Cameron Naasz has turned the Red Bull Crashed Ice hierarchy upside down as the first American to thrive in a sport long dominated by Canadians, Finns, Swiss, Austrians and Swedes.
Naasz is a man on mission. Fed up with finishing second overall last season and third overall in both 2013 and 2014, the American is determined to win the Ice Cross Downhill World Championship this season and turned his life upside down to accomplish that goal. Extremely fit after a punishing off-season training regime, he is the first American to lead the world championship standings after winning the season opener in Quebec City, Canada in November.
The Minnesotan also won the 2015 season finale in Edmonton in March, and the full-time Ice Cross Downhill athlete is the top favorite to win the race this weekend in Munich for his third Red Bull Crashed Ice race in a row.
"I want to win the World Championship this season," said Naasz, 26, during a break in training for the world's fastest sport on skates ahead of the weekend racing down a 370-meter track with its record-breaking 20-meter jump at the finish line. "It's hard to come in third place twice in a row and then take second place. I don't want that this year again. I want to win every single race. I want to win every single heat. I want to be the fastest in every single practice. I'm really focused this year." He underlined that determination on Friday posting the fastest time in the shootout that makes him the top-seed on Saturday.
Naasz celebrates after winning the first race of the 2015-16 season in Quebec City. Picture: Balasz Gardi/Red Bull Content Pool.
Americans were late to the rough and tumble, high-speed game of Red Bull Crashed Ice, which was created in 2001. Only in 2012 when the race was first held in Saint Paul, Minnesota did it take off in the United States. Naasz, a student at the time, only took part in his first race in Saint Paul in 2012 by chance when a friend who worked at Red Bull in Minnesota urged him to give it a try.
The action-packed sport, in which four riders race down an obstacle-filled track at speeds over 70 km/h, had been dominated until then by Canadians, Finns, Austrians, Swiss and Swedes with no Americans anywhere in sight. Naasz got 24th in a field of 154 in his first race – an impressive achievement for a rookie who clearly had more than a modicum of talent even though he was considered not even good enough to play on his high school varsity hockey team.
"I know I've got skills that other people don't have in this sport," said Naasz, who has a lethal combination of speed, size and strength. Some top racers like 2012 champion Kyle Croxall (CAN) might be slightly bigger and stronger. Some like 2014 champion Marco Dallago (AUT) might be slighter faster. But none have both the great speed -- which is vital at the start -- and the strength -- which is essential to hold onto your position in the rough action down the track – that Naasz has.
The one missing ingredient until this season for Naasz was his focus. He admits he didn't always prepare as well for races in the past as he could have, but instead of wallowing in frustration he turned knowledge into a grueling training regime in the off-season and more focus right before races. With the help of three other Ice Cross Downhill athletes, Naasz worked out more than 25 hours a week all summer – working with weights in the gym, on inline skates in skate parks, running, and playing hockey.
"I knew if I worked hard at things I was weak at, I'd come into this season better prepared so I worked harder in the off-season on handling obstacles under fatigue conditions," said Naasz, who also got extra motivation thanks to the added camaraderie this past summer of other Ice Cross Downhill athletes Andrew Swanson, Max Dunne and Tommy Mertz. "Once I'm tired, everything gets harder. So we'd get exhausted in a workout and then try to do skill work. Everyone here can skate but not everyone can pump through transitions and gain speed. I definitely feel a lot stronger this year with that. It gives you a lot of extra confidence knowing you're fit and prepared. There wasn't a single second in Quebec City where I didn't feel prepared. The only question was how much faster can I do it than everyone else. I used to be really tired after five races. But after the final at Quebec City I felt like I could have done another five races."
Can Cameron make it 2 out of 2 in Munich? He's super fit, super fast, and super confident. Picture: Joerg Mitter/Red Bull Content Pool.
Naasz was the first American to win a race with his victory in Lausanne in 2013, got his second win in Moscow in 2014 before his third in Edmonton last year and Quebec City at the start of this season.
Naasz said he is confident he will make it three in a row with a win in Munich, which has the biggest and most frightening jump in the sport's history. The 20-meter jump at the finish line has prompted many athletes to train cautiously on it but Naasz has been flying over it at full speed.
"It's going to be a piece of cake," he said. "It's just fast. You just need to have the courage to do it and then do it all out."
Would you like to be part of the crowd here this weekend and experience first-hand the amazing atmosphere and full-throttle action? Skate over to our ticket area and secure your place trackside.
You can't join us in Munich? Don't worry, you can catch all the action live on January 9 at 6:40pm CET right here!