He may only be 5-6, but snowboarder Graham Watanabe looms large in the eyes of competitors.
And they will get plenty of opportunities to ogle the Sun Valley racer this winter.
The 24-year-old Watanabe has been named to the roster for the 2006-07 Jeep King of the Mountain Skiing and Snowboarding World Professional Championships.
"It's going to be such a fun year. I can't wait," Watanabe said.
A 2000 graduate of Wood River High School and the Sun Valley snowboard team, Watanabe, the current national champ in snowboardcross, won the overall title at the King of the Mountain Series last winter. He also competed in the SBX at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy and salted away wins on both the World Cup and Nor-Am level.
He was named to the U.S. snowboardcross B team earlier this year for the third time.
In typical Graham fashion he expressed what he is looking for this season.
"I have no expectations. I am looking to have as much fun as possible. I would like to make gains in my general performance and in my competition schedule I am looking to maintain my consistency. I would like to be in the top 16 on a regular basis," he said.
The series pits 24 elite international racers competing for what organizers are calling the "richest prize purse in the industry with broadcast coverage on CBS Sports."
This year's prize purse will top $450,000 (U.S.), including an additional $20,000 (U.S.) in bonuses from John Paul Mitchell Systems and the keys to a new 2007 Jeep Patriot for the men's and women's skiing and snowboarding World Professional Champion.
This season's roster is the deepest in event's illustrious 14-year history, stocked with Winter Olympians, World Champions, World Cup Champions and National Champions representing Australia, Austria, Canada, the Czech Republic, France, Sweden, Switzerland and the U.S. Between them, they have taken part in 15 Winter Olympics and won 49 World Cup titles, 17 National Championships, 13 World Championships and four Junior World Championships.
The Jeep series format also incorporates the National Open Qualifier system at each event, allowing top-notch amateur and professional ski and snowboard racers to earn a spot against the world's best for a shot at the title of World Professional Champion. Additional information can be found at www.jeepsports.com.
Competitors can compete in six races held over four different weekends from December 2006 to March 2007. This includes two pure ski events, two pure snowboard events, and two unique events that combine both skiing and snowboarding, making the Jeep King of the Mountain Series the first integrated racing program in North America.
The complete schedule of race stops for 2006-2007 include: December 2 -- Snowbird, Utah; January 20 -- Europa-Sportregion Zell am See-Kaprun, Salzburg, Austria; February 10 -- Taos, New Mexico; March 3 -- Telluride, Colorado.
Organizers are also excited about the introduction of "competitor inspired" racecourse design.
One of the series' competitors will help design and personalize the layout of the event's unique Y-cross racecourse at each stop.
For the first part of the course, two competitors must navigate the dual features section consisting of single and double approximate shape of a Y.
The second section features terrain characteristics of skier-cross or snowboard-cross racing, including baked turns, jumps, and tabletops. You must be able to "work" the terrain features in order to generate extra speed, use techniques such as NASCAR-style drafting, and feel comfortable with another racer literally breathing down your neck.
The course, which delivers high-speed excitement, requires equal parts instinct, patience and nerve from its challengers. At each event, the athletes can expect to encounter a completely distinct terrain based on the layout of the host mountain.
The Jeep King of the Mountain series was established in 1993.
