Kazu and Ryo enjoying America!

We’ll admit we were a bit confused about why Torah Bright was receiving the keys to a podunk town in the Michigan when we posted it a couple days ago. Luckily, Corey McDonald from Planet Snow design reads YoBeat, and emailed us to let us know. With all the attention to Shaun White’s private training facilities, it would only make sense that the rest of the world do something to keep up.

Enter the Ostego Club in Gaylord, MI and Planet Snow (who built the massive pipes at resorts such as Park City and Winter Park) to build a 22′ halfpipe at the private club. To date Canada, France, Poland, South Korea, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Germany, Italy and Switzerland have arrived in the small town to train, and as of Friday the 22nd, and team Finland was en route to the Alpine Village. Not only is there a world class halfpipe, but Marc Andrew Tart brought his own personal mega bag “for people to learn doubles or break fibulas in,” Corey said. Team USA plans to visit the private facilities after the Games are over.

“[It's a] pretty sweet international shred community going on. We take them to do American things on the down days like shoot guns, fish or go bowling,” Corey said “Today I took the Koreans to Wal-Bogs. Good times in beautifully named Gaylord.”

The local paper has been covering the action as any local paper should, and you can read about how “stoked” they are here. So watch out El Blanco. The Americans may be having issues keeping up, but the rest of the world is coming for you!

Nothing says middle America like guns!