The Online Newspaper of Lakewood High School

Lakewood Times

Lakewood Times

Lakewood Times

    Red Gerard, 17 year old gold medalist

    Red+Gerard%2C+17+year+old+gold+medalist

    On Saturday, Red Gerard wins Americas first medal at Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. Rocky River, Ohio native turned Colorado snowboard road-tripper stunned the snowboarding world with a gold medal run in the snowboard slope style event.

    Although he won this medal doesn’t mean he has a perfect life. He has been living on the roads since age 13, taking classes online. Sometimes he imagines what it would be like if he attended a brick and mortar high school. He sees all of his friends back at home making friends, ” always hanging gout with girls and stuff,” he said. He’ll check snapchat pictures and think “That would be cool, to do what they are doing.” Bu then he remembers he is doing what he loves to do.

    He started snow boarding at age 2. “I recall him falling down the hill and dragon his butt behind me. gave it two weeks and he was already moving faster. I knew it from day 1″ said Brendan Gerard. Red and his brothers would set down rails and attached a tow rope to a dirt bike to fashion a snowboard park in the back yard. He said ‘ Just thing fun in the back yard.” By age 6 his parents knew he was going to be something big

    Although he missed much from his hometown, he also is very passionate and living the life he desires. Snow boarding twice a day in training and gaining a creative edge that he rode to a surprising Olympic gold.

    The only “younger” man to win gold was Billy Fiske in 1928 in the bobsled.

    More to Discover