Snowboarding schoolboy Jarryd Hughes not in the Alex ‘Chumpy’ Pullin fan club

SNOWBOARDING schoolboy Jarryd Hughes is not a member of the fan club cheering on Australia’s top snowboarder, Alex ‘Chumpy’ Pullin.

Australian snowboard cross youngster Jarryd Hughes. Picture: AP

SYDNEY snowboarding schoolboy Jarryd Hughes is not a member of the fan club cheering on Australia’s top snowboarder, Alex “Chumpy” Pullin.

Hughes was in no mood to talk about his high-profile rival when the pair completed their training run in Sochi today before their snowboard cross clash on Monday.

Asked if Pullin, Australia’s most experienced snowboarder, had taught him anything, the 18-year-old bristled and said, “no comment’.

He batted away two similar questions, as well as another about #teamoutcast, a group of snowboarders, including Torah Bright and Belle Brockhoff, who believe Australia’s funding of snowboarders is unfair.

“We’re just a team of riders in World Cup that hangout and like to help each other,’’ said Hughes, who was ranked number one on the World Cup circuit for two weeks this season.

Pullin, 26, is Australia’s only snowboarder who has a scholarship from Australia’s Olympic Winter Institute.

But other snowboarders, including Hughes, receive smaller amounts through other programs.

Pullin, who completed four training runs today, shrugged off any rivalry, saying all the team members were “really positive and happy”.

But he said snowboard cross was “an individual sport and it has to be – everyone is coming about it in their own way’’.

He said it was not normal for teammates to talk about “nitty gritty stuff” as each race was unpredictable.

“We have not been practising a gymnastics routine here,’’ Pullin said. “It’s like a swordfight - you don’t know where the next swing is coming from but you hope your training pays off and you can block it.’’

While Pullin is regarded as the race favourite, Hughes is in top form and has beaten him before. A third Australian, Cam Bolton, is also in the race.

Pullin said the Sochi course, where Bright and Brockhoff will race Sunday, is extremely fast, meaning many racers are sailing over the jump landings onto harder snow.

“It’s faster than last year and in some ways that makes it challenging,’’ he said.

“But I’ll just tell myself to brace, it’s coming – I’m definitely not going to slow down.’’