The Red Bull Crashed Ice Event is right around the corner taking place on February 26th and 27th. So, what’s not to love about this event? High-speed competition, rough skating, and let’s not forget the chilly Minnesota weather. This global event is holding their season finale in the front of the Cathedral of St. Paul and bringing its best competitors along the way. This event has been hosted at The Capitol for the past five years now, and continues to attract thousands of fans each year.
This competition consists of four high-speed skaters racing downhill, while dodging several obstacles along the way. Red Bull sponsors this attraction and builds a difficult course for the skaters each year. Her Campus was lucky enough to meet two competitors that have raced or will be racing in this competition. Tyler Witty and Adam Corr, both from New Prague and graduates of UMD, were able to share their story with us.
When we spoke with Tyler Witty, who will be competing, he expressed his experience with this sport. Witty explained, “I got into the sport when I was a sophomore in college at UMD; I saw a flyer posted at Play It Again Sports for a tryout happening about an hour after I saw it. I went and tried out at AMSOIL Arena and made the cut and have been competing ever since. At first just competing at the St. Paul events then eventually earned my way on the full tour.”
“The experience has been incredible, this sport has taken me to places around the world that I never would’ve imagined seeing. Some of these places include: Netherlands, Canada, Finland and Northern Ireland. As athletes, we get to compete in front of crowds of over 100,000 people doing something we love, which some professional athletes may never get to do. Throw that on top of also having two brothers that compete in the sport and having success, so to make it a family event makes it even more special.”
“It’s too hard to pick one favorite, but I like competing in St. Paul when my family and friends get to come watch and we have the home crowd cheering us on. It’s fun interacting with the fans between races, taking pictures with the kids, throwing out some Red Bull; they make us feel like celebrities. From competing in Crashed Ice, I have learned that you have to be as strong mentally as you are physically. You have to be confident in your abilities and not worry about anyone but yourself. You have to take risks when they need to be taken because if you don’t, your day could be over.”
“My advice to someone who is starting out in the sport is try to get out front right away, push it beyond your comfort level, no lead is safe, and finish every race no matter what because anything can happen. Getting out front is crucial because you determine the pace, and it can be hard to catch up on certain tracks. If you’re in second place you might be content because you’re in an advancing position but know that the guys behind you are going to do whatever it takes to pass you even if that means taking you down. Never give up if you fall because the guys in front of you might fall around the next corner. And finally, never stop skating into the finish line”
Adam Corr, who is a former competitor, also was able to speak with us and touch on his involvement with Red Bull Crashed Ice over the years. Corr said, “I got into Crashed Ice about four years ago kind of randomly and by luck. One of my good friends growing up had been paying attention to the sport and told me I should try it out. So I registered my name online in a lottery system on the Red Bull Crashed Ice website. They had me fill out a type of survey asking me my history of hockey, skating, other athletics, etc. I was selected from the lottery to try out for Crashed Ice on flat ice at the Xcel Energy Center. A bunch of us raced and they took the fastest 20 and ever since I’ve been doing this.”
“It is and always has been an awesome experience and hard for me to say what my favorite is. I would probably say the uniqueness of the sport, plus the speed and competitiveness that this racing brings. If I had any advice for others I would say to not doubt yourself and if something looks fun or interesting to you, try it out because you never know what might happen and the doors it could open for you in the future.”
This is a FREE event and begins February 26th at 6:30 p.m. Metro Transit will be offering free rides for anyone attending. Make sure to mark your calendars, bundle up, and make your way to a spot by the boards so you can check out all the competitive skaters at the Red Bull Crashed Ice competition.