Red Gerard Essay

Snow flies through the air. Blistery, frigid, and stinging air flows through the crowd. The sound of the ice crunching as the board glides over the shiny course projects through the Phoenix Snow Park in PyeongChang, South Korea. 17 year old Red Gerard is having the run of his life as he spins through the air. His final run is his best yet, with him using the whole slopestyle course to his advantage. After falling in both of his first two runs, things weren’t looking too good. Red was sitting in 11th place out of the 12 competitors, and this was his last chance for a medal. He had to pull out all the stops. He hit an extra rail instead of just going over it, like most of the other snowboarders had. Red’s decision to throw in some risky spins and flips really took things up the notch it needed. His combination of a 1080, a 1260, and a backside triple cork all payed off when he stuck each landing. Red used untouched parts of the terrain, resulting in the judges pulling him out of last place. He was rewarded with a stunning 87.16 score. Red gave everything he had, and ended up being awarded the first gold medal for the US in the 2018 Winter Olympics. Red Gerard was born in Westlake, Ohio as one of seven children. He later moved out to Silverthorne, Colorado where his love for snowboarding really grew. …show more content…
However, he saw an opportunity and he grabbed it. He threw in as many tricks and spins into his final run as he could. He gave it his all. “Might as well try to do good if I’m here,” Red said about competing. Red grew up snowboarding, so it’s a part of who he is. He doesn't care as much about the winning aspect. He cares about the sport itself. Red told IOC president Thomas Bach, “I just wanted to land a run, that’s about it.” Red didn’t know much about the Olympics, but he did know one thing for sure: it isn’t about the wins or losses, it’s about how you play the