SLCC student McRae Williams wins X Games gold


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TIGNES, Fance — McRae Williams started the week in France waiting for his skis to arrive and ended the week waiting at the podium for his gold medal.

Williams is a Park City native and current student at Salt Lake Community College, winning his first ever X Games gold medal on Thursday. He was an underdog coming into the competition, and having to get his skis shipped overnight probably shouldn't help, but he just made the cut.

Williams won gold in the slopestyle event. For those unfamiliar with slopestyle, it is basically a free style form of skiing. It has roots closer to skateboarding and snowboarding, with rails and lots of quick jumps. It will be an Olympic event starting in Russia in 2014. The event rewards both ability, in terms of difficulty and height on jumps, and variation, making sure the tricks aren't similar.


It feels amazing. First-ever X Games finals and a gold medal. I can't believe it.

–McRae Williams


Williams has been skiing for most of his life, starting when he was about three. While he has been known in the slopestyle community, this is his first X Games gold, or even finals.

"It feels amazing," Williams said. "First-ever X Games finals and a gold medal. I can't believe it."

He was one of the first skiers in the world to land a "triple", which is a "switch triple rodeo 1260." That jump requires spinning horizontally three times and vertically three times while starting off backward. There is video of it here in case that description isn't good enough.

He knew his opportunity at the X Games was a big one. After he finally got his skis on Wednesday morning he went out and made the cut for the finals. It was the first time he was able to do that. It was an added bonus that all the medalists in the event from the previous games didn't make the cut, so the field was wide open.

"I woke up with butterflies this morning," Williams said after the competition. "I had trouble getting breakfast down, but it all worked out. It's a beautiful day, and I was super confident going into it after a few good days of practice."

He got out to a hot start and set the bar high with a 94.33 on his second run. He, then, had to play the waiting game.

"It's a love-hate relationship. We all want each other to do good, but at the same time you're kind of hoping to keep that top spot," Williams said.

He has friends competing against him to claim the spot he had worked so hard for and all he could do was sit and watch. He said that the five minutes of watching were the "longest five minutes of my life, for sure."

At the end of the day, though, Williams stood alone at the top of the heap with a gold medal wrapped around his neck.

While he attends SLCC, he has plans to continue to compete as a skier. williams said in an interview that he wants to make the U.S. ski team for next and have a chance to compete as the Olympics welcome in the sport next year.

In the past, Williams has been involved with the Dew Tour and said that one of his best feelings he had was making the finals at Snow Basin in front of his friends and family in the home town crowd.

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