David Wise: “I couldn’t have had a better Olympic experience”

What does it mean to you to be at the Games, with ski halfpipe making its debut in Sochi? When I was out there competing, I was representing a lot of things, not only my country but also everyone who believed in me, from teachers to coaches, family and friends – everyone who sacrificed something to help me along the way. But I was also representing halfpipe freeskiing in its first ever Games. Skiing has made me who I am and I feel so passionate about it, so I’m so excited to be here and stoked to be doing the best I can to represent the sport.

What has the Olympic experience been like for you? I couldn’t have had a better Olympic experience, I don’t think. From walking through the Opening Ceremony, to watching fellow US athletes win gold medals and meeting different athletes from all over the world - just the experience of the whole thing has been amazing. To come home with a gold medal just caps it all off amazingly.

What has been your most memorable moment? The medal ceremony was amazing. It’s not real until you have the gold medal around your neck and being able to stand there and hear my national anthem was really cool. I think the Opening Ceremony is also something I’ll never forget and it’s the same with just watching some of these events in person for the first time, having seen them on TV my whole life. I was watching figure skating and ice hockey and I was just like, “Wow, these are the people I’ve seen on TV and now they’re right there”. That’s been really fun."