Seth Wescott returns to hero’s welcome at Sugarloaf

CARRABASSETT VALLEY – Two-time Olympic Gold Medalist Seth Wescott returned to Sugarloaf Saturday, introduced to a cheering crowd beneath a warm March sky.

Wescott recently won his second, consecutive gold medal in the sport of snowboardcross (SBX) at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver. Wescott, who has been on the United States Snowboarding team for more than ten years and has won numerous Winter X Games and World Championship medals in addition to his Olympic achievements, is the currently the only athlete with Olympic gold in SBX, which was officially added to the Winter Games in 2006.

Homecoming celebration featured Wescott snowboarding down the Landing, a wide, gently-sloping trail near the base lodge, to meet Governor John Baldacci and several hundred fans. A cheer went up when Wescott, standing next to the governor, held up his latest medal.

In the crowd was Michele Aronson, a 3rd grade teacher at Woodside School in Topsham. As the snowboarder made his way away from the podium, she introduced herself and presented Wescott with some of her students’ work. The class had followed his progress, she said, choosing him as a role model and an example of how to set goals and achieve success.

Baldacci called Wescott an “ambassador” for Maine and declared March 6 to be “Seth Wescott Day.”

In a press conference prior to the homecoming event, Wescott described post-Olympic experience as “quite a whirlwind” and listed his short term goals as promoting SBX and “catch[ing] up on sleep.”

The Olympian will leave for “VISA Seth Wescott Ride With Me Tour;” a nationwide tour designed to support the former goal, next week. He’ll be appearing at ski resorts in Utah, Washington State, as well as visiting the headquarters of two of the tour’s sponsors, Visa and Sprint, in San Francisco, CA, and Kansas City, MO. As part of the tour, which is also sponsored by Boyne Resorts, Norway Savings Bank and Bern Ulimited, Wescott will also be appearing in New York City, Salt Lake City and Seattle.

Wescott said that he expected big developments in the sport of SBX over the next four years, leading up to the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. Describing participation in the freestyle side of snowboarding as “unobtainable” for many athletes, due to the highly-specialized participants, Wescott touted SBX for allowing a broader base of competitors.

Asked about why he continued to train at Sugarloaf, Wescott told reporters that he “felt more at home here, than anywhere else in the world.”

“I don’t want to change my home,” Wescott said, going on to note that “you can’t get a sense of home by changing your roots.”

Wescott noted that Sugarloaf had a “great facility,” comparable to some of the best training facilities in the United States, citing the Carrabassett Valley Academy’s Antigravity Complex as an example.

Along a similar vein, Wescott also discussed his proposal to build a $10 million gondola lift line on Sugarloaf, noting that the idea had received a positive survey response when presented to Carrabassett Valley residents. The gondola, which has been proposed to lift skiers and boarders 2,400 vertical feet, from the base to summit of Sugarloaf, would allow year-round access to the summit of the mountain. In the past, Wescott had proposed that the town finance the new lift line through a bond issue which would be paid off in ski ticket sale revenue by Sugarloaf.

Despite these projects, Wescott said he remained focused on his sport, with the World Championships in Spain as his next important goal.