Olympian Ryan Stassel's grand-uncle is having a hard time finding a dependable schedule of events, so he's keeping an eye on the television as much as possible.
"It's kind of hard to pick up when he's on the program," Don Stassel, of Fulton, said. "There's been quite a bit of stuff on Facebook, though."
At the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, Ryan, 25, has been competing in two snowboarding events: Big Air and Slopestyle. He also competed in Sochi in 2014, earning a 14th place in Slopestyle competition where obstacles are utilized.
Growing up in Anchorage, Alaska, Ryan "Razzle Dazzle" is the son of Mary and Steve Stassel, and his grandfather is Don Stassel's brother. Ryan's trip to the 2018 games included a large cheering section that includes his family.
In the Slopestyle event, Team USA's Red Gerard was the only U.S. man to qualify, winning a gold medal. Also winning a gold was American Chloe Kim, 17, who on Monday scored 93.75 in her first run, a score ensured her first-place finish. Her third and final run resulted in a score of 98.25.
When he was 13, Ryan and his family saw his potential as a snowboarder. He became a commercial fisherman in order to earn money for gear, coaching and competition, according to his uncle and his promotional video.
"It describes his whole life," Don Stassel said of the video. "It talks about how he got involved with snowboarding as a youngster."
Ryan also is supposed to be interviewed by Lester Holt on NBC News on Thursday evening, according to a post by his mother, Mary.
Besides snowboarding and fishing the cold waters around Alaska, Ryan plays guitar and enjoys hiking, camping and writing.
"He's also quite a photographer, too," Don Stassel said. "We're proud of him."
According to pyeongchang2018.com, the Men's Big Air qualifying event is today, and the finals are Saturday.
People can follow Ryan and view photos at teamusa.org/us-ski-and-snowboard/athletes/Ryan-Stassel#profile.