On April 9 through 13, the top junior freeskiers from across the country will meet at Copper Mountain in Colorado — and an 11 year old fifth-grader from Little Silver’s Markham Place School will be among them.
Over the last six months, Finbar Ford has competed against the best freeskiers on the East Coast. His performance in skier halfpipe and slope-style has earned him a coveted spot at the upcoming 2016 USA Snowboard and Freeski Association (USASA) Nationals.
During the season, Fin earned medals in six of his eight USASA regional competitions, including a Silver and two Bronze in slopestyle, along with two Silvers and a Bronze in halfpipe. Fin also placed in the top 5 in a semi-pro rail jam competition at Okemo (Light the Night) against kids aged 14 to 16 years old.
Fin is in his first full year competing, and skis for the Okemo Mountain Freestyle Team in Ludlow, Vermont. He competes in the Southern Vermont Series of the USASA, considered one of the most competitive of the 31 series around the country.
When he is not competing, Fin trains every weekend at Okemo with his teammates and coaches from the Okemo Mountain School. During the off-season or during the week, Fin trains in his backyard, where his dad built a ski jump to practice tricks on rails and boxes. When he is not skiing (on the mountain or in a backyard), Fin is an avid skateboarder and skimboarder, and he plays baseball and football with local travel teams,including the Tinton Falls Terminators and Red Bank Junior Buccaneers.
