You’ve probably watched the 2014 Winter Olympic Games recently, or at least heard something about them, but did you ever stop to wonder if any athletes from Indiana were competing? There is, in fact, one Hoosier who represented our country in the Games, and it looks like he’ll be coming home with a medal.
Nick Goepper is a 19-year-old from Lawrenceburg, Indiana who has had a passion for skiing since he was five years old. At age 15, he entered his professional career as a freestyle skier. Recently he’s participated in the 2013 New Zealand Winter Games, as well as the 2013 and 2014 X-Games. He went up against well-experienced skiers in each of these competitions and came out on top every time with a gold medal.
Such achievements helped Goepper earn a spot in the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in the Men’s Ski Slopestyle competition, where he and 31 others tried to ski their way into the finals. He scored a strong 92.40 during the first run, putting himself in second place, but suffered from a lower score of 61.80 in the following run, which put him down in ninth place. Nevertheless, he had made the top 12, qualifying himself for the finals.
In the end, Goepper was able to become an Olympian by earning a score of 92.40 in the final run. He placed third and won a bronze medal, proving that even kids from small towns in the Midwest have what it takes to achieve greatness.