Snowboarder Mitchell Brown reckons there are plenty of half-pipe riders capable of stopping him from winning back-to-back half-pipe titles at the Burton Open.
However, the competition they present is the last thing on the 21-year-old Mt Maunganui rider's mind as he seeks to defend his title today at the Snow Park.
"I hadn't really thought about whether they'll be trying harder to stop me from going for it [back-to-back titles]," he said.
Snowboarding is an individual sport in which you have to concentrate on your own performance, Brown maintains.
"I've just got to focus on landing my moves and riding the best I can.
''If you do that then you give yourself the best chance and whatever happens at the end is a bonus" he said.
There was extra pressure returning to Snow Park to defend the title he won last year, when he became the first New Zealander to win the premier half-pipe event on home territory.
Brown chose to sit out last night's quarter-pipe invitational jam after "feeling super sore" from yesterday's slopestyle finals, in which he placed 10th out of 15 riders.
"I'm looking forward to tomorrow.
''There are heaps of good riders to spend the day with, but I need to get a bit of rest and focus on nailing that half-pipe."
