Hammer Athlete Jake Vedder's Snowboarding Career is a Dream Come True
BY JESSICA EVANS
Last year was an incredible one for Hammer Sponsored Athlete Jake Vedder. He started 2016 as a seventeen-year-old SBX snowboarder and top US NorAm Junior for the second year in a row.
In February, he won the Youth Olympics SBX gold medal in Norway, the only American male ever invited, and consequently, the first one ever to win. In March, he was invited to race on the South Korea course at an Olympic test event. In April, on his 18th birthday, he got a call to invite him to join the US Snowboarding team as a full-time trainee. In October, he was named a Hammer sponsored athlete. As if all of that wasn't impressive enough, in December, he formally earned a spot on the US Snowboarding Olympic development team.
The quest to compete in the 2018 Winter Olympics is fresh on his mind as 2017 begins. One of the best up-and-coming snowboarders in the nation and the world, Vedder is the youngest on the team by four years. In addition to gear and constant training, nutrition will be essential to make sure he achieves his peak performance.
I've been snowboarding since I was 5 years old and have tried everything. Recently discovering Hammer Nutrition has really positively affected my ability to stay healthy and strong, says Vedder. This level of professional athleticism is about both year ˜round wellness and event day confidence. Knowing I have the best nutrition available to me, I'm confident I can achieve my goals.
To earn a spot on the US Olympic team, Vedder must consistently finish among the top four on Team USA in eight World Cup races. In December at a qualifying event in Montafon, Austria (the first World Cup event of the season) Vedder impressed by finishing 41st among 72 entrants, but was the seventhfastest on the U.S. team.
It's going to be a lot of work. I carry Hammer Gels and Hammer Bars on the mountain for quick and consistent energy. I also love Fizz for electrolyte replenishment and hydration for my tough travel and training schedule, says Vedder. They're always within reach.
When he is not competing on the world stage, he is active with 1st Tracks Kidz, a program he co-founded to teach kids how to ski and snowboard. I hope that my enthusiasm is contagious. In addition to passion, knowledge is key. Learning ˜how' to do something right is just as important as ˜why.' Hammer Nutrition is a partner in my fueling and I appreciate that.
