A Lake Forest man recently won a gold medal at the United States of America Snowboard and Freeski Association national championships in Copper Mountain, Colo.
Williams “Jake” Jacobs, 26, a 2006 graduate of Lake Forest High School, took first in boardercross in the Senior Men’s Division (age 23-29).
Boardercross is the event in which four to six snowboarders pull out of a starting gate together and race down a narrow course that includes jumps, sharp turns, rollers, drops, and steep and flat sections. There are no judges. Racers try to maintain as much speed as possible while staying on the course, and jockeying to win by being the first person to cross the finish line.
Although intentional contact between the racers is disallowed, racers frequently collide and cut each other off, resulting in some spectacular wipeouts. Boardercross has been a Winter Olympics event since 2006.
Jacobs qualified for the nationals by winning competitions at Raging Buffalo Snowboard Park in Algonquin, and at Snow Trails Ski Resort, in Mansfield, Ohio. Nearly 1,900 athletes competed at the USASA National Championships this year, representing 11 countries, according to the USASA.
Jacobs’ competitors included the 2014 national champion, and series champions and national point leaders from California, Colorado and the East Coast.
In Colorado, the brackets were seeded based on time trials. Jacobs had the fastest time trial among his competitors, which allowed him to skip racing in one bracket. Jacobs went on to win the semifinals and finals.
“I focused on my race and not on my competitors,” Jacobs said. “I have always known that physically I was capable of winning. Mentally, this year, I reached the maturity point at which I can remove myself from the stress of waiting for a race to start, and I can prevent myself from getting anxious on the course. This allowed me to consistently get good starts at the nationals and to stay ahead of my competitors in all of the races.”
Jacobs’ previous best finish was fourth place in the 14-15 age group in 2004. That same year, he also placed fourth in the slopestyle (jumps and tricks) event.
Jacobs is already preparing for next year.
“The win was huge for me, my family and my friends, but I’m excited to compete in the USASA Men’s Open Class Division next year, where I will be racing against some of the top snowboarders across the U.S. and from around the world,” Jacobs said.
Jacobs double-majored in accounting and business administration at the University of Southern California, graduating in 2010, and is a certified public accountant. He currently serves as the chief financial officer of a publicly traded company involved in the medical marijuana industry.