The moment we learned my son had been nominated to the USA Snowboard Team, a wave of emotions swept over us—pride, relief, gratitude, and hope. This achievement did not happen overnight. It is the result of years of dedication, sacrifice, setbacks, and persistence. Especially this past season, Tristam’s journey showed me what resilience and passion can accomplish and how a proud a mom can be. A Challenging Start to the Season This season began with a major setback, from an injury the season

I met Gaon’s family in Mammoth Lakes. At the time, Tristam was 13, and I was one of only two Koreans around. We had just joined the Mammoth team after our stint in Hawaii in pursuit of halfpipe, but I didn’t really know anything about snowboarding. What began as simple chats with Gaon’s mom in the cafeteria while we watched over the halfpipe gradually grew into something much more — they began mentoring Tristam.

by YoMamaRice LAAX OPEN at Switzerland on Jan 18 was a nail biter this year with the women upping the ante and the men’s competition...