LAWRENCEBURG, Ind. -- The pride of Perfect North got a hero's homecoming when he returned Sunday afternoon.
The southeast Indiana ski area hosted a celebration for two-time Olympic medalist Nick Goepper, fresh off earning a silver medal at the 2018 Winter Olympics.
Goepper, 23, showed off his medal, signed autographs and spoke to several hundreds fans gathered at the bottom of the ski hills.
He amused them with a funny story about the medal ceremony in South Korea.
"When the three medalists walked out, I actually walked to the bronze medal position incorrectly, and the podium chaperone had to do a little switching around of us," he said.
We had a great day at our Spring Carnival and also our welcome home event for @NickGoepper. The day was filled with blue skies, a fun crowd and a great end to our season! pic.twitter.com/aQLR58TNJf
— Perfect North Slopes (@skiridetubepns) March 4, 2018
"He had some time in between his busy schedule, he's home to see his family and friends, and we thought it'd be a great opportunity for us to give him a welcome-home party," Alex Perfect said.
Goepper got his trick-skiing start as a kid at Perfect North Slopes, and he used a free moment in this year's slopestyle competition to give a shout-out to fans at home.
"What's up, Perfect North? What's up, Indiana?" he told the TV camera with a grin.
It looked like the 23-year-old could be coming home from Pyeongchang, South Korea, empty-handed. But then he jumped from the back of the pack in with a spectacular run in his last pressure-packed chance to earn a second-place finish, a step up from the bronze he won four years ago.
Later this month, Goepperwill throw out the ceremonial first pitch for Reds Opening Day, March 29 against the Nationals. It's a repeat performance, of sorts: In 2014, he threw the first pitch on Opening Night after winning that bronze medal at Sochi, Russia.
