Some people attach snowboards to their feet, very few attach them to their souls.
I didn't set out to beat the world; I just set out to do my absolute best.
You take a crash, you get back up and next time you succeed and that's a great feeling.
What does it mean to be a snowboarder? It's about having fun, with your friends or by yourself. It's about pushing yourself to try new things and do the unexpected. Finally, and most importantly, it's about being creative.
I’m a big fan of doing what you are really bad at. A lot.
I think the way to become the best is to just have fun.
I remember thinking that I'd way rather give my parents my money, and not have to like have them go to work anymore, you know what I mean. Because I'd way rather spend more time with them.
You know the best thing about competition? There's this whole strategy game, and when it all works out its like solving that hard math equation. You finally get the answer and you're so happy.
Usually the thing that signifies that I'm done with the winter and all that is that I start skateboarding.
You show up at the Olympics, and you're no longer you; you're an American Olympian. You're part of this greater whole, and the individual doesn't matter.
Competition pushes me to improve. If I see someone do a big trick, I try it.
The hardest thing about skateboarding is consistency: The slightest flick of your foot or gust of wind can send your board flying, so it's really anybody's game out there.
I've always been a guy who wants to play sports, not watch them.
When the pressure's on, I always seem to go bigger and land everything better.
If you do a trick and it doesn't work out, that can stick with you. I like to go back, nail the trick, and, 'OK, I'm cool, it's all good.'
Having all eyes on me at all times is hard to deal with, but it's great. It feels like you've already accomplished something. It's already predetermined that you're going to do well.
If skating got into the Olympics, I would be tempted to hold off on shredding for a year and just skate, to make that my new goal. In that sport, I'm still the underdog.
I've reached my goal with snowboarding.
My mom was a waitress, and my dad was a plumber who worked for the City of San Clemente fixing mains breaks, so not too glamorous.
I knew there was a certain level that I could get to within the sporting world. But as I continued with my career, not only did I grow, but the sport grew. All of a sudden, all of these doors opened to me. It's been amazing. I guess I was born at the right time.
Cement doesn't give as much as snow.
We all started snowboarding in the beginning as a family just to be closer together, go on trips. It was our soccer, but instead of Dad yelling at me from the sideline he is there riding with me and hitting the jumps even before I am hitting them.
I'm just going to keep dialing it in and keep practicing.
I was told from a very young age that I wasn't gonna be anything. That I wasn't gonna amount to a single thing.
The Olympics are kind of weird. You have to be on a team. That's cool if you're a skier. But in snowboarding, you just want to be your own person.
