Celebrity Travel: Go Away With Julia Marino
The PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics will mark Julia Marino's debut as an Olympian. A gold medalist at the 2017 X Games, the 20-year-old snowboarder specializes in Slopestyle and Big Air. A resident of Westport, Connecticut, Marino says that the best souvenir she hopes to bring home from Korea is a medal for Team USA. Fans may stay in touch with the athlete via her Instagram account (https://www.instagram.com/_juliamarino/).
Q. You will be competing at the 2018 Winter Olympics. Have you traveled to Korea before?
A. I've been to Korea for the test events, so I know what to expect in terms of the courses I'll be competing on. I'm sure the Olympic atmosphere will be beyond all my expectations since this is my first. I think it will be a great vibe, where all the athletes will be part of this one community for two weeks and really relate to each other, because we all know the hard work and dedication that goes into it. We will all be looking forward to putting on a great show for a global audience. I'll also have the unbelievable luck of having a friend of mine there who I grew up with, but who is originally from South Korea, speaks Korean and knows the culture as a true native!
Q. Are there any souvenirs you're hoping to bring home from the Games?
A. Aside from a medal? Something to remind me of the experience and the country I visited. Not sure what that is yet.
Q. You competed in Yabuli, China. What was it like there?
A. I didn't get to sightsee much. There wasn't a whole lot going on at the time. The Club Med was pretty nice, but I could tell they were going to use the time between now and the 2022 Winter Olympics (in Beijing) to really make it into a great Olympic venue and hopefully a cool resort for people after the Olympics.
Q. Where was the first place that you competed?
A. For my first competition, my coach, Raschid Joyce, said there was a Slopestyle competition. I didn't know if he meant I should compete or I should watch! I competed and came in second and liked it. I wound up going to Nationals that year at Copper Mountain and podiumed there. It's been a pretty cool journey ever since!
Q. What area has the best place for snowboarding?
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