With the 2014 Olympic Winter Games less than a month away, athletes are competing in the final qualifying events on the world stage for the chance to go to the Olympics in Sochi, Russia.
Olympic Sport: Snowboard slopestyle
Hometown: South Lake Tahoe & Breckenridge, Colo.
Resort Team: Sierra-at-Tahoe
For true understanding of the magnificence of big air, one needs look no further than snowboarder Mark Hoyt. A cursory Internet search yields countless videos of this 24-year-old’s piece de resistance: a front-side triple cork 1440.
For the uninitiated viewer, Hoyt happily breaks down the snowboarding jargon. Ready? Here goes:
“A cork is any spin/rotation that involves going upside down during the rotation,” Hoyt says. “So, a tripe cork is a rotation that involves going upside down three different times during the full rotation and then landing back on your feet.”
Hoyt was the first American to land a front-side triple cork 1440. Basically, he made three flips and four rotations of the body. Google this accomplishment and you will find yourself replaying the video over and over, marveling in Hoyt’s aerial grace.
A transplant from Breckenridge, Colo., Hoyt now calls South Lake Tahoe home. Growing up in western Colorado, Hoyt started competing in small, local slopestyle contests and rail jams as a teenager. Soon, he branched out to competitions throughout Colorado and beyond. These days he is a podium favorite at slopestyle competitions throughout the United Sates.
“Learning new tricks on my board was always the biggest satisfaction for me, so progression was inevitable,” he says.
Hoyt’s training ethos has always been pretty straightforward.
“My friends and I would do our best to learn at least one new trick a day,” Hoyt says. “ ‘A new trick a day keeps the doctor away’ was one of our sayings.”
Hoyt maintains the best training is riding, as nothing prepares one better to snowboard than to snowboard. This past summer, Hoyt was recovering from knee surgery, so a stationary bike was his workout buddy.
“I had to work double this fall to get back into working condition,” Hoyt says. “Eating right and going into Woodward and jumping on the trampolines to get my air sense back to normal.”
Hoyt says he tries to focus on the fun and pleasure of snowboarding. Competitions have never been his main focus, but he admits that “they pay the bills” and it does feel great to do well.
“Landing a new trick after working on it for months and months is an incredible adrenaline rush comparable to none other,” Hoyt says. “In a contest, it is more of a relief. Where as if you just land it on a day riding with the homies it’s an epic story and a good reason to grab a nice après beer.”
When he’s not snowboarding, Hoyt is spending time with his girlfriend, Kayla, and their two young daughters, Carter and Allyson. He also moonlights as a tattoo artist.
January will bring a series of Olympic qualifying competitions for Hoyt. Slopestyle is a new Olympic event, so the jury is still out how it will all pan out, he says.
“I’m not entirely sure what it will be like,” he admits. “For me, this is just another contest season. I’m trying to avoid the politics and the hype and just focus on my riding.”
With that said, Hoyt is not to the immune to the rush of Olympic excitement.
“If I make the team, my family will definitely be traveling to Sochi to enjoy the Olympic experience with me.”
