Monster Army Captain Birk Irving is only 14 years old, but has been dominating all season long. Birk has been having an amazing season and he gives us an insight into his training and future goals in this interview.
Who
influences you and why?
My
family influences me because they encourage me to always do my best and not
lose sight of my goals. I am always
encouraged to try new tricks by my coach and teammates. I am also influenced by what I see guys doing
at comps.
What/
Who inspired you to ski?
I
am inspired as an athlete by Lyman Currier.
He came from my ski area and made the Olympic Team this year in
pipe. He has progressed really quick and
is good in pipe as well as slope. He’s just a really nice guy who has always
encouraged me.
I
got into skiing because it is what my family does. Both my mom and dad love to
ski. My dad’s on ski patrol at Winter Park. I have a little sister, Svea, who also competes in
pipe and slope. When we have time together,
it’s what we do. Living in Winter Park
we have snow most of the year so our free time is spent building jumps in the
yard and it’s always been like that.
What
are your proudest moments/ accomplishments in 2013/2014?
-Getting
a Top 10 finish in Aspen Open
-Getting
on the podium at 2 Revolution tours
-Getting
ranked 1st in pipe in USASA Rocky Mountain Series in Open Class
-Winning
Junior Nationals Overall in Pipe
-Getting
an invite to Junior Worlds in Valmalenco, Italy
What
part of your riding are you looking to improve upon most this season?
I
want to do some new doubles in slope and get my doubles in the pipe. I also
want to work on slope more since I have been focusing so much on pipe lately.
Have
you had to overcome any challenges that made skiing an obstacle at times? (i.e.
Injuries, support)
Yes, last year I
had a broken knee cap that kept me out for a lot of last year. I began this ski season coming off a broken
Tibia and Fibula that I got my second day at Hood last summer. I
wasn’t cleared to ski from the broken leg until December, and it took me
a while to get my flexibility and strength back. That was a really hard time
for me.
What
is your daily routine and how do you prepare yourself for a day of skiing?
I
get up and work on my online school before I leave. I hit the rail in my yard a bit to warm
up. I usually think about the goals I
want to achieve that day while walking up to the ski area. I usually ski until 4 each day then hit my
rails in the yard once I get home. I work on my online at night too.
Where
would you like to see yourself in the next few years?
I
hope I am competing in Grand Prix and Dew Tour events soon. I would love to make it to the X-Games and my ultimate goal is to go to the 2018 Olympics in Korea.
When
I'm not skiing you can find me ______________________?
Fishing or downhill biking in Winter Park.
Who
would you like to thank?
I
would like to thank my parents for always believing in me. I also want to thank my sponsors like K2 Skis
who has been with me since I was 7 years old. I am also grateful to you guys at
Monster for supporting me so much this year.
My other sponsors are Smith, Saga Outerwear, Full Tilt, Marker, Woodward, and my home mountain of
Winter Park especially Bob Holmes who has also been behind me since I first
started competing. Finally, my coach
Jeremie Livingston and Seedog who helps me off the snow.
Follow Birk:
Instagram: @birkirving