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MZ: Did you notice a difference in the way the snowboard team was treated, compared to Nagano?
We weren't the new guys anymore. Everyone seemed nice, and you could tell it was going to be bigger this time around, with the stadium they built and all the advertising on TV. I do think we were more welcomed.

MZ: Did you get to check out some other events?
I got to the men's and women's hockey finals and the figure skating finals, but that's about it.

MZ: Did you score some good swag from the games, besides all the Roots product?
Pretty much a lot of Roots. Nike also had a package for us with a watch and a coat. That was about it, and wherever you went people would try to give you pins.

MZ: What's been the coolest thing you've done since then?
Kelly [Clark, women's halfpipe gold medallist] and I got to go to the Daytona 500 and get the VIP treatment and meet some of the drivers, and hang out in the pits. That was pretty cool, and I hadn't been to a NASCAR race before. I also went to a celebrity bowl-a-thon for the NY Knicks and got to hang out with a bunch of those guys and meet models and celebs. And Lettermen or course... I was nervous for that one. Those things happened right after the Olympics. I went to Florida and New York for a few days' trip, then made it back to the Olympics for closing ceremonies.

MZ: Do you like all that travel?
I definitely like to travel. But I think a lot of people assume we get to travel and hang out and enjoy ourselves at the competitions. But a lot of times, our typical week will be drive, fly, drive, register, practice, qualify, compete. Then drive and fly again, so we don't get to check out stuff that often. I like to go places and meet new people. But it takes it out of you.

MZ: How many miles have you racked up on your airline?
Well this year I spent a lot of time in the states, but I think I'm still up to the Premier Executive level on United. That must be like 70,000 miles. Sometimes I hit the 1K level, but not this year.

MZ: Let's talk about the time leading up to the Olympics. When did you begin keying in on Salt Lake?
I don't know, I thought about it on and on this past fall. I pretty much moved out to Mammoth Mountain right after Halloween, and tried to ride as much as I could. They didn't have a pipe built yet, so I went to the gym every day and just focused. I wanted to do well [at the qualifiers], but didn't put too much pressure on myself. I knew anything could happen, so I just put the time in. Then if I didn't make it, I'd at least be able to say 'I put the time in.'

MZ: Why Mammoth?

— Ari Cheren, MountainZone.com Staff