Sunday News

Clark captures 3rd title at Winter X

ASPEN, Colo. (AP) -- Just like Shaun White, Kelly Clark is so smooth and so highly successful in the superpipe.

And also just like the snowboarding icon, she's on an entirely different level from everyone else. Especially at Winter X, where she won her third straight title on a foggy and snowy Saturday night.

But unlike White, Clark isn't a household name. Not even close. In spite of her dominance, White's kind of fame -- even a really small sliver of it -- hasn't really found her. Clark's not on the cover of any video games and she hasn't appeared on the front of "Rolling Stone."

Know what? She's all right with that.

For her, it's more about progression than popularity. She's simply trying to evolve her sport with innovative tricks -- same as White.

"I want to see a culture and a sport that was better because I was a part of it," the 29-year-old Clark said. "I hope that wherever I can take this sport to, that my ceiling becomes the next generation's floor."

She's setting an awfully lofty standard. When she's on her game, there are few better in the pipe. She goes higher that everyone else and pulls off even the most challenging trick with ease.n