U.S. Freestyle skier Alex Ferreira ready to go for first gold

Background: Ferreira grew up in Aspen, Colorado where he was the member of the Aspen Valley Ski and Snowboard Club and Ski and Snowboard Club Vail.

• Ferreira comes from an athletic family. Ferreira's dad, Marcelo, was a professional soccer player in Argentina, and his mom, Colleen, has run 10 marathons.
• In Ferreira's free time, he expresses his goofy side. In 2018, he created an alter ego named "Hotdog Hans" and made a short film in which he tears down the mountain in old-man makeup akin to Kyrie Irving's "Uncle Drew.

What he's saying: "I worked really hard to be here and I’m just extremely happy to be part of the [Olympics]," Ferreira said per his US Ski and Snowboard bio page.

The event: Freestyle skiing comprises six different event disciplines, but Ferreira competes in just one: the halfpipe.

• Halfpipe format: The qualifying round features 25 skiers who get two runs each, and only their best score counts. The top 12 qualifiers advance to the finals, where they get three more runs to earn a medal.
• Scoring: Five judges score each run between 1-100 based on five criteria: amplitude (height of jumps); difficulty, variety and execution of tricks; and progression (how well the run flows). Your score is the average of those five judges' rulings.