AP
Ross Powers

Snowboarding has been an event at two Winter Olympics, and American Ross Powers has won medals at both. He earned a bronze at Nagano four years ago, and led the U.S. team in a sweep of half-pipe snowboarding Monday in Salt Lake City. The athlete said a supportive crowd played a part in his winning the gold this time around.

Ross Powers said it was a day when everything went well. "I didn't know what to expect," he said. "I know in the Olympics, you've just got to go for it all. And the day just worked out for me, from the weather to having a huge crowd there, my family was there."

Ross Powers says the crowd was enthusiastic, as fans chanted "USA, USA," waved flags and rang cowbells. "The crowds here were awesome, having everyone behind us," he said. "At the top you could hear so loud when any of the U.S. guys dropped. Every time it got me psyched up. The crowds were awesome here."

Gold medallist Ross Powers spoke with reporters Wednesday, recalling his transformation from a seven-year-old with a snowboard to an Olympic gold medallist. His advice to budding athletes? "The best thing to do is just go out there and do it with your buddies, just help each other out and progress that way," he continued. "The way to get good at any sport is just putting in the time. The more time you put in, the better you're going to be.

Asked what he has done with his gold medal, snowboarder Ross Powers produced it from his pants pocket, where he has been carrying it.

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