Snowboarding ‘Dreidel’ Soars into Olympic Trials
SPECIAL FOR THE AJT //
Seth Hill, 25, a Jewish snowboarder based out of Breckenridge, Colo. and nephew to Rabbi Scott Colbert of Temple Emanu-El in Dunwoody, was one of only eight male snowboarders to receive a formal invitation earlier this summer to participate in the 2014 Olympic Slopestyle selection events.
Competitions such as the Breckenridge Dew Tour, Copper Grand Prix, North Star Grand Prix, and Mammoth Grand Prix (taking place in December 2013/January 2014) are the events leading to the naming of the U.S. Olympic Snowboard Team.
“I am really excited to be included in these selection events,” said Hill. “The opportunity to represent the United States at the Olympics would be an unbelievable honor, and I am going to work harder than ever to make it happen.”
Hill received the invitation as he is ranked 21st in the world on the World Snowboard Tour Rankings, currently the sixth highest ranked American. He calls himself “The Dreidel” as a tribute to his Jewish Heritage because he says he spins like the toy when he does a 1080-three full revolutions in the air.
The five foot six inch tall Hill, who grew up in Jacksonville, Oregon, has snowboarded since the age of 10. By the time he graduated high school, Hill was ranked the number one amateur snowboarder in the United States by USASA.
Hill made his first impact on the professional snowboard tour when he finished sixth competing in the Grand Prix Slopestyle in Mammoth Mountain in 2010. This past winter Seth came in sixth in the Burton European Open. In 2012, Hill received the high honor of being named Snowboarder Magazine Superpark Standout.
While pursuing his bachelor’s degree, Seth snowboarded for the University of Colorado at Boulder. He also took part in a paid internship for Yahoo during college. After graduation in 2010, Hill turned his attention full time to pro snowboarding competition. This past summer, Hill took his first “Birthright Israel” trip and was moved that he already has plans to return.
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