Louie Vito has begun 2011 the same way he ended 2010 - at the top of the podium. The Olympian won his second straight Dew Tour and third straight overall superpipe event at the Winter Dew Tour, stop #2, in Killington, Vermont. Vito opened the season in December with a win in the Visa Grand Prix, and followed up later in December with another win on the first stop of the Dew Tour, in Breckenridge, CO. Vito could have won with either of his two runs this weekend, as he was the only rider in the finals to land a double cork, let alone stick two back to back, as Vito did. "A double cork is a good thing to have, but it's not a guaranteed win just by doing one," Vito said. "There are riders out there who don't have a double cork, but if they throw down they could easily beat me." Vito ended his first run with a slight butt check at the end of the run which left him unsatisfied going into his second run but the judges still gave Vito a high enough score (90.00) to beat runner-up JJ Thomas. "I just wanted to do a cleaner run than my first run and do a run that I was stoked on so I just wanted to put it down," Vito said. In what could have been a cruisy victory lap after already being named the winner, Vito upped the ante with his front double cork 10, cab double cork 10, crippler roast beef, Michalchuk and frontside 10. When the score was tallied, Vito earned 3 more points to take the win with a 93.00. Louie's win further secures his lead in the overall Dew Tour rankings heading into the final stop of the 2010-11 season and putting him as one of the leading contenders for the Toyota Athlete of the Year. The four-day competition is the second of three stops on the 2010-11 Winter Dew Tour. The third and final event is the Toyota Championships February 10-13 at Snowbasin Resort in Ogden, Utah.
SUPERPIPE MEN FINALS Top 4
1. Louie Vito 93.00
2. JJ Thomas 88.00
3. Mason Aguirre 86.50
4. Steve Fisher 83.50
Louie's next event is the Winter X Games at Aspen, CO LIVE on ESPN, Sunday night, January 30th.
Vito Wins 3rd Straight!
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Louie Vito Rail Jam 2010 A Huge Success
Fresh off back-to-back half pipe first place victories on snowboarding's world stage, Ohio's own Louie Vito returned to his hometown of Bellefontaine for his annual for-charity rail jam. Forced to hold this huge event on Sunday, the day after Christmas, due to Louie's super busy schedule, event planners hoped people would show up. Once again the popularity of Central Ohio's Snowboarder turned Hero shined through as the event drew a record crowd of over 700 loyal fans and 350 event participants.
Autograph SigningLouie's kind personality and generous nature were showcased at his autograph session. Scheduled to run from 2pm-3pm, the shear number of dedicated fans presented a time constraint issue. But, Louie talked to each fan one-on-one and posed for pictures - all with his signature smile. "I want to stay right here until everyone has a chance to visit with me and receive an autograph," Vito stated. And that's what he did. Not only did everyone leave with an autograph, but they all left with a smile on their face. A personality like this is why his popularity, events, and fan base have grown to the level they are at now.
Awards CeremonyFollowing the Rail Jam, competitors headed inside for the promise of free swag from Louie's generous sponsors. Upon entering they walked into a party in progress as local rockers PDWK were on-stage. Following the show, The Vito family and their supporting cast began showering the local snowboard community with more gifts than Santa brought the night before. Louie's sponsors provided over $25,000 in snowboards, skate decks, sunglasses, electronics, video game components, and many more quality products not normally seen at an event like this.
CLICK HERE to watch latest Louie Toyota commercial
Throughout the awards ceremony, the Skratchmatik Crew added beats to keep the hype going until... "The Man" himself took the stage. Louie began showering the crowd with everything from stickers to goggles. He personally congratulated everyone who received a gift after their bib was drawn randomly, each hoping they would be the Grand Prize winner of an all expenses paid trip to Windell's Ski and Snowboard Camp at Mount Hood this upcoming summer. To add to the experience, local Hip Hop MC, Many Styles, took to the podium and freestyled until the final prizes were awarded.
This year's event was by far the biggest ever and if the smiles and excitement are any indication - who knows what next year's Louie Vito Rail Jam will be like!
- Louie's next event is the Winter Dew Tour stop #2 at Killington, VT
LIVE on NBC, Saturday, January 22nd.
Logan Imlach on SBCskier.com
