The Sochi Games marked the debut of slopestyle snowboarding in the Olympics, and it couldn’t have gone better for the United States. Jamie Anderson was a clear favorite to win—she had already won more big slopestyle competitions than any woman ever, notes the New York Times. And she didn’t disappoint. Anderson scored a 95.25 to win Olympic gold after she managed to land two 720s, details USA Today.
Based on the personalities of the two American gold medalists, it seems like being a slopestyle competitor is good for the soul. Despite all the pressure, Anderson—just like Sage Kotsenburg the day before—was maddeningly chilled out, sounding like a stereotypical stoner during interviews. In fact, her blissed-out attitude probably puts a lot of stoners to shame. It’s little wonder that British bronze medalist Jenny Jones calls Anderson “a bit of a hippy,” as Reuters notes. She wears “mantra beads” around her neck that were made by her yoga teacher in Breckenridge, who “made them for me with sacred energy put into them.” Anderson also wears a large quartz crystal she describes as “a powerstone” and a triangular moonstones, explains the Washington Post. And that’s just for starters. “You should see what’s in my backpack,” she said, according to Yahoo Sports. “A medicine bundle.”
What about her preparation? You’d think athletes may hit the gym and eat to a nutritionist’s specifications. Anderson, had a different tactic. “Last night, I was so nervous. I couldn’t even eat. I was trying to calm down. Put on some meditation music, burn some sage. Got the candles going. Just trying to do a little bit of yoga,” Anderson said when she was asked how she relaxed before the big day. “Listening to calm music. It was all about good vibration. Thankfully I slept really good. I did some mantras. It worked out for me.”
