Andy Finch

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Andy Finch is a snowboarder from Fresno, California. His accomplishments include winning the overall U.S. Grand Prix Halfpipe Title in 2003 and 2004, taking first place in the Arctic Challenge in Norway in April 2004, winning the Vans Triple Crown in February 2004, winning the O’Neill Snowboard Jam in January 2005, and finishing in second place in Northstar Resort’s Vans Tahoe Cup. In addition, Finch competed in the 2006 Winter Olympics for the United States.

His sponsors include Palmer snowboards, Monster Energy, Adidas goggles, Fox gloves, Rip Curl and Giro helmets.

When pro snowboarder Andy Finch starts sliding down the halfpipe at this weekend's Winter X Games, he knows his wife, Amber, will be at the bottom cheering him on.

Finch knows his mother, Joanie, will be home in Fresno watching on television, crossing her fingers that her 26-year-old daredevil son doesn't get hurt.

And Finch knows his father, Cliff, will be lying in bed at the Palo Alto veterans hospital, battling constant pain and partial paralysis on his right side -- and facing attempted murder charges back in Fresno.

Soon, most of the country will also know about Cliff Finch's ordeal.

One of the world's top snowboarders and a 2004 Olympian, Andy Finch has long been adept at launching his body in the air and making it spin two or three times before landing.

But since that September day when his father was shot seven times by police officers after leading them on a high-speed chase across Fresno, Finch has had to learn a new technique: how to perform those aerial maneuvers while keeping his mind grounded and focused on the task at hand.

"It's pretty easy not to think about my dad when I'm over in Europe, but here it's going to be a little bit different," Finch said Wednesday by phone from Aspen, Colo. "It's going to be a little more real."

Things will get a lot more real Saturday evening as Finch prepares for his qualifying run in men's superpipe. That's when ESPN is scheduled to broadcast a feature story on Finch and his family situation.

Cliff Finch, who police said shot at officers before they returned fire, pleaded not guilty to charges of attempted murder and evading police and posted $125,000 bail. A pre-preliminary hearing is scheduled today in Fresno County Superior Court.

Although Andy Finch said doctors have not determined what caused his father's behavior, some family members believe Cliff Finch might have been suffering from a condition known as post-traumatic stress disorder from his days in Vietnam.

Andy said, "He, to me, was the dream father -- what every kid would love to have. That's what makes this so tough.

"My father respects the police. In his right mind he'd never do anything like that."

Part of the ESPN feature was filmed at Fresno's Veterans Administration hospital, where Cliff Finch was in recovery before being transferred to Palo Alto last week to take advantage of that facility's spinal cord injury unit, and part of it was filmed at Andy Finch's house in Truckee.

The feature will be seen not only by the millions of households that subscribe to the cable sports network but also live at the Winter X Games on several Jumbotron screens stationed around the halfpipe.

"It's going to be on right before I ride," Finch said. "That'll be a little weird."

Those thoughts are echoed by fellow Fresno native Eric Asistin, a friend of Andy's who will be in attendance this weekend in Aspen.

"If it were me, I'm not sure I would've done (the ESPN feature)," Asistin said. "But this is Andy we're talking about. He finds the good in any situation."

Despite the mental strain, Finch is enjoying one of his best seasons in pro snowboarding. The 1999 Bullard High graduate is ranked second in the Swatch TTR World Snowboard Tour standings.

Finch earned one of the biggest victories of his career Jan. 5 in the halfpipe at the O'Neill Evolution in Davos, Switzerland. The following weekend, despite a badly bruised lower back, he placed fifth at the Burton European Open in Laax, Switzerland.

A man of deep religious convictions, Finch credits his faith and the support of his wife, Amber Shelhamer, with keeping him focused on his career through difficult times.

Known for his reckless, go-for-broke style, Finch said he will keep a recent promise he made to his father about taking it easy in practice this week.

After earning a silver medal at the 2005 Winter X Games, Finch has since been unable to compete in the finals because of injuries he suffered during training runs.

"Every year I do something silly that busts me up a little bit," he said. "It's a habit I've got to break."

Finch said the 8-inch diameter bruise on his lower back, which caused him to miss a week of filming in France with his main sponsor, Rip Curl, will be 100 percent healed when he competes in the elimination round Saturday evening.

The finals are scheduled for Sunday afternoon.

"The X Games are definitely on my list of (contests) I want to win," Finch said. "I only have a couple left, and this is the one I really want."

This year, there's even more incentive than usual.
Andy Finch (USA) finished 6th overall Saturday in the TTR Six-star O'Neill Evolution Quarterpipe in Davos, and after taking the title at Friday’s Halfpipe session has moved into the Swatch TTR World No. 1 position, just twenty points ahead of now-World No. 2 Torstein Horgmo of Norway. Kim Rune Hansen (NOR) stood atop the Quarterpipe podium, while Risto Mattila (FIN) grabbed hold of the number two spot. Peetu Piiroinen (FIN), who was expected to do very well, rounded out the podium with a third place finish in the Quarterpipe.

Riders like Nicolas Mueller (SUI), Colin Frei (SUI), Finch and Manuel Pietropoli (ITA) redefined the word amplitude, taking their Airs and McTwists to incredible new heights that were just not possible only a few years back.

Hansen was amped after he stomped a huge chuck flip that sent the crowd wild and earned him 1000 ranking points and $15,000 USD. “I just won the Six-star TTR O’Neill Evolution Quarterpipe and I’m so stoked! It feels so good," Hansen said. "I did a chuck flip and went about 6.5 meters, I’m just so stoked.”

Pietropoli also took home $6,000 USD for the Swatch Highest Air with his solid 8.0-meter Backside Air that impressed both the fans and the riders.

Mattila threw down one of the biggest McTwists ever seen, launching from one end of the quarterpipe to the other as Peetu Piiroinen spun a clean and huge Backside 5 to secure his podium finish. Mattila’s second place finish moved him into World No. 6 position.

“Today everyone was pushing it. The level of riding was so high," Mattila said following the event. "It was a contest for amplitude: That was the name of the game. Man, it was a fun a competition. I was fourth place until my last run, but I was able to stick my trick for second. I’m so stoked.”

There are tons of big movers and shakers in the rankings after a double-dose of Ranking points was unleashed on riders looking for that coveted TTR World No. 1 spot. Chas Guldemond (USA) remains in the Top 5, holding onto World No. 4 with fellow American rider Tim Humphreys (USA) moving into World No 11. Local Swiss rider Iouri Podladtchikov (SUI) has moved into World No 17, with Swiss favorite Nicolas Mueller (SUI) sitting right behind him at World No. 18. 05/06 Tour Champion Mathieu Crepel (FRA) sat out of the Quarterpipe stompfest, but his Halfpipe run keeps him in the Top 20 at World No. 19.

The battle for Swatch TTR Tour Leader rages on at the upcoming Burton European Open in Laax, Switzerland, which will hand out another double-dosage of 1000 ranking points with Superpipe and Slopestyle competitions for both men and women riders.