Tweeting, Sleeping and Winning the Gold

Teenagers often face the stereotype of being lazy, screen-obsessed, and sometimes even immature. While this may apply to most teens, athletes Chloe Kim and Red Gerard prove that there’s much more to them than this stereotype. Kim and Gerard are just like other teenagers. They tweet, they watch Netflix, they eat a lot of food. But the one thing that separates them from most other teens is the fact that they both won gold medals at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.

Chloe Kim has been snowboarding since she was 6 years old, and won her first X-Games at age 14. Earlier this year, she showed off to the world in the women’s half-pipe, placing first with a score of 98.25. Despite Chloe’s hard work and dedication to her sport, she is still a typical high school student with a passion for pizza and Lady Gaga’s music. Kim is especially active on Twitter, even in the middle of her Olympic runs! Kim tweeted “Could be down for some ice cream rn” on February 12, during the half-pipe qualifiers. Kim also attempted not to cry after winning the Gold, because “she worked so hard on her eyeliner.”  

Red Gerard won the gold in the men’s snowboard slopestyle event. After oversleeping due to a late-night Netflix binge, Gerard woke up late, lost his jacket, and had to borrow his roommate’s to compete. Despite the messy morning, Gerard was able to pull a 87.16, winning the gold for the USA. His excitement led him to say “Holy f***” live on TV, before NBC could bleep it out. Gerard may display typical “Generation Z Stereotypes,” but he is still a extremely successful athlete at such a young age.

Although Kim and Gerards’ obsession with technology might make them “typical Gen Z-ers,” they are obviously not like the rest of us. These young athletes made their mark this past winter at the Olympics, making fellow teenagers extremely proud of their generation.