After a roller coaster season, Kelly Clark (USA) has been crowned the 2008/2009 Swatch TTR World Tour Champion at the 6Star Roxy Chicken Jam.  Kelly’s elevation to the top was the result of her ability to amp it up at all the major Halfpipe events and tough it out in the crucial times.  She clinched the coveted victory after taking out Saturday’s 6Star Halfpipe and finishing 21st in today’s final 6Star Slopestyle contest at the Roxy Chicken Jam.

Kelly’s rise to the No.1 spot has been fraught with ranking fluctuations which served to provide her with a true ‘underdog’ status. No doubt, this has spurred her on to totally dominate the Halfpipe events and ride solid all around to emerge as the No.1 rider on the Tour.

Kelly’s 2007/2008 World No.3 finish, combined with her reputation as ‘Queen of The Halfpipe’ suggested she was always a Title threat this season.  She came out with guns blazing at the 5Star Burton New Zealand Open where she claimed third in the Halfpipe and cemented her World No.10 ranking. 

She would remain in this position until the 6Star Burton European Open in January, when she destroyed the competition with her trademark Halfpipe prowess and took it out for a second year running.  In front of an amazed crowd she laid down a run comprised of back-to-back 7s, followed by-back to-back 5s, with a monster double overhead Frontside Air to finish it off and snatch victory ahead of her future rival Kjersti Oestgaard Buaas (NOR).

Kelly’s ranking temporarily dropped when other riders attended the 5Star Burton Canadian Open, however it was only a matter of time before the dynamic shredder would be back in the Swatch TTR Top 10.  Her next event was the 5Star Nissan X-Trail Asian Open where she solidified herself a shot at the Title.  She went into the contest as the number one contender and lived up to the hype, busting out a huge Frontside Air, followed by a Backside 5 Indy, to Backside 7 Tail, to Cab 7 and an Frontside 5, finishing with a stylish Method to take the win. 

Her ability to step up her game when the time counted had saved her and she was now sitting in World No. 8 with four 6Star results still ahead of her.

The US Open would be a pivotal time for all the women on the Swatch TTR Tour.  Jamie Anderson (USA) appeared to have a stranglehold on the No.1 spot, but she was out after sustaining an injury which meant that the race had now morphed into a free for all battle.  With past TTR Champions Torah Bright (AUS) and Cheryl Maas (NED), as well as a host of hungry competitors in attendance, Kelly’s mission to keep her Title hope alive was going to be far from easy.  In a truly epic Halfpipe final she walked away in second place and maintained her Top 10 position – ready to bring it home at the Tour defining 6Star Roxy Chicken Jam.

Over a classic sunny California weekend, Kelly penned the final pages of her story and secured her first ever Swatch TTR Title.  Her run to victory was far from easy, however she displayed determination and held her own when the going got tough.  After winning her second consecutive 6Star Roxy Chicken Jam Halfpipe Title and placing 21st in the 6Star Slopestyle she earned herself $50 000 USD and stood atop the podium as the Swatch TTR World Tour Champion.