Snowboardings OG Stoner Ross Rebagliati: Pot Increases Focus + Endurance in Athletes | Cashing in w/ ROSS’ GOLD
Now that weed is heading towards becoming legal Ross’ Gold is going to the top. Ross Rebagliati won gold back in 1998, then had it taken away for smoking a joint before the Games, then got it back. Now he will go down in history as a stoney snowboarder and it’s time for him to cash in.
“Long before professional athletes like Michael Phelps and the Diaz brothers were open about using cannabis, Ross Rebagliati was cast into the public spotlight for a practice that few would deem synonymous with increased athletic ability—but for the Olympian, smoking pot has proven to be just that.
The first person ever to win a gold medal for snowboarding in the Olympics—and to be stripped of said medal for smoking marijuana, only to later have it reinstated—Rebagliati is eager to share the benefits of using what he refers to as a performance-enhancing substance.
“From my own experience, I’ve found that it helps me really focus on my workouts—not just when I’m there [at the gym], but also to get me there in the first place,” the athlete and entrepreneur tells the Georgia Straight from his home in Kelowna.
“It gives me that extra little bit of inspiration and motivation to get out and do it again for the millionth time,” he adds.
It’s precisely that induced excitement, Rebagliati says, that helped make him faster and stronger in his training leading up to the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano.”
He also talks about how many other athletes are using weed to help them snowboard and even do more mainstream sports. No surprise there, but Rossy ain’t throwing anyone under the bus.
“Without naming names, he says he’s aware of many athletes who use cannabis to give them added drive and to help manage pain, but he notes that more often than not, dollars and cents get in the way of their ability to publicly advocate for the drug’s benefits.
“There are athletes in all sorts of different positions, with sponsorships and contracts, and sometimes they say things about cannabis use, but a lot of times, they aren’t in a position to speak out because they’re worried about losing corporate relationships,” he says. “I don’t feel like I have anything to lose.””
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