As you stand there in the freezing cold, filled with adrenaline, you hear “riders ready, five second warning.” The five seconds seem to take forever and then the horn blows and it’s showtime. The riders burst out of the starting gates, eager to make it to the finish line first.
Many know the sport from the famous Red Bull Crashed Ice that comes right to our wonderful state of Minnesota, however the sport these athletes are competing in is called ice cross downhill and is only for the brave thrill-seekers.
The history behind ice cross downhill is still very young. Starting in 2000, Red Bull Crashed Ice was officially created. Plans were launched to create an intense sport that was to take place on a challenging, downhill ice track, relative to inline skating. 2001 was more of a trial year for the sport to see how people would react and if the events would be successful. It was clearly a genius idea because fast-forward 15 years and more than 120,000 excited people gathered in St. Paul, MN to watch the talented athletes compete in the dangerous, jaw-dropping sport. To learn about the full history, visit the Red Bull Crashed Ice official site.
Competitors train year-round through various workouts, including crossfit, swimming, inline skating and hockey, along with training to increase speed on skates. All of the training leads up to the big race, which is about a minute long. Each race consists of four riders, with the two to finishing first moving on in the series, closer to the championship.
The World Championship takes place every year in St. Paul (pretty awesome, I know). This year, two Canadians claimed first in both the men’s and women’s races. Dean Moriarty (who is freaking adorable) took home the victory for the men’s competition and Myriam Trepanier sped into first place for the women’s competition. Although they weren’t Team USA, both athletes were outstanding and definitely deserved the victory.
It’s important to note that women are in this sport, keeping in mind the intensity of it. This really proves that women can do anything men can do, including sports. As I was watching the races, I was so inspired by all of these boss ladies. The dedication and passion they have, as well as their goals to increase the number of women who compete in ice cross downhill is remarkable. The announcer said it perfectly: “don’t call them girls, these are women,” or as I like to call them, boss ladies.