For those who tune in to NBC’s Olympics coverage on Feb. 11 a little early, they might get a chance to see Clarkston area youth Corey Roberts ski backwards off a jump, fly some 20 feet into the air, spin two and a half times while his body contorts like a corkscrew and land some 60 feet down the hill.
The trick, which Roberts calls a switch cork 900, landed him in second place in the big air segment at the 2006 Sports Illustrated for Kids Next Snow Search All-Star competition on Jan. 28 in Keystone, Colo. the highlights of which will be shown from on Feb. 11 from 2-3 p.m. on the ‘All Stars Show on NBC Sports.?
‘That was the first time I ever did a switch cork 9. At Pine Knob I landed a couple, but none of them were corked out. I learned switch cork (720’s) a couple weeks before I went out there. I was just playing around on the big air jump and I did a switch (900) and I was like ‘Hey I’ll try a switch cork 9,?? Roberts said.
Corey finished in fourth place in the big air competition of the Next Snow Search last year. His lofty standing last year was important as this year’s field was hewn from the top 25 finishers from the past two Next Snow Searches, ensuring both entertaining and tough opponents.
‘From the experience last year, I knew I had to work on some stuff, so I did. I saw that there were a lot of good kids out there. When I came back, I started working extra hard, just like now,? Roberts said.
The field did not disappoint in terms of skill, but Corey was not intimidated. ‘In the practice you get to watch what the other guys are doing, then you just have to do one notch above that. I saw a lot of cork (720’s) so I decided to hit it switch,? Roberts said. ?(During competition) there’s 1,000 people down there and you watch the kid go before you and big flames shoot up. You get a little nervous.?
Whether Roberts was nervous or not, his resolve was unaffected.
‘He said to me before he went up there to do his tricks ‘These guys are doing 720’s. If I do a 720 I’m just going to finish in the middle of the pack. In order for me to get to the top of the pack, I’m going to have to do a 9,?? Corey’s Father Carl Roberts said.
Perhaps most impressive about Roberts? finish is most of the year he practices at Pine Knob, which despite adding more jumps over the past few years, does not have any sort of setup close to a big air jump. Despite lacking a massive jump, the genesis of Corey’s switch cork 900 was on the Clarkston area slopes.
‘At the beginning of the year, there are no jumps so I just skied backwards trying to get used to skiing backwards. When the jumps got up, I just started doing switch 180’s, switch 360’s and built my way up. A lot of times on accident you’ll go cork, that’s how a lot of times I learn a new trick. One day I hit a switch (540) all corked out and then I learned if you drop your shoulder it will make you go corked out,? Roberts said.
The Next Snow Search was not the beginning or end of Roberts? competitive season. He participated in the Young Guns Open, a national competition in Colo. on Jan. 7. Locally, he won the Huck Finn Open at Shanty Creek on Jan. 14. There are some more local competitions on the horizon, and Corey’s sights are set on the Vermont Open on March 12.
‘I just want to do the best that I can. I don’t want to go out to any major competitions and not be ready. I want to be out there and win them. I don’t want to finish in the middle of the pack,? Roberts said.
Corey is sponsored by Oakley, Solomon and Pine Knob Ski Hill. He hopes that with his upcoming appearance on national television, one of his current or a new sponsor steps up to pay for travel costs.
For anyone who would like to help sponsor or have skiing questions for Corey, please contact him at skidbomb2341@aol.com.
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