Three out of the seven U.S. Olympic Snowboardcross athletes hail from Vermont, including two of the three women competing in that event.
Jackie Hernandez, of Londonderry, will be going to her first Olympics, along with Olympic silver medal holder Lindsey Jacobellis, of Stratton. Lindsey is back and riding strong after recovering from a knee injury. Jackie and Lindsey will be joined by Olympic veteran Faye Gulini, of Salt Lake City, Utah.
Snowboardcross Head Coach Peter Foley commented on Saturday, “Lindsey winning yesterday at X Games was a real confidence booster. Not being able to compete for two years has been nerve wracking for her wondering ‘where do I sit with the competition, am I still fast?’ But she’s better than ever. It’s gone very well. There’s a lot more depth to the women’s field but she’s in a good place.”
Alex Deibold, of Manchester Center, will be riding in his first Olympics, along with Trevor Jacob, of Mammoth Lakes, Calif. and Olympic veterans Nick Baumgartner, of Iron River, Mich. and Nate Holland, of Squaw Valley, Calif.
“We have a strong team with a mix of seasoned veterans plus some new athletes who are riding very fast, said Foley. “Our selection process is tough – tougher than other nations. But it’s also proved to be very successful for us in the past.”
The 2014 Winter Games begin in Sochi, Russia on Feb. 7.