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Alyssa RoenigkESPN
Four years ago, U.S. snowboarders Red Gerard and Hailey Langland made their Olympic debuts as 17-year-olds competing in slopestyle and big air, and as a new couple whose longtime friendship had turned to romance just weeks before the Games.
Neither of their experiences in Pyeongchang, however, went anything like they envisioned. Looking back, Gerard and Langland, now 21, agree those two weeks in February 2018 changed them profoundly, shaping their outlooks on snowboarding and the way in which they approach competition today.
Gerard arrived in South Korea unaware of the enormity of the event and, after winning gold on his third and final slopestyle run, struggled in the searing post-Olympic spotlight.
Langland placed so much pressure on herself to deliver on the world’s biggest stage that when she finished sixth in slopestyle, she questioned how she defined herself.
Now, as they prepare to compete in their sophomore Olympics with new bags of tricks and fresh outlooks on the Games, we present four of the wildest, most impactful years of their lives, as told by the snowboarding power couple and those who know them best.
Early days
Born five weeks apart on opposite sides of the country in the summer of 2000, Gerard and Langland started snowboarding early in their lives.
A Cleveland native, Gerard is the third youngest of eight and learned to ride by chasing his older brothers on family trips to New York. Originally from San Clemente, Calif., Langland started riding at 5, when her dad, Geoff, a sponsored rider in the ’80s and ’90s, put her on a board. She spent her early years chasing him around Big Bear Mountain in SoCal,…
Source : espn
