Lindsey Jacobellis is competing in the Winter Olympics 2010 in Vancouver in snowboarding.
Though she competes in one of the Winter Games' most unpredictable events, Lindsey Jacobellis's performance over the years has been nothing short of formidable. In addition to winning the snowboard cross World Cup title in 2006-07 and 2008-09, she also won the world title in 2005 and 2007 (Jacobellis didn't compete at the 2009 Worlds, instead focusing on the 2009 X Games, where she won gold).
In Torino, Jacobellis authored one of the 2006 Games' most unforgettable (and unfortunate) moments. Holding a seemingly insurmountable lead during the latter part of the women's snowboard cross final, she attempted a trick on the last jump, only to fall and watch Switzerland's Tanja Frieden pass her for first place. Though Jacobellis was widely scrutinized for her second-place finish, she has still found a way to remember Torino in a fond light. "Not many people know, but remembering that race, I almost went out in the first round. And I almost didn't make it into the next round, and I wouldn't even have been in consolation," she recalls. "So I look back and say that I still made it to finals and I still got a medal and that is good enough for me, and it keeps me hungry for the next race." Despite the circumstances surrounding it, Jacobellis's silver medal from Torino remains a source of pride, and is displayed on the mantle at her family's home in Vermont.
In recent years, Jacobellis has become involved with charitable causes involving animals through the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA). In addition to donating to the organization, she has also become involved with the organization's publicity efforts, including attending a young donors' red carpet event held in New York. "I grew up with a dog all the time," Jacobellis explains. "I just felt very dog oriented. I always connect with a dog—it's just a nice calming thing. I love all kinds of animals but I wasn't allowed to have hamsters and stuff like that as a kid. So my parents were like, "No, we're a dog family." Jacobellis's own dog is named Gidget, named after the teenage surfer of TV and movie fame. "She's a Yorkshire terrier slash silky terrier so she's like eleven pounds," Jacobellis says, "and she's a little scrapper."
Jacobellis used to compete at the highest level in both snowboard cross and halfpipe, recording top-three finishes at five World Cup halfpipe events in her career and finishing eighth in halfpipe at the 2005 World Championships. However, in recent years, she has decided to focus on snowboard cross in order to maximize her potential in that event and avoid an increased risk of injury. She last competed in a halfpipe World Cup in February 2008.
Jacobellis first started snowboarding because her older brother, Ben (a former snowboard cross rider on the World Cup circuit) became involved in the sport at age 12. Wanting to try whatever Ben did, she tried snowboarding too. She started competing in Friday night races in her hometown of Stratton, Vermont, as the only girl in the 12-and-under category. After some early success, she enrolled at the Stratton Mountain School, a ski and snowboard academy that has produced a number of Olympians, including 2002 Olympic halfpipe champion Ross Powers.
Though she competes in one of the Winter Games' most unpredictable events, Lindsey Jacobellis's performance over the years has been nothing short of formidable. In addition to winning the snowboard cross World Cup title in 2006-07 and 2008-09, she also won the world title in 2005 and 2007 (Jacobellis didn't compete at the 2009 Worlds, instead focusing on the 2009 X Games, where she won gold).
In Torino, Jacobellis authored one of the 2006 Games' most unforgettable (and unfortunate) moments. Holding a seemingly insurmountable lead during the latter part of the women's snowboard cross final, she attempted a trick on the last jump, only to fall and watch Switzerland's Tanja Frieden pass her for first place. Though Jacobellis was widely scrutinized for her second-place finish, she has still found a way to remember Torino in a fond light. "Not many people know, but remembering that race, I almost went out in the first round. And I almost didn't make it into the next round, and I wouldn't even have been in consolation," she recalls. "So I look back and say that I still made it to finals and I still got a medal and that is good enough for me, and it keeps me hungry for the next race." Despite the circumstances surrounding it, Jacobellis's silver medal from Torino remains a source of pride, and is displayed on the mantle at her family's home in Vermont.
In recent years, Jacobellis has become involved with charitable causes involving animals through the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA). In addition to donating to the organization, she has also become involved with the organization's publicity efforts, including attending a young donors' red carpet event held in New York. "I grew up with a dog all the time," Jacobellis explains. "I just felt very dog oriented. I always connect with a dog—it's just a nice calming thing. I love all kinds of animals but I wasn't allowed to have hamsters and stuff like that as a kid. So my parents were like, "No, we're a dog family." Jacobellis's own dog is named Gidget, named after the teenage surfer of TV and movie fame. "She's a Yorkshire terrier slash silky terrier so she's like eleven pounds," Jacobellis says, "and she's a little scrapper."
Jacobellis used to compete at the highest level in both snowboard cross and halfpipe, recording top-three finishes at five World Cup halfpipe events in her career and finishing eighth in halfpipe at the 2005 World Championships. However, in recent years, she has decided to focus on snowboard cross in order to maximize her potential in that event and avoid an increased risk of injury. She last competed in a halfpipe World Cup in February 2008.
Jacobellis first started snowboarding because her older brother, Ben (a former snowboard cross rider on the World Cup circuit) became involved in the sport at age 12. Wanting to try whatever Ben did, she tried snowboarding too. She started competing in Friday night races in her hometown of Stratton, Vermont, as the only girl in the 12-and-under category. After some early success, she enrolled at the Stratton Mountain School, a ski and snowboard academy that has produced a number of Olympians, including 2002 Olympic halfpipe champion Ross Powers.