Canadian Kevin Hill eager to continue podium finishes for upcoming World Cup season
Hill will open the snowboard cross world cup season in Italy, live on CBC Sports
After a three-year absence from the podium, Kevin Hill claimed snowboard cross World Cup bronze last season in Baqueira Beret, Spain.
CBC Sports will have live coverage of the second snowboard cross World Cup event of the season in Cervinia, Italy on Dec.21 at 5:00 a.m. ET and the Vernon, B.C., native., is looking to begin a run of podium finishes.
What led you into Snowboarding?
Kevin Hill: I grew up in the little old town of Vernon British Columbia. I downhill skied from the age of 7-9 when my parents could afford to get me lift tickets. My dad actually started ski patrolling so he could get a family ski pass because we were living on a single income from my dad alone. I started snowboarding when I was 9, due to the fact that it was the more cool thing to do. Freestyle skiing wasn't very popular back then and snowboard parks weren't really a thing yet. So I switched to snowboarding and fell in love with it right away!
Starting a sport at 19 and winning X Games Gold 9 years later is quite unheard of. In a field where most of the riders would have been on boards for their whole lives, how did you get to the top of such a technical discipline so quickly?
KH: I feel very fortunate to have been one of the few athletes to Win X Games. The truth is all of my background in sports helped out a lot. I did local slopestyle, Halfpipe events at my home ski resort Silver Star Mt since I was 12. They had a few boarder x events that would start at the top of the halfpipe and finish at the bottom of the park which I did as well.
I had no idea that snowboard cross was a real event till around 2006 when I caught a little of the Olympics replays on Youtube. I also owe a lot of the competition mindset and skill set to BMX racing which I started racing at the age of 9 and fell in love with it, I moved through the ranks in amateur and won Canadian National age group #1 rider before I turned pro just before my 19th Birthday. I race numerous World Cups, World Championships and had quite a few podiums at the Canadian Championships before I decided to changed my focus over to Snowboard cross.
What does a World Cup preparation and game plan look like for you?
KH: Preparation for me is usually the same, eating healthy not only during the competitive season but all throughout the year. Strength training at the gym 6 days a week which is one of my favourite parts of sport, I've always loved keeping my body in shape even outside of sport. The psychology part of is has been strong for me, keeping a good mental game and knowing what I need to focus on the get to the podium.
Some small details that no one really knows about is all the preparation that goes into a snowboard before you can actually race it, usually I'll get a set of 4 race boards built a few years before they are going to be raced on. The first year on the board its waxed a lot to get it in race shape and is used as a trainer board or test board to see if its one of the fast ones. Then with lots of work from myself and or a wax tec its slowly brought into my set of 3 race boards.
WATCH | Hill climbs back atop the podium with bronze in Baqueira Beret:
Having a World Cup in Big White is a new thing for Canada. You have killed it there before in NorAms. Do you see yourself as having a home field advantage?
KH: Yeah I haven't raced a World Cup in Canada in a very long time, it's about time one came back! I think it's an advantage being home based before the event, knowing the lay of the land and having some great results there in the past at NorAms is going to help. Having my family attend the first world cups they've seen in my whole career is going to be special and I want to make them proud so I'm going to do everything I can to be on that podium.
How did you develop into an snowboard cross Olympian in such a short time in B.C? What was the pathway and how would you suggest aspiring young riders in B.C. follow your lead?
KH: I was driven to be a Canadian Olympian and I knew I'd do whatever it would take to get to that stage. Follow your dreams, don't let money or anything stand in your way, if you want it bad enough you can get people around you to help you out. Contact your local snowboard federation, in B.C., it's the BC Snowboard Association. Find out where the closest race is to you and sign up!! You can race on whatever you already have and see how you like it.
What is the key to being a good snowboard cross competitor?
KH: Being really tough mentally, it's a really hard sport to break into the ranks especially these days with everyone training so hard to be the best. Knowing that snowboard cross is a sport of skill, some luck and gravity so you can't always be #1 so keep pushing towards your goal.
What are the worst crashes you have witnessed or been involved with in your career?
KH: There are so many crashes I've witnessed its so hard to remember them all so I'll go with that sticks out the most I've been involved in. Most crashes are due to riders hitting other riders which is part of the sport. 2014 Olympics in Sochi I was in the semi final in 2nd place and the rider behind me had the draft and in the air he caught up to me and landed on the tail of my snowboard, I was going around 70 Km/h and it felt like someone tripped me and I went straight to my face and my goggles shattered into pieces. Luckily other then a scratched face and the wind knocked out of me I was fine.
This piece has been published with the permission of Canada Snowboard.