Seth Wescott (born June 28, 1976) is an American snowboarder. He is a two-time Olympic champion in the snowboard cross.

Seth Wescott
Personal information
NationalityAmerican
Born (1976-06-28) June 28, 1976 (age 48)
Durham, North Carolina, U.S.
Height6 ft 1 in (185 cm)[1]
Sport
CountryUnited States
SportSnowboarding
EventSnowboard Cross
Medal record
Men's snowboarding
Representing the  United States
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2006 Torino Snowboard cross
Gold medal – first place 2010 Vancouver Snowboard cross
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2005 Whistler Snowboard cross
Silver medal – second place 2003 Kreischberg Snowboard cross
Silver medal – second place 2007 Arosa Snowboard cross
Silver medal – second place 2011 La Molina Snowboard cross
Winter X Games
Silver medal – second place 2004 Aspen Snowboard cross
Silver medal – second place 2005 Aspen Snowboard cross
Silver medal – second place 2010 Aspen Snowboard cross
Bronze medal – third place 2007 Aspen Snowboard cross

Life and career

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Wescott was born in Durham, North Carolina, and lives in Whistler, British Columbia. Growing up, Wescott went to Mount Blue regional school district in Farmington, Maine. His father Jim Wescott was the Track and Cross Country coach at Colby College. He began snowboarding at age 10, but had also grown up skiing. In 1989, after competing in both sports for a few years, he stopped skiing to focus mainly on snowboarding. Wescott attended Carrabassett Valley Academy where he studied and trained with fellow Olympians Bode Miller, Jeff Greenwood, Kirsten Clark and Emily Cook. He started out at Sugarloaf in Carrabassett Valley, Maine.

In his Olympic debut, at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy, Wescott won gold in the snowboard cross as the first Olympic champion in the event.[2][3] Having won gold, Wescott was invited to meet president George W. Bush, but turned down the offer, citing his opposition to Bush's foreign and domestic policies.[4] At the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, Wescott successfully defended his Olympic gold.[5] Wescott, who started off the race in fourth, slowly advanced throughout the field until the end, when he narrowly defeated hometown favorite Mike Robertson on the final jump.[6]

Wescott co-owns The Rack, a restaurant and bar near Sugarloaf that caters food and drinks to skiers and snowboarders.

On February 25, 2010, Wescott appeared on The Colbert Report. In 2012, he participated in Fox's dating game show The Choice.[7]

Wescott attended Western State College in Gunnison, CO.

References

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  1. ^ "Seth Wescott". teamusa.org. United States Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on February 22, 2014. Retrieved February 13, 2014.
  2. ^ Lindsay Berra (February 17, 2006). "Wescott grinds through to reach first 'cross gold". ESPN The Magazine. Retrieved February 15, 2010.
  3. ^ JENN MENENDEZ (February 17, 2006). "Boss of the 'cross". Portland Press Herald. Retrieved February 15, 2010.
  4. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on October 29, 2018. Retrieved September 30, 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  5. ^ "Wescott of U.S. wins snowboard cross gold". NBCSports.com. February 15, 2010. Archived from the original on February 17, 2010. Retrieved February 15, 2010.
  6. ^ Deborah Charles (February 15, 2010). "Wescott grabs second snowboard cross gold". Reuters. Retrieved February 15, 2010.[dead link]
  7. ^ Hibberd, James (May 8, 2012). "Fox's 'The Choice' cast revealed! Joe Jonas, Dean Cain, The Situation, many more -- EXCLUSIVE". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved April 11, 2013.
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