Published: February 2006
On February 22, Tyler Jewell will hit the slopes at the XXth Olympic Winter Games in Italy, representing the United States as the only men’s parallel giant slalom snowboarder. It was not an easy road for Jewell, who just this month faced—and defeated—a challenge to his spot on the team from former Olympic medalist Chris Klug. A native of Sudbury, Massachusetts, Jewell traded in his skis for a snowboard and dedicated himself to the still-new sport at the age of 12. While a student in the Lynch School of Education, he put snowboarding on hold and played varsity lacrosse. With only one corporate sponsor during his training for the Olympic team, he saved money by living in a tent and eating in a local hospital canteen. But in Torino, he will face his biggest challenge yet: the Swiss and Canadian teams.
- The battle for Jewell’s spot on the Olympic team, from the Cleveland Plain Dealer
- Jewell’s road from Sudbury to Torino, from ABC News
- Olympic snowboarders arrive in Italy, from U.S. Snowboarding News
- “Snowman,” a 2001 profile, from Boston College Magazine
- Watch Jewell compete in parallel giant slalom, from NBC-TV
- The official Olympic snowboard website, from Torino 2006
