CARRABASSETT VALLEY – Seth Wescott had a smile, handshake or hug for everyone who came up to him Thursday night at The Rack – whether he knew them or not.
In an exculsive interview, he said that he was exhausted, but very happy to be home.
“It was crazy there in Italy, and Sugarloaf has always been my home,” he said seated at a table. He said he can’t wait to sleep in his own bed.
Looking wide-eyed around the packed restaurant and bar, Wescott said he’s grateful for the tremendous support he’s gotten from everyone.
“Having good wishes” from everyone in Carrabassett Valley helped him toward his goal of getting a medal in the Winter Olympics. Between autographing T-shirts and hugging his friends, Wescott described the feeling of winning.
“There are so many things that can go wrong in a day,” he said. Before each race as he stood in the gate, he said, he kept telling himself, “‘Today is your opportunity. Live your dream, live your dream, live your dream.”
He said he knew he was going to win a few seconds before crossing the finish line.
“It was an amazing feeling. You’re just celebrating in your heart. You’re just so excited,” he said.
Wescott said he plans to sleep today. Then Saturday, he’ll make his first official appearance in the United States since his win: hosting “Ride with Me” at Sugarloaf. He will invite the public to ride a specially designed snowboard course with him.
“After that, it’s back on the road for at least another three weeks,” he added.
He’ll be flying to Japan to compete in an attempt to win the World Tour title.
“I got my goal for this season out of the way, so now with two weeks left there’s a possibility to win the overall world tour,” he said.
“It’s cool to see something like this happen to someone so nice,” said Sugarloaf snowboard instructor Chad Desrosier. He said he’s amazed at the amount of loyalty Wescott has shown to his home mountain.
“It seems like to a much larger degree, he calls it home and comes to back it,” he said.
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