Pinckney Olympian Jake Vedder hopes to inspire others to pursue dreams
His teachers probably had good intentions, but Jake Vedder wouldn’t be an Olympic athlete if he heeded their advice.
Every kid has had an assignment in which they’re asked what they want to be when they grow up.
Vedder knew exactly what he wanted to be, even if his goal seemed outrageous for a youngster growing up in small-town Pinckney, Mich.
“When I was a kid, teachers told me not to write down ‘Being a professional snowboarder,’ ” he said. “They were trying to get me to be more realistic when writing those things down.”
It turned out, Vedder’s dream was realistic.
He was named to the U.S. Olympic Development team on his 18th birthday in 2016 after winning a Winter Youth Olympics gold medal in Norway earlier that year.
He reached the ultimate stage by competing in the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in China, finishing sixth in the individual snowboard cross race and reaching the quarterfinals in the mixed team event.
Vedder plans on competing for as long as possible, but his passion during the offseason is to motivate youngsters to chase their dreams, no matter how audacious.
He returned to his roots recently to speak to students in Pinckney schools. He did three talks with fifth- and sixth- graders, seventh- and eighth-graders, and high school students.
“For me, I wanted to come back and tell these kids in a positive way you can do whatever you want in this life,” Vedder said. “One of my key slides in my keynote is to unlock yourself out of the box. Just because you’re from Pinckney, Mich., you can do whatever you want. I’ve been all over the world.”
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Vedder has been speaking not only to students, but to business groups about the importance of setting short- and long-term goals, overcoming obstacles, and coping with pressure and anxiety.
“For me, that’s where my heart is taking me, to inspire kids and to help people,” Vedder said. “Even in businesses; it doesn’t have to be kids. If I can have an impact and help somebody, that’s what I’m here to do. That’s my mission outside of snowboarding.”
Being an Olympic snowboarder has given Vedder a platform to reach out to others, but his messages go beyond the sport.
“My goal 10 years ago was to make the Olympics,” he said. “Now my goal is to inspire the next generation. That’s not to inspire them to become a snowboarder; it’s to inspire them to really push themselves in their life, excel in life, know you can achieve anything.
“If I can impact one kid to do something, it’s all worth it.”
As an athlete, Vedder is working out in the gym over the summer and training on a high-tech start gate in his garage to prepare for next season, which runs from November through the start of April.
In the follow-up to his Olympic year, Vedder finished 10th on the International Ski and Snowboard Federation points list, first among Americans. He had two podium finishes, placing second in Italy and Quebec. He had two other top-10 finishes in 15 races.
“Overall, it was a really good season,” he said. “I was hoping to break into that top five overall in the world, but I’m happy to be healthy. I’m hungry for the next ones. I’m building perfectly for the next Olympics in 2026.”
At the age of 25, Vedder is around the average age for an Olympic snowboarder. He competed on the U.S. team in the last Olympics with two athletes who defied age — 40-year-old Nick Baumgartner of Iron River and 36-year-old Lindsey Jacobellis.
“I’m really focused and dedicated and going to do everything I can to bring home a gold medal and become the best in the world by 2026,” he said. “After that, I’ll just reset. It totally depends on the situation.”
Contact Bill Khan at wkhan@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @BillKhan
This article originally appeared on Livingston Daily: Pinckney Olympian Jake Vedder hopes to inspire others to pursue dreams
