Best friends qualify for snowboarding finals

Hilton residents Bryan Milne and Mark Croce qualified for the Mountain Dew Vertical Challenge Finals to be held at Loon Mountain, New Hampshire on March 29.

Bryan, an eighth grade honor roll student at Merton Williams Middle School, is scheduled to compete in the Boys 10-14 snowboarding finals and Mark, who is a Hilton High School honor roll student, will be competing in the Men's 15-20 snowboarding finals.

Both boys are members of the Hilton Junior and Senior High Ski and Snowboard Club and practice an additional 6-10 hours each week. The recent February break allowed each of them an additional 25 hours of practice time to be prepared for competition.

The best friends are supportive of each other's accomplishments and remain each other's biggest fan. "It's great to have your best friend cheer for you and share in your happiness by also qualifying," both snowboarders said after their success at Bristol Mountain on March 2. The boys are also helping each other train for their upcoming competition. "We know how the other person rides and can encourage him without having any hurt feelings." One of their favorite practice routines involves snowboarding on the same tracks that the other rider has left behind.

Both boys have come a long way since learning to snowboard at Northampton Park. Bryan, who placed third in the 11-13 age group, was first taught to snowboard by Mark, who finished first in the 15-17 age group. Each snowboarder first learned to ski, and then switched to snowboarding for an alternate way to challenge the mountain.