West Vancouver Xxxxxxx

Wow! Just returning home from an amazing Olympic experience. This was my 4^th Olympic Games and the most fun so far. Torino 2006 was a great a experience with Seth winning the first ever Olympic Gold medal in SBX.  This year in Vancouver even trumped 2006! Seth’s victory to come from behind in the Finals to win Gold was legendary. 

He was surgical with the way he rode the finals. He was calm and confident all day long, telling me between every heat he could win from any lane. He rode with smarts, patience, precision, and matched every transition. Twice he picked the right time to pass by nailing the turn before the flatter glide section. It was awesome to be part of making history again with Wescott, winning back-to-back Gold Medals in the 1^st two Olympic Snowboardcross races. He is also the 1^st male skier or snowboarder in US history to win back-to-back Olympic Gold, and the 1^st American (male or female) since Anne Marie Lawrence back in 1952 to repeat Gold.

I want to thank everyone for their support and kind words throughout the journey.

I would like to thank the following : Hansjeurg Kessler of Kessler Snowboards for designing & making his snowboards specifically for Seth’s specs.  Hansjuerg was invaluable in the process and great to work with. Kenny Nault, Kevin Sweeney & Mike Wagner from Swix for all their wax, support and advice. I can’t thank you enough. You guys were awesome. Thanos Karydas & Tom Reinerth from Dominator Wax for their support, and the in-depth conversations we had at Cypress on wax & wax theory. It helped a ton. Dan Brewster & Karter Riach of Snoqualmie Ski Resorts for giving us Carte Blanche on their mountain to test Seth’s boards prior to the Games. US Snowboarding Head Coach, Peter Foley for understanding the importance of testing Seth’s boards and allowing me to go up to Vancouver 5 days early to test. He arranged hill space, first class accommodations and provided me with two test pilots. My test pilots; Bud Keene (who is also Shaun White’s personal coach) & Alex Deibold (US Snowboarding team member) for working hard, riding a flat board while testing Seth’s & Lindsey’s quiver, thus giving me great data.

Big thanks to Luke Bodensteiner from USSA, Jeremy Forster & Abbi Nyberg of US Snowboarding for taking care of everything in Vancouver. You guys really took care of all of us! Including driving me to the waxroom at 5:30am. Thank you so much, I greatly appreciate it. Back home, the Sun Valley Ski & Snowboard school for allowing me to travel this winter and still come home & be able to instruct & coach.

I especially want to thank all the boys at my shop “The Waxroom” back home in Ketchum; you guys are awesome!, holding down the fort all winter long. Dan Freeman for all the pre-grinds on Seth’s, Lindsey’s & Shaun White’s boards, Dan & Nate Galpin for putting the angles on, along with Bucky Beichle doing multiple wax bag sessions on all the boards throughout the season. I couldn’t have done it with out you guys! Last but not least I want to thank my wife Debbie & daughters Payton & Zoe for allowing me to work & travel all winter.  I appreciate how much you do while I am gone taking care of the girls, the house and our dog Chewy. Your love and support is my rock daily.

This has been an amazing journey; Seth has been incredible to work with the whole way. He chose to do things a little differently than the rest of the team the past couple of years with his training on and off the snow. He also hired me exclusively to work for him with his own money, instead of sharing the team’s technician.  He was doubted & even criticized for his decisions, but he had a plan in place and he stuck to it. Obviously it paid off. We always believed he would do it again.  I have worked with numerous World Class athletes and Olympians over the years, they are all outstanding in their own right, but this last performance by Seth was truly amazing. I compare it with a buzzer beater shot by Michael Jordan in the NBA finals, or a clutch RBI by Derek Jeter in the World Series. Seth is in that class.  He will be back in the quest for a 3-peat Olympic SBX Gold, 2014 in Sochi, Russia! And so will I.......Wax-On! Curtis

After spinning out in the semi-finals, Lindsey Jacobellis, didn't make it to the medal final but did race what they call the "Small Final". Ketchum's Curtis Bacca (owner of the Waxroom) is the tech for Lindsey and Gold Medalist Seth Wescott. After the semifinal disappointment, Jacobellis won the Small Final to place 5th overall. The Canadian crowd favorite, Maelle Ricker, won the Gold Medal.

Including the X-Games, the Snowboard Cross Semifinal was the only time an athlete that Curtis Bacca techs got beaten.

Lindsey Jacobellis on race day. Click pictures for larger images.

LJ on the 6:30am bus heading to the hill

LJ Outside the Waxroom

LJ in the Waxroom

LJ and the girls killing time during the weather delay

LJ's ride is ready

LJ inspecting the course

LJ ready to race

LJ in the starting gate

What it's all about - Olympian friends Graham Watanabe & Seth Wescott

Ketchum's Waxroom owner, Curtis Bacca, was the private technician for Seth Wescott who overcame difficulties in qualifying to win the Gold Medal for the U.S. in Snowboard Cross.

Heading into the last half of Monday's final, the 33-year-old from Maine was barely within shouting distance of Canadian Mike Robertson. Then, out of nowhere, Wescott closed the gap, overtook the Canadian and held him off at the finish to take the gold medal -- his second straight and America's second of these Winter Olympics.

Wescott made up the distance over a series of five consecutive jumps that can sap speed if not executed correctly. The crowd, about half Canadian and half American, gasped and cheered. Wescott crossed the line first and fell to the ground, then draped the stars and stripes across his shoulders. Read more on NBCOlympics.com

Sun Valley native Graham Watanabe was eliminated before reaching the final. Sandpoint, Idaho native Nate Holland was fourth in the final after spinning out early in the race. Canada's Mike Robertson won the Silver Medal after giving up a big lead to Wescott. France's Tony Ramoin won the Bronze.

Game Day! Men's Olympic SBX today Live @ 2pm PST, Time trials starting @ 1030am Go USA! & Let's Go Wescott!!!!! Pics from today as we arrive at the Olympic venue and yesterday's training including our weather guys.

2006 Torino Olympic Gold Medalist in Snowboard Cross is interviewed by Matt Lauer and mentions hiring Curtis Bacca is part of this better preparation for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. Bacca is the owner of the Waxroom and is blogging for SunValleyOnline on the Waxroom page on SunValleyOnline. Men's Snowboard Cross competition takes place today including Sun Valley native Graham Watanabe.

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Lindsey J at the waxroom 1st day of SBX training Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry