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Seth Wescott Represents His Sport and State

March 07, 2010 - CARRABASSETT VALLEY -- The crowd is waiting.


It's a sunny, mild March, the kind of day when nobody minds standing around outside. Hundreds of people are waiting on the Beach, the brick patio of Sugarloaf's base lodge. Hundreds more are waiting on the snow, just off the base of the mountain.


They are waiting for Seth Wescott, two-time Olympic snowboard cross gold medalist, Carrabassett Valley resident, and currently, the most popular person in Maine. That's apparent when the cheers grow louder as Wescott rides down the mountain on his snowboard, accompanied by a few hundred children. In his Team USA uniform, Wescott takes easy turns. It's a relaxing run.


"For me, in my heart, when I go out there on that stage, I'm representing for the state of Maine," Wescott tells the crowd. "It's a lot closer to your heart when you know who you're doing it for."


We didn't need Governor John Baldacci to officially proclaim Saturday, March 6, 2010 Seth Wescott Day. It's been Seth Wescott Day since he won his second gold medal on Feb. 15.


Wescott's time hasn't been his own since winning Olympic gold. The day after winning, he was up before 3 a.m. to appear on the "Today" show. Fatigue is a small price to pay for winning a gold medal. Living on caffeine and adrenaline for a couple days is no sweat.


"The first few days were pretty brutal. I actually went 48 hours without getting a meal," Wescott says. "I'd go to bed and I'd be up 45 minutes later going, 'Hey! I won the Olympics!'"


How many waiting in line knew what Wescott went through since winning his first gold in Turin, Italy in 2006? How many knew of the broken wrist in 2007, or the leg injury just a few months ago?


In 2006, Wescott was the favorite. He was coming off a world championship in 2005. He was 29, and the face of this new sport. Heading into Vancouver, Wescott, now 33, was the underdog, an aging athlete coming off a series of injuries.


"For me personally, this victory was a lot more meaningful. I was wondering in the whole rehab process, how's it going to be?" Wescott says. "It meant a lot to me in '09 to win a World Cup and feel like I was building momentum."


Wescott thinks his sport is growing momentum, too, especially with the addition of skicross to the Olympics this year. More courses are being built, he says. Fewer riders will gravitate to the freestyle events now that athletes like Shaun White have made the tricks so difficult. In the coming weeks, Wescott will travel the country promoting snowboard cross.


"We have a greater opportunity to grow the cross-type sports," Wescott says. "The freestyle side of the sport's become unattainable."


Wescott's sport is built on a foundation of professional admiration, not petty rivalries and jealousy. When Wescott crossed the finish line in first place in the Olympic finals, his USA teammate Graham Watanabe, knocked out in an earlier round, went nuts with excitement. German rider David Speiser was one of the first people to give Wescott a hug after the win.


French rider Xavier De Le Rue, one of Wescott's best friends, took Wescott aside before the finals and offered encouragement.


"He said 'You own this. You need to go do this right now,' " Wescott says. "National barriers are completely broken down."


The crowd is waiting, and Wescott knows and appreciates it.


In 1991, Wescott went to the U.S. Open at Stratton, Vt. for the first time. A few of the big name riders refused autograph requests from kids. That stuck with Wescott. Why be that way? Give the autograph. Do something that might motivate the kid. Grow the sport.


There's a stack of posters thicker than the New York City phone book, waiting for Wescott to sign his name, over and over again. He will. Young and old, skier and snowboarder, they get their autograph on posters, helmets and jackets.


"Give me a little while. I'll probably have carpal tunnel by the end of it, but I'll try and get to all of you," Wescott says.


Maine loves Wescott, and he loves Maine. It's a healthy relationship.


"For me, it's always been, I don't want to change my home. I've got friends from fifth, sixth, seventh grade I still hang out with," Wescott says. "I've felt more at home here than anywhere in the world."


This celebratory train will slow down and stop sometime this fall, and Wescott will turn his attention first to the 2011 world championships in January, then to the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia.


"It's time to buckle down, train harder and get ready for the three-peat at Sochi," he says.


We'll be waiting.

by Travis Lazarczyk, March 7, 2010, Morning Sentinel

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Regions: Rangeley


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