THUNDER BAY – ENTERTAINMENT – Scott Croxall won the 2015 Ice Cross Downhill World Championship in style, laying the foundation for the best season of his seven-year Red Bull Crashed Ice career with lots of hard work and focus in the off-season. Croxall will try to replicate his success in the 2016 season with the same off-season strategy he used last year — staying fresh and in top shape with lots of grueling water sports training in the summer before resuming sport-specific ice cross downhill training in the fall.
The Canadian ace, who dominated the world’s fastest sport on skates in 2015 with wins in two of the four Red Bull Crashed Ice stops and one victory in one of the four Riders Cup races as well, has first been savoring his championship season and taking time off to recover. Croxall has especially reveled in the satisfaction of bringing back the title to Canada after Europeans snatched away the top spot in the sport that is so close to Canada’s heart in the previous two seasons. But Croxall, who also helped his Living the Dream team take top honors in the team championship with their superb victory in the season finale at Edmonton, said he knows that serious off-season training has become essential for success in the sport during the winter season and he says he has his title defense plan in place.
“My favorite part about training is when it’s with a group,” said Croxall, who will once again be training with the “Beyond the Next Level” sports and performance group in Canada (BTNL.CA). “It’s one of the top facilities in the world. I like training in the off season because it’s usually with other pro athletes leading up to their specific seasons, usually with hockey, football or lacrosse or even some other ice cross downhill athletes.”
Croxall celebrated the 2015 title with a day of indoor surfing with friends at the Edmonton Mall and a five-day road trip that was highlighted by a high-speed skate ride down the Calgary bobsled track in his Red Bull Crashed Ice gear. After returning home to Toronto, he celebrated some more with friends and family. He’s planning to take some time off and a surfing trip to Costa Rica.
“My plan is to take some time off first to let my body fully recover before this surf trip because when I get back I’ll start doing water sports all summer in Muskoka,” said Croxall, who will be training with the Canada National Waterski Show team at the resort in Ontario to get ready for the 2016 Waterski Show Team World Championships in the United States as well as teaching flyboarding, wake surfing, freestyle ski jumping, barefoot skiing to beginners and professionals.
“I’m lucky to have such an amazing set up in the summer, going on my ninth season with summer water sports and third year with the Canadian National Waterski show team. I’ve got access to top of the line boats, equipment and the support of other team members. It’s nice to keep my summer and winter sports separate to keep me in shape. Once the summer is over I’ll go back to my regular routine of off-season training specifically for the upcoming Ice Cross Downhill season.”
Croxall became an irresistible force in 2015 after getting the first race win of his career in Helsinki. Before that, Croxall had been in the final four 13 times but had never won, hurt by a variety of niggling issues such as broken skates, false starts and unfortunate collisions. He was pleased to finally get “the monkey off his back” with that first win on chilly night in Helsinki and then promptly won the next two races – the Riders Cup race in Jyväskylä, Finland the following week and the Red Bull Crashed Ice race in Belfast, Northern Ireland a week after that.
“My favorite race and favorite moment was in Helsinki when I finally won my first-ever first place,” said Croxall. “That’s something I’ll never forget.” Scott was in a tight battle for the 2015 championship for most of the season with his older brother Kyle, the 2012 world champion who also won the 2015 season opener in Saint Paul, Minnesota. But Scott dismissed any suggestions that Kyle might not be as forthcoming with racing tips any more after he eclipsed his older brother.
“Our relationship has only grown stronger,” said Scott Croxall. “We’re always helping and pushing each other to get better and faster. We discuss each track together and ask for tips if we’re having problems with a certain section of the course.”
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