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Snowmobiling - Tucker Hibbert

Dec 27, 2006

The 2001 X-Games featured some big air, big tricks and big wipe-outs - and they also showed off some of the greatest young athlete's in the world.

One of those is Tucker Hibbert. In 2000, Tucker became the youngest person to win a gold medal at the X-Games, when he took first in the Snocross event at the age of 15.

Snocross is kind of like Nascar Racing on Snow. Drivers burn through a cross-country snowmobile track - hitting speeds of 70 miles per hour (112 kms) while weaving through tight turns and flying over massive jumps.

Tucker was ranked number one going into this year's games, but he couldn't quite match his gold medal performance. He still clocked a pretty good time, qualifying for the Snocross finals and finishing 10th. Tucker has been riding snowmobiles since he was 2 years old, when his Dad first put him on a sled. He began racing with the pros when he was just 14 and is now sponsored by several companies, including Arctic Cat.

Along the way, Tucker has had his share of wipe outs. He's broken his ribs, his leg, and his elbow, and had dozens more bumps and bruises. "Sometimes you just catch a bump the wrong way and it sends you flying. But you just have to get back on and keep riding," he says.

Tucker plans to keep riding for many more years. But for now he doesn't enter too many pro competitions because he doesn't want to miss too much school (what's up with that?) He plans to put all the money he's made from riding towards college and a brand new truck - once he gets his license.

  • Tucker's Dad is also a big snowmobiler. 42-year-old Kirk Hibbert became the oldest X-Games athlete when he raced in the Snocross at the 2000 Games.
  • Tucker also races Motorcross and has won several competitions around his hometown in Goodridge, Minnesota.
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