PYEONGCHANG, South Korea (KXAN) — Team USA won another medal in snowboarding Friday as 20-year-old Kyle Mack nailed an extremely technical jump with a funny name to earn a silver medal in the Big Air event.
It was the biggest moment of Mack’s life; his first Olympics and attempting a trick he’s never landed in practice.
Then, when the pressure was on for his second jump, he landed the perfect “Bloody Dracula.”
He told reporter Erin Cargile it was “mind-blowing” and that he was stunned.WATCH: Tap or click here to watch Kyle Mack’s interview with Erin Cargile
He easily landed his first jump after hitting a trick called “backside triple Japan,” which Mack says is his most comfortable jump. It put him in position to go for the Bloody Dracula.
But Mack wouldn’t have been jumping for a medal in the Olympics if it weren’t for growing up in Michigan.
“First time I was ever snowboarding was actually down my driveway at my house in Michigan. My dad took a blower and kind of shoveled out just one path right off that … off the dock and into the lake,” he said.
One of his best friends is Red Gerard, the first American to win Gold in Pyeongchang. Gerard competed in the big air event as well and came in fifth.
Mack says if all goes well and he qualifies, you’ll see him again in four years at the next Olympics.