UPDATE: Algonquin's Kirby Kelly Competing in U.S. Open Snowboarding Championship This Week

A 17-year-old Algonquin girl — who has been traveling the world over the past two years as a professional snowboarder — will take to the slopes this week at the Burton U.S. Open Snowboarding Championship in Vail, Colo., according to local media reports. 

Kirby Kelly will join some of the best snowboarders in the nation during the competition, which will be held Feb. 25 through March 2.

Kelly spends much of her winter living and training in Colorado and communicates daily with her parents and brother daily via FaceTime, according to the Northwest Herald. She takes correspondence classes through Dundee-Crown High School and is slated to graduated from Dundee-Crown this spring, according to the Northwest Herald.

The Northwest Herald has a full feature posted on Kelly on www.nwherald.com. 

The above information was updated on Feb. 25, 2013. 

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The below information was originally posted on Feb. 4, 2013. 

A 17-year-old Algonquin girl placed second in the women's half-pipe competition Sunday at the Burton U.S. Open Snowboarding Qualifiers in Seven Springs, Penn., according to the Northwest Herald. 

Kirby Kelly won $1,200 and qualified for the championships in Vail, Colo., from Feb. 25 through March 2, according to the article. 

As a teenager, Kelly has traveled across the U.S. competing in snowboarding tournaments, according to the Daily Herald. 

The Algonquin native first learned to snowboard at Raging Buffalo Snowboard Park in Algonquin when she was 9 years old, according to a Daily Herald article. 

On Sunday, Kelly posted a photo on her Twitter page (@kirbykelly1595) from the U.S. Open and tweeted, "Not a bad day at the U.S. Open qualifier!"