After making its Olympic debut the 1998 Nagano Games, snowboarding has quickly become a fan favorite. It features aerial acrobatics, dynamic personalities and a unique lingo as colorful as the boards themselves. The competition is broken into two disciplines - one emphasizing speed and the other style.

Parallel giant slalom
Side-by-side racing gives this event extra appeal. In each round, competitors are paired off according to seedings and compete in two head-to-head races down the same 1,800-foot course, alternating sides in each race. To advance, an athlete must win both races, or, in the case of a split, have a better total time than his or her opponent.

Halfpipe
It's all about style. Athletes board down a straight, banked course - the halfpipe - while executing aerial maneuvers off the lip of the walls. Competitors are rated by a panel of five judges. Each judge focuses on a specific aspect of the run - one on standard moves, one on rotations, one on amplitude and two on overall impression.

Choose your weapon
Snowboards used in giant slalom are longer, narrower and stiffer for speed and sharp turns. Halfpipe boards are wider and more flexible, providing better balance and maneuverability. Shovels at both ends allow the rider to go in either direction.

Ones to watch
The U.S. team hopes to make a strong showing in the women's halfpipe competition with two athletes that have had success in the past. Shannon Dunn was the first American to win a Olympic medal in snowboarding when she placed third at Nagano. Tricia Byrnes finished the 1998-1999 season with a No. 1 ranking in the World Cup halfpipe standings and finished second the season after that.

Sources: International Olympic Committee; U.S. Olympic Committee; Salt Lake Organizing Committee

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