Mount Hood-based snowboarders Sean FitzSimons and Livia Molodyh won five gold medals at the 2014 USASA national championships in Colorado March 29-April 4.

Livia Molodyh, a 14-year-old from Hubbard, Oregon who trains with Windells snowboarding coach Rick Millett, won gold medals in slopestyle, boardercross and rail jam in the Youth Women’s division.

Hood River freestyle coach and parent Michael FitzSimons, who traveled to Colorado for nationals, said Livia rode with consistency and style to win slopestyle and rail jam, and absolutely destroyed the competition to win boardercross.

“Livie is completely dominant in cross,” said FitzSimons. “You’ll be hearing her name in the future in that event. She was way ahead in every race. It wasn’t even close.”

Here’s a photo from USASA showing Livia (in the green jacket) pulling ahead of the competition on her way to winning a heat:

And another USASA shot of her showing her rail skills:

Michael’s son Sean FitzSimons, a 13-year-old from Hood River who also trains with Coach Rick Millett at Windells, won gold medals in slopestyle and halfpipe in the well-stocked Breaker Boys division. He finished first in slopestyle among 67 competitors in his age category from all over the U.S. Here he is midway through his winning rail jam performance, photo courtesy of USASA:

Sean’s older brother, Tucker FitzSimons, just missed the podium with a fourth place finish in rail jam. Tucker swept the podium in the Oregon State Freestyle Skiing Championships in March at Mt. Hood Meadows, but he didn’t get the slopestyle runs he was hoping for at nationals and finished in the middle of the pack.

Michael FitzSimons got his two sons on the snow at the ages of 22 months and 16 months. Tucker competes as a skier and Sean competes in snowboarding, but the brothers are both equally accomplished shredding with either one or two planks underfoot.

Between FitzSimons, Molodyh and Hood River freeskier Hannah Bergemann, the small Mount Hood contingent to travel to Colorado won a whopping eight gold medals.

Bergemann swept the podium in Oregon states, won three gold medals at USASA nationals and is the top-ranked freeskier in her 16-18 age division in slopestyle, rail jam, halfpipe and skier cross.

Last modified: April 21, 2014