BEND, OR -- It's Half-pipe Snowboarder Ben Ferguson's first Olympics, but his younger brother Gabe believes he can win Gold, saying Ben is already in South Korea, ready to shred, and that he's pure talent and focus. "He kinda just does his thing. I mean, he like, focuses for sure, meditation, I think, but nothing too strange."
Men's Half-pipe Team USA's 'Posse' is made up of 23-year-old Bend-ite, Ben Ferguson, 31-year-old veteran Olympian Shaun White, 22-year-old Chase Josey, and 19-year-old, Jake Pates.
Ferguson says this is Ben's first Olympics, but he believes he's up to the challenge, because he's competed against all these same people for years. "Honestly, I think he's got it, 'cause it's the same people in every contest, the Olympics are the exact same, just with less [sic] people. People from every country."
Gabe, a pro snowboarder himself who missed this year's team by just one spot, says he believes Ben can win Gold in this Olympics. "He just loves the sport, and he's just having fun out there, he's going fast. Just every time he drops in, you can tell he's just really pumping and trying to get as much speed as possible."
The XXIII Olympic Winter Games starts today with events through February 25th.
