While the Winter Olympics wrapped up in Turin, Italy, this weekend, the Penn State Snowboarding Club gave students and State College residents a chance to compete in the PSU Open -- a weekend-long competition at Tussey Mountain.

The three-day event consisted of a rail competition on Friday night, a big-air jump competition Saturday afternoon and a combination, slope-style event yesterday.

This marks the eighth time the PSU Open has been held but the first time it has been stretched to a three-day competition, club Treasurer Erin McMullen (junior-telecommunications) said. The Open usually lasts one day and consists of only the big-air competition. On Friday, the first day of competition, there were 41 people registered to compete.

"We weren't sure what to expect," Snowboarding Club President Rachel Skolnick (junior-integrative arts) said.

Officers and members of the Snowboarding Club judged participants, who were separated into an under-18 division sponsored by Tussey Mountain and an over-18 division sponsored by the Snowboarding Club.

Trophies were handed out following each day's event, McMullen said.

"The lack of snow had us worried, but Tussey has done an awesome job," Skolnick said.

The lack of consistent snowfall this season has also been a concern for Tussey Mountain, said Amber Breniman, sales director for Tussey Mountain. At this point, Breniman said, there is enough snow on the mountain that it can be pushed around to suit their needs, such as making the jump for the big-air competition on Saturday.

Breniman added that according to her general manager, this winter has been the worst for snow in more than 20 years.

While the National Ski Patrol was present, only so much could be done to prevent injuries at a trick competition. However, injuries were down from last year's Open, Skolnick said.

"Last year, nine of the 40 people who entered went to the ER," she said. "So far this year, one girl broke her arm in the practice run and someone fractured their pelvis."

The Penn State Snowboarding Club started in 1996 and currently has about 300 members, McMullen said. Dues are $35 per semester, which allows the team to compete locally almost every weekend.

Skolnick said that while a majority of entrants are male snowboarders, there are a number of "free skiers," female riders and nonlocal competitors.

"There are a lot of PSU students, but we also invited the club from West Virginia. We're trying to get a collegiate league started with local schools since snowboarding isn't an NCAA-sanctioned sport," she said.

Besides Penn State and West Virginia students, the PSU Open also drew out State College residents.

Kyle Taylor, 11, has been coming to the Open for the past four years.

"I come here every Wednesday with my school and every day on the weekend if I can," he said.

Family members also came out, whether it was to cheer on their relatives or close their eyes and pray for safety.

Stevie Lovell, of Boalsburg, came out to watch her son Andy Lovell (sophomore-business administration) ski.

"I ski also, but on normal slopes," she said. "I get very nervous when he goes off the jumps."

Skolnick said she hopes events like the PSU Open help to get more people interested in the sport.

"Snowboarding is an up-and-coming sport," she said. "We want people to come and join the club."