American in qualifying. Eric Warren (Bennington, VT), second American in qualifying, finished third in the race.

Pogue slipped out in his first run of the semifinals but came back to reach the Finals when he won the second run. Meanwhile, Klug drew two fouls for leaving the start gate early; the first one was overturned when it was protested by the U.S. Snowboard Team but his second came during the final run with Pogue...and it gave Pogue the win.

"This race was classic," Pogue said. "Klug and I have a history with these gates at Bachelor and I knew he was a little hot under the collar because he thought I jumped the gate in the first run and I just thought I nailed that start. I think his anger got the better of him. I was nervous in the second run but I just kept telling myself to nail this run and not worry about anything else."

Klug, who grew up riding at Mount Bachelor, said, "I'm obviously disappointed with the decision but I'm happy with my riding. I got off to a slow start in the qualifier, but I'm going to go to Europe and get the job done in the weeks ahead."

In the women's race, Odynski led Rosey Fletcher (Girdwood, AK) in the qualification with Sondra Van Ert (Ketchum, ID) third. In the race, Stacia Hookom (Edwards, CO) knocked off Lisa Kosglow (Boise, ID) for the $10,000 victory when Kosglow went down on her final run and slipped out; thinking she was disqualified, she stopped and even though Hookom went down a few moments later, she still was the winner because Kosglow had stopped.

Olympic selection is based on placings in the qualification. Final selection for the Olympic Team will be made based on a rider's two best results in five PGS events; the last two events are World Cups in Kreischberg, Austria, and Bardonecchia, Italy. Jeff Greenwood (Hartford, CT) won the first two qualifiers to clinch an Olympic spot while Fletcher and Kosglow won the first two women's races; Fletcher now has two 2nd place finishess while Kosglow has a 2nd and a 4th...and now the unheralded Odynski has a victory.

"The course was pretty technically challenging because it was turny on the top and turny on the bottom," Hookom said. "My strategy was to get as much speed through the flats and carry it as far as possible."

— Courtesy, Chevy Truck U.S. Snowboard Grand Prix News Bureau