HAILEY, Idaho — A frontside 1080 with double cork, a switch 900, a 1080, a frontside 900, a score of 69.50 -- it all adds up to something pretty cool for Chase Josey of Hailey, Idaho: a spot in the men's halfpipe final at the Winter Olympics.
Josey is one of four members of the U.S. men's halfpipe contingent, which also includes Lucas Foster, Taylor Gold, and three-time gold medalist Shaun White. Josey, Gold and White on Tuesday night clinched three of the 12 spots for the final, which is coming up Thursday night.
After what NBC commentators called uncharacteristic miscues on their first runs in the qualification round, Josey and White both needed to come up big on their second runs to advance, and they did.
The men's snowboard halfpipe finals are scheduled for 6:30 p.m. MST, Thursday, Feb. 10 (On KTVB and NBC Olympics livestream). Josey is wearing bib number 11.
This is Josey's second go-round as a member of the U.S. Olympic snowboarding team.
“It means a lot to be named to the team this year, just to feel that all my hard work over the last few years had paid off. It’s an honor to represent Team USA again," Josey said.
Josey placed sixth in the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea. Since then, his highlights include a fifth-place showing at the 2021 World Championships and a performance in December that netted him sixth place at the U.S. Grand Prix event at Copper Mountain, Colorado.
Josey has been a member of the U.S. snowboard pro halfpipe team since 2013. His club affiliation is Sun Valley Education Foundation, and he is an alumnus of Sun Valley Community School.
Josey's hometown, Hailey, is also the birthplace of Kaitlyn Farrington, who won gold in the women's halfpipe at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.
The Winter Olympics began February 4 in Beijing, China. The snowboarding venue is in Zhangjiakou.
Josey is one of several athletes with Idaho backgrounds who will represent the U.S. Other "Team Idaho" members include:
- Meridian native Andrew Blaser - skeleton
- Hilary Knight of Sun Valley - women's ice hockey
- Caitlin Patterson, born in McCall - women's cross-country skiing
- Scott Patterson, born in McCall - men's cross-country skiing
- Kevin Bolger, trains with Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation - men's cross country skiing.
Victor native Breezy Johnson was named to Team USA in women's alpine skiing, but a knee injury has forced her to withdraw.
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