Fenway Park, also known as “America’s Most Beloved Ballpark”, was taken over by Redbull’s Crashed on Ice event this past weekend. Some of the best skaters in the world came together to race down a massive 1,200-foot ice track with steep turns, jumps, and drops. Reaching a whopping 50 mph, world-class skaters sped down a wavering track and into victory (or into the fatal hands of gravity). Crashed on Ice was an exhilarating sight to see that left children and adults alike on the edge of their seats. This extreme sporting event is created and managed by the energy drinks company we all know and love, Red Bull.
Cameron Naasz and Amanda Trunzo, both from Minnesota, took home first-place titles Saturday night. Trunzo is a former Dartmouth College hockey player who won earlier this season in both Red Bull’s Japan and Finland Crashed on Ice events. Supporting her on Saturday night was a crowd of her friends from Dartmouth. Trunzo told ESPN, “Crashed ice is explosive out of the gate. In ice hockey, I did strength workouts and static movements were always the same. Now, I’m doing super-high-intensity workouts that are always varied.” Her training is evidently paying off because she managed to make speeding down a roller coaster of a track look easy.
As for Naasz, who holds two consecutive World Championship victories, his only hope is to add a third championship victory. With three races left for the remainder of the season, he’s in the lead by 100 points. Just like Trunzo, Naasz trains with high-intensity workouts. According to sources at Stack, Naasz revealed the most athletic qualities to be successful in the sport is, “Definitely core strength. Everything you’re doing on the crashed ice track is variable movements. You don’t know what’s coming at you next. Your body can be off-balance, flying through the air, or someone could bump into you. Having strong legs and a strong core is important to be able to stabilize yourself for situations that you’re not really expecting.” Hats off to Naasz, who put on quite a show at Crashed on Ice. I guess we’ve got to thank that core strength that kept him strong throughout the course of the evening.
In the Junior Red Bull Crashed on Ice, premiering just the night before on Friday, Johanny “JoJo” Velasquez was crowned champion. The 18-year-old American was followed by Martin Barrau (from France) and Toma Yamauchi (from Japan). He has sealed enough points (2,500) leaving him undefeatable for the two races left. He completely dominated his final run down the track, staying ahead of three other racers throughout the entire run without any complications. Martin Barrau started with an early lead, but JoJo quickly caught up, conquered the first corner turn, and secured his lead throughout the rest of race.
This exhilarating and unique sport is something everyone can enjoy—even if you’re not all that into watching sports (like myself). I’ve never been able to sit through an entire sports game, but this downhill ice cross-sport had me hooked. I’m pretty sure I didn’t even blink. Check out Redbull’s Crashed on Ice Boston page to find highlights, live events, and tickets! You’re bound to experience an unforgettable night with friends or family when spectating the madness and speed slashing down these slippery slopes.
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