Seth made an appearance on the Today Show this morning to talk with Matt Lauer about his upcoming race on Monday. Check out the video below - Seth's segment is right around the 29:50 mark.
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Seth has arrived in Vancouver and is now less than one week away from the big day, which means it's going to be a whirlwind six days. Here are couple of quick updates on stuff coming up:
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Seth is scheduled to appear on the Today Show on NBC tomorrow morning at 7:30am with Matt Lauer for a quick Olympic preview piece. If you miss it, you should be able to catch the spot at http://today.msnbc.msn.com/
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That Today Show story will be followed up by a longer Olympic profile, also with Matt Lauer, which is scheduled to air next Monday morning, and will include footage and interviews shot here at Sugarloaf. More details on that to come.
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The entire SBX competition will happen in one day (Monday, Feb 15) at Cypress Mountatin, and will be broadcast live on NBC. There will be an official Race Viewing party in the Widowmaker Lounge in the Base Lodge from 2-4pm on Monday where Sugarloafers can gather to cheer Seth on.
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That's the quick and dirty. We'll have more updates throughout the week, and if Seth manages to find some down time in Vancouver look for a post from him as well. And if you'd like to pass along any words of encouragement to Seth, leave them in the comments section below.
We're down to two short days before Seth flies off to Vancouver to get down to the nitty gritty of defending his gold medal, and to wish him well on his quest The Rack (his own bar and grille here at Sugarloaf) is throwing a little get together this afternoon for apres ski. There will be appetizer and drink specials throughout the afternoon, and you can wish Seth luck in person before he heads out on Monday. It all kicks off as soon as the lifts close today, down at the Rack.
Seth is back home after his thrilling X Games performance last weekend, and he'll be resting up here at Sugarloaf for a week before flying out to Vancouver early next week. Of course, resting up is a bit tougher when you're a defending Olympic gold medalist less than two week away from the Olympics. So in between spin sessions at the AGC and some training time on the snow, Seth takes time out to respond to the growing number of interview requests. Earlier this week he sat down with Bill Green from WCSH 6 in Portland (photo below), and yesterday he spent time filming with folks from WGME 13. You'll be seeing Seth's face on TV an awful lot over the coming weeks, and we'll try to keep you updated on where and when to tune in.
Seth traveled to Aspen for hiis 12th Winter X Games last week, looking to win his ninth xgames medal. He definitely didn't disappoint, finishing second to Aspen hometown hero Nate Holland in an absolutely thrilling final. Seth had the early lead in the race but a bit of trouble in the rollers slowed him down, and Holland took full advantage to win his fifth consecutive xgames gold. Check out the full results here, and watch the full race at the bottom of this post.
An X Games gold would have been nice and all, but Seth has his sites set on something bigger - namely a second Olympic Gold Medal in Vancouver on February 15. In a post race interview Seth said that getting edged out for the gold this weekend gives him just the motivation he needs to make a run at his second Olympic Gold.
We'll be posting regular updates here as the Olympics draw closer, and look for an update this week from the man himself while he prepares for Vancouver.
It probably wasn't quite as dramatic as we might have hoped, and it's not technically official until the US Olympic Committee announces it, but after today's World Cup event in Switzerland Seth's spot on the Olympic team is all locked up, and he'll have a shot to defend his gold medal in Vancouver.
Seth finished 17th today, which by itself didn't do much to lock up his spot on the team. But Germany's David Spieser passed American Nick Baumgartner in the final stretch to take second place and push Baumgartner into third, which was all that needed to happen to officially confirm Seth's ticket to Vancouver.
Four riders will make the US Olympic SBX team, and according to ussnowboarding.com: "In the battle for up to four Olympic starting spots, (Nate) Holland leads the selection criteria with his win last weekend in Austria. Reigning Olympic champ Seth Wescott (Sugarloaf, ME) is next with a second place finish in the season opener in Argentina. Three riders now have a third, including Baumgartner, Watanabe and 2002 Olympic halfpipe champ Ross Powers (Okemo, VT). Baumgartner and Watanabe are tied in the first two tiebreakers (next best result), but Baumgartner leads in current World Cup rankings." (You can read the full article at http://www.ussnowboarding.com/news?storyId=2315)
Since there is only one more World Cup stop this season, and only two riders can possibly finish in second place or higher, Seth's spot is a lock. With his ticket to Vancouver assured, Seth will sit out during the final race in Quebec next week, and spend some time back here at Sugarloaf resting up before the ESPN X-Games in Aspen and then the Olympics in Vancouver.
So congrats Seth, from everyone at Sugarloaf. We'll see you soon.
Racers today in Switzerland. For more photos click here.
SnowboardSecrets.com caught up with Seth while he was brushing his teeth (seriously) back in November, and spent some time talking Sugarloaf and SBX. They posted the interview to YouTube last week. Check it out:
What does Seth do when it dumps 2 feet at Sugarloaf? He slays pow, rips laps on the Quad, and tracks down freshies just like you and me. Today's he's on a flight to Austria for the next World Cup stop, where he'll try to lock down his spot on the Olympic team. Check back soon for an update from the man himself. Until then, check out some pics from yesterday.
