posted 01/22/10 06:04 AM | updated 01/22/10 06:04 AM
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Sun Valley Olympic Connection: Graham Watanabe named to U.S. Snowboard Team

By U.S. Snowboarding
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Graham Watanabe

STONEHAM, Quebec  - And so, one chapter ended and another began for U.S. Snowboarding Thursday as Graham Watanabe (Sun Valley, ID) took second and Shaun Palmer (South Lake Tahoe, CA) third in their final shot for Olympic qualification during a snowboardcross World Cup in Stoneham. With his second place, Watanabe locked up a spot co compete on the largest athletic stage in the world – the Olympics.

"I don't even really know how to summarize it," Watanabe said. "It's a confirmation of everything I have worked for. It's not the end all be all, but making it to the Olympics is a difficult task, especially with a team like ours, and achieving that goal is a big step in achieving a bigger goal in my snowboarding, which is to be the best I can be."

But, it was not all smooth sailing for Watanabe. In qualifications he went down on his first run. The pressure was on for the second run with Watanabe needing to qualify in order to be considered for the Olympics. With some heavy concentration and focus, Watanabe came through to not only qualify, but post the fastest qualifying time.

 "That made it interesting for today because it added more pressure for myself. I wondered if I could continue it or if I had used up all my gusto in qualifiers," Watanabe.

"For Graham this is amazing. The amount of pressure that was on him was huge," U.S. Snowboarding Head

The gusto remained, though, with Watanabe advancing each heat with excellent riding.

 Coach Peter Foley said. "He just charged all day, had great starts and killed it. It was a ton of pressure that he dealt with great, and that's a good sign heading toward the Olympics."

 Watanabe was also a member of the 2006 Olympic Team, but under interesting circumstances. Sent to Italy as a wax tech after he failed to qualify, Watanabe was plugged into the Olympic lineup when a teammate was injured during training. Watanabe said he feels like this time he belongs in Vancouver.

"I felt like I was Olympic caliber in 2006. I had raced all season against all those same people. But I also felt like I had teammates who were better suited for that position and it took injuries for me to get in there," Watanabe said. "But this time I feel like I belong there. I put in several years of progress and consistent riding in the top group."

In the end, Watanabe won't call what happened in Stoneham fate, but he will say he achieved one of his goals.

 "I'm not a big believer in destiny or fate, but this is something I set my sights on and made it a goal," Watanabe said. "When I feel like I'm riding the way I'm riding, it was an absolute achievable goal."

Palmer, a legend of the sport, marked the third World Cup podium of his career as he rounded out the top-three Thursday. He needed at least second to make the Olympic Team.

According to Foley, Palmer was doing everything right, but the top two just had more speed.

"He did awesome. He qualified fourth, so he had good speed. In all of his heats he rode great, he made passes and charged it all day," Foley said. "In the final heat Pierre Vaultier [France] and Graham were faster than him and he got third. It's pretty hard to take for him."

With the final event out of the way, the U.S. Olympic Team for snowboarding will be announced Monday, Jan. 25.

For Watanabe, the journey thus far has been incredible, and the future is something he looks forward to.

"I want to applaud everyone that was gunning for it today. It was an intense atmosphere. Ross Powers did an incredible job and got so close. And Shaun Palmer, of course, came so close and did such an amazing job," Watanabe said. "It's been an awesome year and it's been an honor to ride alongside these guys. I'm psyched I could be here for it all."

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