LIVIGNO, Italy – Like a proud parent, young Alessandro Barbieri searched his phone, eager to show off his pride and joy.
“So many snowboard videos,” he said impatiently, scrolling through. “I want my cat.”
To know Barbieri, only 17 and nearing his Olympic debut for Team USA, is to know Bella.
She is a 3-year-old Maine Coon cat. Beautiful and expensive. Gray and white. A whopping 17 pounds, and tall enough to reach Barbieri’s waist when she stretches, he said.
Before long, Barbieri found Bella in his phone. He holds up a photo. Then another of her curled up, almost posing with her head upside down.
It makes him smile. Before competitions, in fact, Barbieri’s mother sends cat photos to him, wherever he might be, as a superstitious reminder of home.
“That’s why your nickname is ‘Kitty-Kitty, Meow-Meow,” said U.S. halfpipe teammate Chase Josey. True enough, said Barbieri, though he adjusted slightly: “Kitty-Cat, Meow-Meow.”
“Or you can use the Italian Stallion. That works as well.”
“No, no,” Josey replied. “Kitty-Kitty, Meow-Meow.”
In an odd way, it fits. Just because Barbieri is unique like that. Hailing from Portland, Oregon, he comes across as personable and endearing, impossible to view as a stranger for long and easy to remember.
The kid showed up to a pre-event press conference at Livigno Snow Park on Feb. 9 wearing sunglasses.
Beginning with the start of the men’s snowboarding halfpipe competition on Feb. 11, he will be an athlete to watch during these 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics. Quite possibly, Barbieri is America’s next great Olympic snowboarding talent.
Not me saying that. U.S. snowboarding legend Shaun White said it.
Being interviewed Feb. 5 on the Ralph Lauren Red Carpet at these Games, White said to “watch out for Alessandro,” earmarking Barbieri as a potential breakout star during these Olympics.
“He’s incredibly talented,” White said of Barbieri. “One of the last events, he landed two triples in his run, which I’ve maybe seen one person do before.”
Told of White’s comments, Barbieri beamed.
“Having Shaun say that about me, imagine your idol – like (Lionel) Messi – saying ‘Watch out for this kid,’” Barbieri said. “I grew up watching (White) and watching him dominate, and his mentality of winning at all costs. Just having him say that about me and believing in me that I’m kind of good at snowboarding is just crazy.”
While young, Barbieri is indeed a promising talent. He finished second in halfpipe at the Winter Youth Olympic Games in 2024. In February 2025, he finished third at a world cup event in Calgary. Multiple Olympics are likely in his future, but none set up more special than this one in Italy.
Because Barbieri’s parents are Italian. They immigrated to the U.S. from Italy in 2006, he said, two years before he was born. Barbieri said that he has been dreaming about this since he was much younger, having the chance to compete in an Olympics in Italy.
Lots of his family members are still in Italy, and many of them are planning to be on hand to watch him perform in Livigno.
“My parents, my uncles, my nieces, my cousins, my grandparents, it’s going to be like a big group of family,” he said. “So it’s going to be very cool.”
Sounds like it could be a lot of pressure, especially for a 17-year-old. Barbieri responded to that thought with a wave of the hand: “This might sound cocky, but I don’t get nervous.” He stressed that confidence was essential in the halfpipe, comparing it to driving a car or riding as a passenger in one. Meaning that if you are driving, you know your safety is in your hands.
As the press conference ended, Barbieri stood up, put the sunglasses back on and raised two fingers like a lead singer dropping the microphone after an encore.
“Kitty-cat, meow-meow: Out.”
Reach sports columnist Gentry Estes at gestes@gannett.com and hang out with him on Bluesky @gentryestes.bsky.social