Seth Wescott
Encyclopedia
Seth Benjamin Wescott (born June 28, 1976) is an American
snowboarder
. He is a two-time Olympic champion in the snowboard cross.
. His father Jim Wescott was the Track and Cross Country coach at Colby College
.His mother Margaret-Gould Wescott teaches at University of Maine at Farmington. Wescott has trained in the mountains near Cordova, Alaska
, at times, along with Sugarloaf, in Maine. He began snowboarding
at age 7, 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 in Sugarloaf USA 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. Having won gold, Wescott was invited to meet then president George W. Bush but turned down the offer, citing his opposition to Bush's foreign and domestic policies. At the 2010 Winter Olympics
in Vancouver
, Canada
, Wescott successfully defended his Olympic gold. 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.
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.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
snowboarder
Snowboarding
Snowboarding is a sport that involves descending a slope that is covered with snow on a snowboard attached to a rider's feet using a special boot set onto mounted binding. The development of snowboarding was inspired by skateboarding, sledding, surfing and skiing. It was developed in the U.S.A...
. He is a two-time Olympic champion in the snowboard cross.
Life and career
Wescott was born in Durham, North Carolina, and lives in Carrabassett Valley, MaineMaine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
. His father Jim Wescott was the Track and Cross Country coach at Colby College
Colby College
Colby College is a private liberal arts college located on Mayflower Hill in Waterville, Maine. Founded in 1813, it is the 12th-oldest independent liberal arts college in the United States...
.His mother Margaret-Gould Wescott teaches at University of Maine at Farmington. Wescott has trained in the mountains near Cordova, Alaska
Cordova, Alaska
As of the census of 2000, there were 2,454 people, 958 households, and 597 families residing in the city. The population density was 40.0 per square mile . There are 1,099 housing units at an average density of 17.9 per square mile...
, at times, along with Sugarloaf, in Maine. He began snowboarding
Snowboarding
Snowboarding is a sport that involves descending a slope that is covered with snow on a snowboard attached to a rider's feet using a special boot set onto mounted binding. The development of snowboarding was inspired by skateboarding, sledding, surfing and skiing. It was developed in the U.S.A...
at age 7, 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
Carrabassett Valley Academy
-About:Carrabassett Valley Academy is a private alpine skiing, snowboard and freestyle academy based in Carrabassett Valley, Maine, at the base of Sugarloaf/USA. Established in 1982, the school has trained and schooled the likes of Olympic competitors Bode Miller, Seth Wescott, Kirsten Clark and...
where he studied and trained with fellow Olympians Bode Miller, Jeff Greenwood, Kirsten Clark and Emily Cook. He started out in Sugarloaf USA in Carrabassett Valley, Maine
In his Olympic debut, at the 2006 Winter Olympics
2006 Winter Olympics
The 2006 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XX Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Turin, Italy from February 10, 2006, through February 26, 2006. This marked the second time Italy hosted the Olympic Winter Games, the first being the VII Olympic Winter...
in Torino, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Wescott won gold in the snowboard cross as the first Olympic champion in the event. Having won gold, Wescott was invited to meet then president George W. Bush but turned down the offer, citing his opposition to Bush's foreign and domestic policies. At the 2010 Winter Olympics
2010 Winter Olympics
The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially the XXI Olympic Winter Games or the 21st Winter Olympics, were a major international multi-sport event held from February 12–28, 2010, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with some events held in the suburbs of Richmond, West Vancouver and the University...
in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Wescott successfully defended his Olympic gold. Wescott, who started off the race in fourth, slowly advanced throughout the field until the end, when he narrowly defeated hometown favorite Mike Robertson
Mike Robertson (snowboarder)
Mike Robertson is a Canadian snowboarder. He resides in Canmore, Alberta. His home mountain is Lake Louise.Robertson first started snowboarding at the World Cup level in 2003. His first World Cup podium result came on January 11, 2009, when he won a bronze medal. A month later, he reached the...
on the final jump.
Wescott co-owns The Rack, a restaurant and bar near Sugarloaf
Sugarloaf/USA
Sugarloaf is a ski area and resort located on Sugarloaf Mountain in Carrabassett Valley, western Maine. It is the largest ski resort in the State of Maine, in terms of number of trails , skiable acreage , and snowmaking percentage ; its continuous vertical drop of is the second longest in New...
that caters food and drinks to skiers and snowboarders.
On February 25, 2010, Wescott appeared on The Colbert Report.