From Students to Sochi: Nick Baumgartner goes from All-American to American Olympian

Nick Baumgartner was an all-American athlete in high school, he's an All-American man who loves his small hometown and he's representing America on the world's biggest stage.

He will be competing in the snowboardcross competition in Sochi, Russia beginning at 2 a.m. Monday, his second trip to the Olympics. He will display his spectacular skills on the track in the Olympics, but there is so much more to Baumgartner - he's a true renaissance man when it comes to sports.

During his prep days at West Iron County (Iron River, Mich.), Baumgartner was an all-American wrestler, all-state defensive back in football and a state champion in the 300-meter hurdles (he was second in the 110 high hurdles). Just for fun during the summer months these days, he also professionally races off-road trucks.

All that success has come in the same sleepy town on Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

"It's a great community and it's a small community. Everyone is supportive and they back me as much as they can. Even when it's 40-below zero, they will give you the shirt off their back," Baumgartner, 32, said before he left for Sochi.

He didn't move off to the big-time and leave his alma mater in the past. Baumgartner has spent time as an assistant football coach at West Iron County in the past, and he still goes back to the school to train with the current athletes. They motivate him as much as he motivates them. Plus it gives him a chance to teach players lessons that he didn't learn until his college football career at Northern Michigan ended on a sour note after one year.

"I had always dreamed to be a football player. When I backed out of football, it took me a year or more before I could go and get involved and watch football at the local high school," he said. "I missed it so much and I had an opportunity to volunteer and be a coach and I immediately found out it was the next best thing, to show these kids what I know now.

"I just wanted to show them that this is it. If you do this, give it your best. We're all cocky as high school players and I think that holds us back."

See the MaxPreps "From Students to Sochi" homepage, with links to more Olympics content

His competitive nature caused Baumgartner to go looking for that rush. Adult softball leagues weren't cutting it for him. He had always been interested in snowboarding, and started researching ways to compete in the sport. He found about snowboardcross, contacted an event organizer in Mammoth Lakes, Calif., and gave the sport his all.

Naturally, he became dominant. He has achieved success in the X Games, World Cup events and has won a national title.

He can thank football players at West Iron County High for his physical conditioning.

"I found out it's hard to push yourself really hard when you're by yourself. I never lost races in conditioning (in high school). I run with these guys and I am the guy who pushes the intensity. They look up to me and want to beat me," Baumgartner said. "They inspire me to beat them. As I get older I still have a competitive nature. They may beat me in the first one but on the next nine they better bust their butts. I keep my cardio at a top level.

"They inspire me as much as I inspire them."

He's a bit of a celebrity on the Upper Peninsula, coming from a town of about 3,000 just a few miles north of the Wisconsin border. Coming from that geographic location was a big disadvantage, Baumgartner said, as during his high school career the Michigan High School Athletic Association treated the Upper Peninsula as its own state and that meant Baumgartner wasn't able to compete against athletes from the more urban parts of the state, like Detroit.

"There was definitely a chip on our shoulders, we weren't happy. We wanted that chance to compete and show how tough we were," said Baumgartner, who wrestled at 135 pounds, then 160, 171 and 189. "Snowboardcross can be physical. If someone comes into your line in a corner, I have to say 'It's not happening.' That comes from the wrestling and football. The intensity of those sports plays a role in what I do now."

He was a multi-sport athlete and believes that his experience in all those sports is something that has helped him get to such a high level. He tries to preach that train of though to the kids he works out with in town.

"You're too young to know which sport you'll have passion for. Parents sometimes push kids into 'Hey this is what you need to do.' If you pick for them it will burn them out and they will miss out on things," Baumgartner said. "I learned so many things from the different sports. The reason I am going to Olympics is because I played all those sports. If I would have chosen one I may have missed out. If I picked just one, what if it didn't work out? I would have been devastated."

The world will get to see Baumgartner in action in Sochi. He'll be getting television exposure to go with all the hoopla associated with making the Olympic team (a decision that USA Snowboarding didn't make until the last minute).

But to all those people on the Upper Peninsula, it'll just be Nick Baumgartner achieving great things - again.

"The younger kids love it. The older kids are too cool to show they are in awe. But when I came (to the school) and talked, they respect that and think it's awesome. Once we start running and interacting, we became friends instead of them looking up to me.

"I'm Nick. They love that I inspire them. It's more of a 'Hey Nick, what's up?' football atmosphere. It's cool they can talk to me as a normal person. And once you get rid of that you look at each other as friends, and you can help them a lot more."