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Ross Powers
- 2002 Olympic gold medalist in the halfpipe
- 1998 Olympic bronze medalist in the halfpipe, winning the first Olympic halfpipe medal for the U.S.
- 2004 European Open halfpipe winner, Grand Prix overall halfpipe champion, silver medalist at the World Superpipe Championships
- Won 2005 Grand Prix at Mount Bachelor
- Won the 2003 U.S. Open halfpipe
- Started the Ross Powers Foundation, which was designed to assist promising Vermont athletes with financial aid
- Runs his own snowboarding camps at Stratton Mountain (Vermont) for people of all ages and all of the revenue from the camps goes directly to his foundation
- Says the best part of snowboarding is “traveling the world, doing something I love and making money” and the worst part is “never being able to make plans with people and missing my family”
- Has quiet, mild-mannered demeanor in sport known for its outlandish, rebellious characters
- Participated in a usolympicteam.com auction to allow a winning bidder to learn halfpipe from him
- Received his first snowboard on Christmas Day 1987 and gave it a test ride that day, despite the fact it was raining
- Enjoys motocross, skateboarding, mountain biking, surfing and wakeboarding "These sports relate to snowboarding, like the coordination they take, being able to judge the distances of jumps, the tricks you can do and board awareness."
- Loves spending time with his wife and daughter. “Watching Victoria grow is amazing.”
Considered snowboarding’s first child prodigy, Powers competed in his first U.S. Open competition at the age of 9 with his fourth grade class in attendance. He competed in nationals the next year and was a world champion before his 18th birthday. In 1998, he represented the U.S. in Nagano taking home the first Olympic halfpipe medal for the U.S. Powers dominates the snowboard world having won almost every title in snowboarding including Olympic gold in 2002.
Related Links
Q&A: All I ever wanted was a snowboard
Photo gallery: Olympic snowboarder Ross Powers
Related Articles: Test your Winter Olympic knowledge
Video: On his Salt Lake experience
On competition: “Competition brings out some of the best things in snowboarding - the best riders, the best crowds and the best conditions on the pipes. It is great for the sport.”
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Height: 5'10
Born: 2/10/1979
Hometown: South Londonderry, Vt.
Resides: Stratton, Vt.
Sport: Snowboarding
Event: Snowboarding (halfpipe)
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