JUDY WOODRUFF: Despite the problems and criticism around the Olympics, these past two weeks
still have provided their share of incredible accomplishments and powerful moments to celebrate.
Amna Nawaz talks with one of the members of Team USA who brought home gold.
AMNA NAWAZ: Judy, Nick Baumgartner has not only won a gold medal,
but he did it as the oldest American athlete to compete at the Beijing Games. He clinched gold
in the mixed snowboard cross last weekend, along with his 36-year-old teammate Lindsey Jacobellis.
That came just days after a disappointing elimination in the men's individual snowboard
cross. This was Baumgartner's fourth Winter Olympics, and his first Olympic medal.
Nick Baumgartner joins me now.
Nick, welcome to the "NewsHour."
First and foremost, congratulations.
Show us the bling. I know you have got it close by.
NICK BAUMGARTNER, U.S. Olympic Gold Medalist: Yes, absolutely.
We got it here. Unbelievable. It's just so amazing.
AMNA NAWAZ: That is a...
NICK BAUMGARTNER: And I'm honored to be able to bring this back here.
AMNA NAWAZ: It's a thing of beauty.
And I want to ask you about your journey to that in just a second.
But, Nick, take me to that moment, just that moment you watched Lindsey cross the finish
line and you knew you had finally won that gold medal. In that moment, what did it feel like?
NICK BAUMGARTNER: Wow. That moment I think was sweeter than it ever could have been,
being what happened two days prior, when I made a small mistake in the individual race, where I was
showing lots of speed, and I got eliminated and didn't get to go to the medal rounds.
And, to me, for being my fourth Olympics, I don't know if I have another shot.
So there was a lot riding on that. So, my emotions came out.
People got to see me do a very hard interview to do and a lot of emotions came out.
And, me, I'm proud that those came out, because everyone got to see
what we go through as athletes. And -- but when I got to sit there and watch Lindsey,
it's no one better to have in the gate than
the greatest snowboard cross racer of all time. She's the winningest snowboard cross racer ever.
And to have her as my teammate lightens a little bit and makes it a little more fun, so you're
enjoying yourself and you're riding better. And then, when I got to the bottom, and I got to
watch her go, I knew it was going to take smart racing on the course, because the snow came in.
And she -- man, she shined. And it was awesome.
To be able to bring this home to my community has been so emotional. I got a hero's welcome,
thousands of people in the streets for 60 miles to my house, following fire trucks, ambulance,
city workers, all these people that have been there to support me.
This is a dream come true, and U.P. is shining gold right now.
AMNA NAWAZ: Nick, I have got to tell you, one of the reasons people love you so much and have
been cheering for you is because you put it all out there. You wear your heart on your sleeve.
After you lost in the individual race, you did -- you cried in that
interview. And you said something that stuck with a lot of people. You said:
"You know what? I'm 40 years old and I'm running out of chances."
Now, I'm sure you have lost before, and I'm sure losing is hard every time. But,
in that moment, why do you think it hit you so hard after that race?
NICK BAUMGARTNER: Oh, I mean, it's just -- you see that whole dream,
that dream you have been chasing for 17 years, and you saw it slip through your hands.
And I wasn't 100 percent aware that I was racing in a team race because I didn't know
that we had two teams. I thought we only had one. There was a chance we only had one team.
And then my teammate Jake Vedder, who did a great job in his first Olympics,
he met the criteria to get that spot. And so I thought that was it. And every other Olympics,
I had that -- I was able to say, well, next time. We're going to work harder next time.
Next times are running out. I have an expiration date on this elite level
athletics. And just to know that it might not happen, it crushed me. It crushed me. And
I made so many sacrifices this past off-season so that I could live with
the decisions I made and the choices I made, had I not made the Olympic team.
But I made the Olympic team. And then it was to -- not just going. I wanted a medal. I wanted to
chase that greatness. And I thought that chance was gone.
AMNA NAWAZ: Nick, you have been snowboarding since you were 15 years old, is that right? And
this is not -- it's not a full-time job, right? What did it take to get to where you are now?
NICK BAUMGARTNER: It took so many people supporting me.
And, like you said, this isn't my full-time job. Shocker, Olympic snowboarders don't
always make a lot of money, especially in my discipline. And it's been very tough.
But one thing that I have learned from being from the Midwest and from the Upper Peninsula
is work ethic. I was taught that from my family. And I have been a construction
worker. That's how I paid for this and I fund this dream. I'm a concrete worker,
contractor in the summers. It allows me to work my butt off and save my money up
and use that money when it's too cold and there's too much snow to pour concrete.
So it was like the two perfect jobs, other than both completely of them destroying my body.
So, it makes it even harder to keep up with these kids. But,
for me, I -- there's no excuses. If you want it, you got to go get it.
And that's the only way I was able to help fund this dream, and then the support.
My support system is better than any Olympic athlete I have ever
met. And when they come from the Olympic hotbeds, it's not that big of a deal.
When you come from the Upper Peninsula, from a town of 3,000 people, it is a big deal.
And the amount of support to help you through the lows, to keep you level-headed on those highs,
I owe it to the entire community of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
AMNA NAWAZ: You get back home, you're wearing the medal. Your 17-year-old son, Landon,
greets you at the airport, gives you an enormous hug. What does he say to you?
NICK BAUMGARTNER: Yes.
Man, he just tells me how proud he is. And just to see him, I didn't know he was going to be at the
airport. I knew there was going to be people and I was going to have family,
but I didn't know he was going coming down.
And he did a good job of surprising his dad. And I walked out and I was like,
come on, man. You have cried enough. Hold it together. Let's try to be able to speak words.
But, man, he walked out from behind the crowd. And out they came. And, as a dad, it's pretty awesome.
AMNA NAWAZ: So, Nick, what's next? World championships next year?
NICK BAUMGARTNER: I think we do the same thing we did this year. We bust our butt. I live in and out
of my van in the summer, because my commute to the gym that I train at is an hour-and-a-half away.
So, me and my dog and son will be doing some camping and working out and training, getting
ready, so that I can give it a full run. I don't want to live with the regret of, could you have
gotten a world championship right after that gold medal?
And I don't want to have to think about whether I could or couldn't have because of what I did.
We are going to give it the best shot. And how it happens is how it happens.
AMNA NAWAZ: Well, I think it's fair to say you have a lot more
new fans cheering you on every step of the way.
Gold medalist Nick Baumgartner joining us tonight.
Nick, congratulations again. Thank you so much.
NICK BAUMGARTNER: Thank you, guys.
And thanks to everyone for the support and all the new fans and
people that are in my corner. It's unbelievable for a small-town kid.