Athlete profile: Ross Powers

Posted: Tue February 3, 1998 at 5:00 PM ET

Athlete notes

In fourth grade, when his class came to watch him compete at Stratton Mountain in Vermont, Ross Powers never imagined that two days after his 19th birthday some of those same friends will be glued to the television, cheering him on again in the inaugural Olympic half pipe contest in Shiga Kogen..."I think it would be so radical to make the first Olympic team. Other snowboarders come to me and say, ‘How does it feel to know that you are going to the Olympics?' I just ignore them, and remember my mother telling me not to take anything for granted"...it was Christmas Day, in the third grade, when Powers got his first snowboard... "It was raining, I went to work with mom at Bromley Ski Resort. I was the only one out there and my mom surprised me with a snowboard that she had gotten from a friend at Burton Snowboard," tells Powers...ever since his elementary school days, Powers has been racking up winning results -- and won the World Cup and FIS World Championship in 1996 at age 17... "Most of the time, I go out on the snow and have no clue about what I'm going to do, but at the last minute, I go out there and put tricks together and it turns out great," explains Powers. "What separates me from the rest is purely good luck"...that good luck stayed with him as he ripped through a plethora of top Americans and Canadians and won the first Annual Grand Prix of snowboarding at Sugarloaf, Maine in December ‘96... "I did a new trick in that competition. Facing the front wall I did a spin and a back flip at the same time and I came out forward. I landed the same way that I went up the wall," recalls Powers... Powers says for the Olympics, he is working on putting together good runs in the half pipe, as well as implementing a few different tricks together and staying consistent...Powers says the Olympics will be a good thing for snowboarding and he hopes that the half-pipe will be up to par in Japan... "I competed at Shiga Kogen three different days. The first time it was icy, the second time it was snowy, and the third time it was too sunny," explains Powers. "The Japanese need to improve on the walls. Last year, they didn't have a pipe dragon. The Japanese people work hard, they just don't always know what to do"... Powers says another reason that the Olympics will be good for snowboarding is because it will bring corporate sponsors and increase the popularity of the sport... "This past summer, I worked with Burton Snowboard on designing lightweight outerwear and boards that will help me to reach new goals in the half pipe," says Powers...Powers relates his amazement when he meets people from all ages and places who come to Vermont to snowboard..."In households in Vermont, everyone snowboards. You see old men, as well as little kids who are just up to your knees"...Powers stopped skiing 11 years ago to pursue snowboarding; and just last winter, younger brother Trevor,16, left alpine racing to start riding, and hopes to compete on the World Cup circuit one day... "He competes locally now," explains Powers. "My advice to him as well as other young riders is simple: Put the time in, ride day in and day out, just stick with it, and follow your dreams"...Powers says he thinks the ISF and FIS controversy is hurting the athletes... "If everyone works together they could go out against other countries, and be winners instead of being in heavy competition with each other," stresses Powers. "Everything is going to change soon enough. In the midst of all this confusion, both sides will soon realize that divided, we all fall"...Powers says right now, he has no definite plans for the future...he hopes to be an old guy still riding his snowboard, or coaching, or doing whatever it takes to remain active in the sport...Powers enjoys finding his way around the kitchen, giving mom, who works in the kitchen at Bromley Ski Resort, a much needed break...