Four snowboarders wait anxiously side by side atop a steep hill, overlooking the treacherous and lengthy course ahead.  They are sweating nervously underneath the protective winter gear specifically designed to keep them warm in the most extreme conditions; this moment could be considered one of them.  The event they are about to race will determine who is taking home the gold.

Snowboard Cross is a competition involving participants to show off their skills while jumping over gaps, surviving drops, and simply avoiding falling to the ground.  Four competitors race at one time attempting to hold their place on the icy slopes as others bump and slide into them.  Before Snowboard Cross became an official Olympic event in 2006, it was played in the Winter X Games as early as 1997.

On Feb. 10 at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics, two Americans qualified for the Snowboard Cross finals, leaving the country with definite medal hopes.  Veteran Seth Wescott, who had previously won gold in the Torino 2006 Winter Olympics, was guaranteed another grab for the glory.  His teammate, Nate Holland, was also offered the chance.

“If there’s any way to wreck an event, it’s got to be battling for a gold medal in the Olympics,” Holland said, according to USOC PressBox.  “I definitely live or die by the Wreck or Win sword.”

The American teammates had worked their way up to the finals after claiming the win to the semi-finals. Holland raced to the finish line first, with Wescott close on his tail.  Their victory over Austria’s Lukas Gruener and Mario Fuchs guaranteed spots in the finals, and an ironic later gold for Wescott. The placement was unsuspected, especially since 33-year-old Wescott had qualified a low 17th out of the 32 riders because of a recent injury.

“I was coming in here as the only man to ever have won the Olympics snowboard cross gold, and I didn’t want anyone else to have it yet, either,” Wescott said, to the same source.
 
The final race, including Canadian Mike Robertson and French Tony Ramoin, led to an early fall from Holland, and a gradual win for Wescott. For moments, it had seemed the win would be handed over to the Canadians, but was overthrown by the veteran himself.

“No, I’m not done racing at all. I’m planning on Sochi, and I’m coming back for more,” Wescott said, told the same source. “That [age] bar hasn’t been set yet for action sports. I’m going to be part of the generation that sets that bar.”