Michnal wins big air event at Sports Illustrated finals competition

The Daily Inter Lake

Snowboarder Caden Michnal, 13, of Kalispell won the big air event at the Sports Illustrated KIDS Next Snow Search finals in Killington, Vermont, earlier this month.

The finals were an elite competition showcasing the best young snowsports athletes in the U.S. and Canada.

Michnal competed against 110 kids between the ages of 9 and 14, who qualified for this competition at one of 66 ski areas. Michnal was representing Schweitzer Mountain in Idaho.

The Sports Illustrated KIDS Next Snow Search finals event consisted of three days of competition in seven different disciplines: big air, slopestyle, superpipe, the Kids WB Dual Challenge, moguls, carving and the big-mountain riding challenge.

Boys and girls, skiers and snowboarders, all compete in one class - and each athlete competed in all disciplines. In addition to athletic skills, the event's judges also consider style, attitude and sportsmanship.

For his showing, Michnal was named one of 25 members to the 2007 Sports Illustrated KIDS Next Snow Search team.

Michnal is one of four Big Mountain snowboarders who has qualified for the U. S. Amateur Snowboard Association (USASA) Nationals at Northstar at Tahoe, Calif., March 31 - April 7.

Last weekend at The Stomp Games at Schweitzer Mountain, Michnal finished second in the rail jam and first in the slopestyle. He competed in the amateur 13-14 age division.