Some Olympic dreams ended Friday at Mount Bachelor and others got new life.

”I didn’t have a chance (of going to the Olympics),” said Anton Pogue of Hood River, after shocking the field and winning the Olympic qualifier giant slalom in the morning. ”Now, I’m right back in the game. One race. Boom.”

He also went on to survive the single elimination parallel giant slalom in the afternoon, overcoming two crashes to advance to the finals where he scored a controversial win over local favorite Chris Klug and earned $10,000.

In the women’s competition, Elisabeth Odynski of Reno, Nev., won the Olympic qualifier giant slalom, while Stacia Hookom of Vail, Colo., prevailed in parallel giant slalom to pocket $10,000.

In essence, two races took place Friday at the Chevy Truck U.S. Snowboard Grand Prix: a morning giant slalom and an afternoon parallel giant slalom.

The giant slalom served two purposes. First, it was one of five qualifying races being held around the world to see who will represent the United States at the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City in February in the parallel giant slalom.

Second, it was a qualifying race for the parallel giant slalom later that afternoon in which competitors were paired off and raced simultaneously down parallel courses.

After the morning race, the men’s and women’s field was cut to the fastest 16 riders for the afternoon parallel giant slalom. Perhaps more importantly, the number of U.S. riders remaining eligible to earn an Olympic berth in the parallel giant slalom was cut to six men and six women.

Klug, a part-time Sisters resident and a 1991 graduate of Mountain View High School, is on that list. Jeff Greenwood of Bend has already made the team. The other four are Pogue, Peter Thorndike of Meredith, N.H.; Eric Warren; and Ryan McDonald of Entiat, Wash.

The six women who made the cut are Rosey Fletcher of Girdwood, Alaska; Lisa Kosglow of Boise, Idaho; Odynski; Sondra Van Ert of Ketchum, Idaho; Hookom; and Claire Cetera of Sun Valley, Idaho.

Lynn Ott of Bend took fifth in the qualifier and advanced to the parallel giant slalom, but was eliminated in the first round.

A minimum of three men and three women and possibly four of each will qualify for the Olympics.

Though three of the five Olympic qualifiers are now complete, a dizzying array of possibilities still exist, making it still impossible to say who might fill out the team.

”I don’t think I’m smart enough to figure that out,” said U.S. Snowoboard Coach Peter Foley.

One thing is for sure, though: Klug has some work to do. He was the fifth American in the giant slalom Friday.

”I definitely would have liked to get one in the bag,” said Klug, a 1998 Olympian who finished sixth in the giant slalom in Nagano, Japan.

The top 16 riders based on past finishes draw for starting spots in the giant slalom. The riders who draw low numbers have a distinct advantage due to better course conditions.

Klug drew 15 for a qualifier in Park City, Utah, two weeks ago and was the 13th rider out of the gate Friday. The odds of drawing in the bottom fourth of the field two races in a row are only one in 16.

”I’ve had some bad luck with the start numbers,” said Klug. ”It’s a little frustrating. But you can win from anywhere. No excuses.”

That frustration became even more intense in the afternoon when Klug apparently won the title and the first-place check by beating Pogue in the final of the parallel giant slalom, only to be penalized more than a second when a race official ruled he had left the gate early.

Klug disagreed, but as both racers were U.S. riders, coach Foley said no protest would be filed.

For local fans, it appeared Klug had been homered on his home mountain. But Klug, a fierce and intense competitor, remained a class act in adversity.

”That was fun,” said Klug, who earned $5,000. ”I’m a little disappointed at the end but there’s not much you can do.”

The women’s side didn’t have any controversy, but thrills, spills and upsets abounded.

In the giant slalom portion, Odynski came out of nowhere to win and vault herself into Olympic consideration. Anything less, and she would have stayed at home rather than traveling to the next two World Cups in Europe that serve as Olympic qualifiers for U.S. riders.

”Today was very important for me,” said Odynski. ”I had to do well to get back on the World Cup circuit. I knew I had it in me. It just took me a long time to put it together.”

Fletcher placed second, adding that finish to a second and a first in the two previous Olympic qualifiers and almost certainly earning a spot in the Olympics. She also qualified for the 1998 Olympics by qualifying at Mount Bachelor.

”Mount Bachelor is a lucky place for me,” said Fletcher, a former member of the now defunct World Pro Snowboard Team that trained at Mount Bachelor. ”It’s always been a good place for me.”

The women’s finals in the parallel giant slalom pitted Kosglow against Hookom. In the first run, Hookom built more than a one-second advantage. In the second run, Kosglow fell about two-thirds of the way down and, after getting up slowly, made her way to the finish.

But Hookom, unaware of Kosglow’s fall, went down herself about four gates from the finish. Hookom managed to get up and finish before Kosglow could take advantage, with both racers laughing and embracing at the finish.

”I’m so excited about my results today,” said Hookom. ”I’m hoping that this will lead to a break-out year for me.”