JACKSON, Wyo. — As Lindsay Lloyd walks around Jackson Hole Mountain Resort clutching her alpine snowboard, curious eyes dart toward her. What's with the board, most want to know.
"I get looks all the time," Lloyd said. "Everyone looks at me like I'm a freak."
Lloyd, a 29-year-old Wilson resident, is fast becoming one of the top alpine snowboarders in the United States. Alpine snowboarding which requires hardshelled boots and thinner boards that help riders carve fast turns on slalom and giant slalom courses is common in Europe. In America, however, the sport is mostly ignored.
Lloyd is trying to change that. Last winter, she was on pace to represent the U.S. in the Olympic Games in Vancouver, but she suffered two injuries late in the qualifying rounds that eliminated her. Now, she's healthy and poised to make a run at the 2014 Games in Sochi, Russia.
"I could do it forever," she said of racing. "The only problem is money, but it's hard to quit when you're on top."
Lloyd, originally from Salt Lake City, was on top when she made the 2006 U.S. Team. A lack of money, however, forced the team to disband. Now, American alpine snowboarders like Lloyd compete in World Cup races on their own dime. Lloyd said it costs her around $40,000 a year simply to train, travel and compete at events around the world, such as the recent World Cup race in Italy, in which she was competing.
In spite of the high cost to compete, Lloyd refuses to give up the sport, because she has been so successful. Last year, she was within two races of qualifying for the U.S. Olympic Team. Despite not having a U.S. snowboard team, the U.S. Olympic Committee will select one female to compete in women's alpine snowboarding at the Olympics. That rider is chosen after a series of qualifying events.
Lloyd was leading in points last year after three races. On the morning of the fourth race, however, she fell down the stairs of her apartment in Europe and twisted her ankle, an injury that prevented her from competing that day.
"It was hard," Lloyd said. "It was brutal."
Michelle Gorgone, of Boston, was chosen as the lone women's alpine snowboarder. Gorgone, however, has since retired from competition, leaving the door open for Lloyd in 2014.
Nathan Emerson, of Jackson, has helped coach Lloyd since the U.S. team disbanded. He said Lloyd remains one of the top female alpine snowboarders in the country.
"She's right on the cusp," Emerson said.
Lloyd has been snowboarding since she was 3 years old. She got into boardercross while attending a camp in Mount Hood, Ore., at the age of 18. Several years ago, she moved to Jackson Hole to train full time.
In spite of all the obstacles, she continues to push toward her goal of one day riding in an Olympic event.
"That would be a dream," she said.
Information from: Jackson Hole News And Guide, http://www.jhnewsandguide.com