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ESPN Winter X-Games Nine

            Aspen, Colorado again played host to the ESPN Winter X-Games on January 28 – February 1.  The setting for an event of this magnitude is perfect in Aspen, with 4 separate mountains and a very exciting town, Aspen was again the perfect host for this extreme action sports event.  Paul was qualified for the Snocross event at this years games, where 32 of the sports best riders from around the globe convened on what is always the years biggest and best track.  The built for TV Snocross track in Aspen is always one for the record books, and this year didn’t disappoint.  With 2 big air jumps spanning 105 feet, and several technical rhythm sections that could swallow up the groomers let alone sleds, the perfectly groomed track again provided a place for the racers to show their best talents to the masses.  The format for qualifying was run with 2 rounds for each of the 32 competitors, the total scores for the 2 rounds were added up and broken down to a list of 16 who would move on to the semi-finals.  The 2 semi-finals would then be split down to 8 who would go to the final, and 2 more would come from an LCQ.  Paul, after several days of testing in the mountains was ready for the task at hand, that of running on a track most would only dream of, with the best racers in the world.  In his first heat, he had a decent start and was able to run with the crowd he was paired with, negotiating the big whoops perfectly and clearing the huge jumps with a certain degree of confidence for his first time out.  At the checkers, Paul crossed the line with an impressive 6^th place finish.  In round 2, Paul was the first heat out, and the first heat to be broadcast on live primetime television, so the pressure was even more intense.  Off the line he pulled up and into 3^rd place through the first big set of rollers, battling hard with some big names in the sport.  He ran hard yet smooth for several laps, when he began noticing a dramatic loss of power.  On the last lap, Paul slipped to 5^th place as his carburetor began to work its way out of his sled from the immense pounding that the big air landings gave.  The mechanical problem he encountered in the 2^nd round was the thorn in his side, as he garnered a few too many points to make the transfer to the semi-final round.  As seen on TV, and this time we can really say that, Paul has what is takes to compete at this level, his smooth riding style fits right in on a track of that magnitude, and the team behind him has also proved that they can put together a very competitive ride.  Thanks to everyone that helped get Team Bauerly to this level, and look for big things to come, as this was an even bigger building block to success that this team could have ever imagined.    

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