For the first time since the halfpipe was added to the Olympics in 1998, there were no Americans on the podium. Just one day before the Olympic halfpipe competition is scheduled to begin, snowboarders criticized the condition of the pipe, and one former gold medal winner even suggested the event be pushed back. It’s really weird.” 
 
 More than anything, the night felt like the edge of a new era. “People are supposed to be landing their tricks.” 
 
 Snowboarders said the pipe was actually improved from Sunday, the first day of practice. “The slopestyle course had some issues, and I just felt like my best bet was to focus on the halfpipe,” White said Tuesday. “I don’t know if that’s going to happen.” 
 
 Teter acknowledged such a protest was unlikely, but she said White’s representatives have expressed concerns. But after a couple of days of training on the slopestyle course last week, amid concerns over the size and shapes of the jumps, he pulled out to focus on the halfpipe. “For me to be remembered in the sport, I don’t think tonight makes or breaks my career,” White said. We came here on a mission, and it just wasn’t my night, which is really tough to say. There’s a bunch of good riders in our sport, and they deserve some credit, too.” 
 
 Podladtchikov, who grew up in Davos but competed for Russia at the 2006 Turin Games, can sometimes match White’s acrobatics. “I’ve been snowboarding for so long, and I love it so much, that I’m happy to take this for what it is and move on and continue to ride.” 
 
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 It was Iouri Podladtchikov of Switzerland — I-Pod to his friends — who won the gold medal by doing a trick and a run that White and the others could not match. “You want everybody to see snowboarding as it should be, looking phenomenal with everybody doing what they know how to do,” she said.
– Snowboarders in Sochi have been raising serious concerns about the state of the Olympic halfpipe, the scene of actual competition today: "Everyone is not happy right now," 2006 US gold medalist Hannah Teter told the Washington Post after yesterday's practice. But that hasn't stopped the event from going forward, the New York Times reports. Qualifying rounds have begun, and officials will decide, based on conditions, whether semifinals and finals should take place tonight as planned. Yesterday, officials were working to improve the halfpipe. Yesterday's practice—postponed from the morning for improvements—didn't inspire confidence among the athletes. "I saw everyone take a hard fall today. That never happens," Teter said. Is it dangerous? "It's just not as fun," says teammate Danny Davis. Athletes said the halfpipe, which Shaun White calls "disappointing," was bumpy, its curvature was off, and the snow was loose; and those who avoided falling yesterday struggled to maintain speed, leading to less aggressive tricks. But the Times notes that halfpipe quality can fluctuate wildly depending on weather conditions and how it's maintained. Still, "this is going to be showcased to billions of people, and we want the best representation of halfpipe snowboarding," Teter says.