STOKED

Americans Alex Hall and Nick Goepper Capture Gold and Silver in Olympic Slopestyle

Alex Hall and Nick Goepper prove it’s not all about the twists.

Alex Hall and Nick Goepper were at their creative best as they captured gold and silver for the U.S. in the Olympic slopestyle competition, determined to do their own thing down the bumps and rails of the Beijing course rather than just go for the biggest spins. Hall set the winning score on his first outing, notching 90.01 points with what he called the best run of his life. Savoring victory, Hall said he had resisted the temptation to go for the “biggest trick,” preferring to take a “full creative approach” to the course. Goepper, who has now medaled at three straight Winter Games, agreed, “It’s so cliché, action sports is all about progression. But it really is because every year people are doing bigger and better tricks,” he said, according to USA Today. “Being the veteran now, I’m like, ‘Do we have to keep going like this? Can we just chill a little bit and not do 21000s or whatever?’”