A champion of the U.S. Snowboarding Grand Prix tour twice over, Louie Vito (Sandy, UT) has high aspirations for his halfpipe riding, which includes being Vancouver Bound. With the first stop of the Grand Prix, which serves as Olympic qualifications for halfpipe, just around the corner, Vito is ready to reach that dream.

"Vancouver Bound is a goal of mine. In snowboarding you don't look four years out. You're not thinking about the Olympics, you're thinking about the year ahead of you. But now that the Olympics aren't a year away and they're coming up I think about it," Vito said. "I've been working out and trying to be really strong and get the tricks you need to nail to qualify. It's kind of just like a dream come true if you make it. It's a goal of mine and any time you reach your goal it's a rewarding feeling. So I'm going to do it."

Four years ago as a young student of the Stratton Mountain School's famed snowboarding program, Vito competed in qualification events for the 2006 Olympic Games in Torino. When he didn't make the team he wasn't disappointed, though, as seeing the U.S. take both gold medals in halfpipe was inspiring to him at the time.

In the lead-up to the 2010 season, Vito has been extraordinarily busy. He finished the season as overall Grand Prix champion and landed his first World Cup podium. Then he made a landmark in his riding as he stomped double corked tricks in the early spring. To round things out he threw his name in the ring to compete on ABC's Dancing With the Stars and still managed to find the time to train.

The opportunity for Louie Vito and his American teammates to achieve their dreams can only come with support from his followers. Fans can keep up with and show support for U.S. Snowboarding this season by following the news on ussnowboarding.com.

Story: Lindsey Sine