Fueling the Olympic Boardercross Dream
- Barry Walton
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
This time last year, I was in the middle of working on a documentary series featuring USA Boardercross athlete and Olympian Jake Vedder. I was collaborating with Milk Means More, the United Dairy Industry of Michigan (UDIM), and Brandfly Studios to capture and tell Jake’s journey through the sport. The pitch was to document training camp in New Hampshire and capture a snapshot of the work that goes into preparing for the annual Boardercross World Cup season under the FIS, while also telling his story of reaching the Olympics and his aim to return in 2026.
For the first portion of production, I traveled with filmmaker Wil Hughes to New Hampshire to film at Waterville Valley Resort. There, we were met head first by the realities of mother nature. Over the three day period we had set aside to film, we battled frozen rain, brutal winds, and freezing temperatures. Each day was a challenge to get up the hill on foot with gear and capture moments of Jake in his element. I had my concerns, yet we persisted, and after overcoming freezing hands, deep snow, and icy slopes, the footage we came back with was spectacular.
THE GRIND IS A FIVE PART SERIES FOLLOWING JAKE’S JOURNEY TO THE OLYMPICS AND BEYOND.
Having made it back from the cold frigid mountains of New Hampshire with our cameras partially intact, we set our sights on capturing Jake’s life in Pinckney, Michigan, where he grew up. Inspired by his story of going from a small town to the world stage of the Olympics, we worked to embed ourselves in the Boardercross community and get a firsthand look at the sacrifice and commitment needed to make it to the top.
From his hometown high school to his favorite place to eat and his workout routine, we worked to represent the brand of Milk Means More (UDIM) and its commitment to Jake’s journey and success. Through the highs and lows, they had supported him from the start, and it was easy to see why. Jake had optimism, focus, and the commitment of a champion that remained consistent throughout our time together.
WATCH ALL FIVE EPISODES FROM DAY ONE TO THE OLYMPICS.
With a total of six days of footage in the can, we returned to the edit studio and went to work fashioning The Grind. Working in collaboration with the team at Brandfly Studios, we shaped the story from the physical struggle of getting up the mountain in Waterville Valley to the mental and emotional struggle of making it to the Olympics. With the initial plan of shaping a YouTube series, we built it out into five parts, each outlining Jake’s journey and the sport of boardercross with the common theme of how milk has helped fuel his success along the way.
In the fall of 2025, Milk Means More released the series on YouTube to great reviews and feedback. Jake went on to do a series of interview and press throughout his home State of Michigan and the city of Detroit. It has been exciting and rewarding to say the least.
As it stands, Jake Vedder has not been officially named to the 2026 U.S. Olympic snowboard cross team. The final Team USA roster for Milan Cortina 2026 will be determined after the qualification period concludes, around mid January 2026.
Let’s go, Jake!!
A couple of photos from our time together!
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