DEVO Alumni Tad Elliott is now a professional ski racer. After winning the U-23 US championship on the bike this summer, he signed on the Saab/Subaru Factory Ski Team to compete in the SUper Tour this winter. Good Luck Tad!
Q: What is your favorite sport at the moment? ………………………………..Skate or Classic?
A:My favorite right now would have to be Skate. You can ski faster and it is easier to hit jumps and do tricks.
Q: What are the similarities in how your pro ski team operates in comparison with your pro mtb experiences?
A: Both the ski team and the MTB team operate in very similar ways. They both have team managers and in skiing we have a ski tech instead of a bike mechanic. He waxes our skis and makes sure they are in perfect condition before every race. Both teams have a team car and a trailer. The both really cater to the athletes to make sure that you are able to race your best on that given day.
Q: After a full season of racing under your belt, how have you made the transition to race the skis? Did you take some sort of a break, and did you really rest?
A: After the full season of bike racing I went straight into nordic trainin that next day. I then got sick the following morning and had to take a week off, which I spent on the cough really resting. What I should have done was really take a week long break and tube the river and hang out with friends.
Q: Who do you look up to on the pro nordic circuit? And can you describe the circuit a little?
A: I really look up to Andrey Golovko. He is a member of the same team as me and has gone to two Olympics. He has the best a attitude toward racing and he nordic skis because he truely loves to. He also makes up ways to have the most fun he can at the races. He is a proffesional road bike racer in Kazakhstan. So how can you not respect that.
The Nordic Circuit has National races called Super Tours. There are about eight through out the year and these are the races that my team primarily focuses on. They are all over the country and have a ranking system to see how you do in the overall series. There are also National Championships, and a National Ranking List (NRl) series that is like the Mountain States Cup races to complement the Super Tours.
Q: What are your goals for this nordic season? US Championships, Worlds?
A: My Goals really are to have fun and keep racing light. I ski the fastest when I am having fun and enjoying what I am doing.
Q: What is the coolest ski race you have competed in?
A: The coolest race by far was this local race I did in Falun Sweden. It was a pretty podunk ski race, but they had world class ski trails, an announcer, people handing you hot tea and food right after you finished, and the prizes were amazing. I won a ten pound box of crackers. Ski racing in Europe is huge and even the local races they go all out.
Q: What is your best trick on your skiis?
A: My best trick is a Switch 360.
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