CVA’s Vielleux wins Downtown Showdown

PORTLAND — He came, he jibbed, he conquered. Jeremie Vielleux, a senior at Carrabassett Academy, took top honors (in the ski division) at the second annual Downtown Showdown Ski and Snowboard Rail Jam in Portland last Saturday, Jan. 30.

The event, sponsored by Sugarloaf, Sunday River and the City of Portland, featured approximately 30 snowboarders and skiers competing in a “terrain park” built on Monument Square in Downtown Portland.

The Downtown Showdown’s course included a twostory tall mountain and 30-foot-long staircase built by crews from Sugarloaf and Sunday River.

The “Showdown” has quickly become the most famous and well-attended snowboard/ski freestyle rail jam in New England and attracts the best amateur jibbers in the Northeast.

Vielleux qualified for the Downtown Showdown by recently winning the ski freestyle competition at Sugarloaf’s Build Your Own Rail Jam.

Hundreds of spectators braved the cold and wind, Saturday night and gathered around the Monument Square jibbing venue for the high-quality acrobatic performances.

Showdown competitors vied for top honors in either the ski or snowboard divisions. The Downtown Showdown winners, Vielleux and snowboarder Jake Hall (a Gould Academy student), each were awarded the event’s grand prize of $500 and winter gear.