By Marty Basch

Alyssa Dolgin's snowboarding goals are fairly simple this season.

The St. Johnsbury, Vt. rider wants a spot on the United States Junior Snowboard Team and a shot to compete in boardercross in the Junior World Championships.

But the road to the jumps, berms and rollers of those late March championships in Italy begins with long days of training and a western competition tour for the 17-year-old snowboarder who excels in several  disciplines: boardercross, halfpipe and slopestyle.

"I definitely realized this past year boardercross is my main thing," she said. "It makes more sense for me to focus on one thing instead of three different things."

Though this season's goal is set, it's part of a bigger dream that means the big dance, the Olympics.

"I'm really hoping so," said the red-haired rider. "When I found out I was good at boardercross I hoped so bad I could go to the Olympics. Just saying that makes me smile."

She hopes to step up even more following last season's finishes which included being ranked no. 1  in the United States of America Snowboard Association's (USASA) 16-17 boardercross division and no. 2 in the halfpipe.

The St. Johnsbury Academy senior's love of snow started as a skier at age 2 before crossing over to snowboarding at age 6 and spending some five years learning and training at Burke Mountain.

"When she was started skiing as a little kid she wasn't afraid of anything," said dad Steve. "I think it was her decision to do all this."

When a friend brought her a snowboard to try, she was hooked.

"She crossed over to the dark side," said Steve, a Burke Mountain skier, with a laugh.

Since then she's qualified for the USASA Nationals four times while having several podium finishes including a boardercross second and halfpipe third plus a slopestyle fifth.

When not at school, "Big Red" hits the slopes both pumping the rollers and going fast in the halfpipe.

"Since I was little I also wanted to go fast," she said. "I'd race my dad down the mountain. Sometimes I would beat him. Now I beat him all the time. I just love going fast."

Whereas slopestyle and halfpipe are more trick oriented with spins and amplitude, boardercross is a combination of moto-cross and a chess game on snow, where speed and strategy come into play.

"I like to try and figure out the fastest line down," she said.

Dolgin plans to compete in The Hole Shot Tour, an FIS NorAm level event for U.S. and Canadian competitors designed as a stepping stone between grassroots and World Cup races for boardercross and skicross athletes. The tour begins Jan. 18 at Mt. Hood Meadows, Oregon, continues to Steamboat Springs, Colorado Jan. 25 and concludes at Alpine Meadows, California. She'll also be competing in the U.S. Revolution Tour, the top junior event in the country The tour is used to qualify athletes for World Juniors, the U.S. Grand Prix, U.S. Open and other contests.

Also in her crosshairs is the Sprint U.S. Snowboarding Grand Prix scheduled for Feb. 11-12 at the Canyons in Utah. The event routinely attracts the world's best riders, U.S. Snowboard team members and Olympians including 2006 silver medalist Lindsey Jacobellis.

She even has something to say to the champ if they cross paths: "You're my hero but I'm still going to beat you."

The U.S. Junior World team will be announced March 1.

Big Red's already got her passport ready to go.