Holland nabs fourth

TELLURIDE, Colo. — Sandpoint's Nate Holland finished fourth overall in the first round of the Jeep King of the Mountain Snowboard Cross (SBX) Series Sunday in Telluride, Colorado.

Nate and brother Pat Holland were two of the 46 competitors Friday who tried to qualify for 32 race spots, with Nate finishing 5th and Pat 27th in time trials. Pat had a tough first heat Sunday and failed to advance, while Nate advanced through the brackets into the finals. The U.S. team had the top four finishers, with Shawn Palmer winning the final heat ahead of Seth Wescott (2nd), Graham Watanabe (3rd) and Nate (4th). A poor start in the final cost Nate, who passed Watanabe during the race, only to get passed back at the end.

Many of the top World Cup competitors were there, including Drew Nielson, Marco Huser and Paul-Henry DelaRue, so a U.S. sweep was unexpected. A big cash purse and a new Jeep make this three-event series one of the bigger events in the sport of SBX, with the next stop in the series scheduled for Squaw Valley, Nate's nome course, which gave him a lifetime pass for becoming an Olympian.

The event will be televised on CBS on Jan. 12. The World Cup SBX season resumes in January.