UWindsor student’s skating skills to be put to downhill test

UWindsor student Milos Savic didn’t just qualify for the Red Bull Crashed Ice finals in Quebec City next month, he practically invented the sport.

“I skied a lot as a kid and I had the idea of skating downhill,” says the first-year arts and sciences student. “I stood at the top of the run and said to my friends Wouldn’t it be neat if it was ice all the way down?”

They may not have agreed, but Savic was thrilled when he saw that his vision had become reality. The Crashed Ice race will pit skaters against a 500-metre downhill obstacle course. Savic was one of six competitors — five men and one woman — to qualify in a try-out February 10 at Windsor’s WFCU Centre.

“It was a tough course that tested agility as much as speed,” Savic says. “Tight turns, dive under a barrier, then jump a hurdle — it was pretty intense.”

His fourth-ranked qualifying time earned him a berth at the World Championship event in Quebec, March 15 to 17, competing against athletes from around the globe. Savic says his sports experience may give him an edge.

A pole vaulter with the Lancer track and field team, he played AA hockey and skied competitively. He believes the combination will stand him in good stead.

“The key is to not have fear,” Savic says. “I like the adrenaline. The faster, the better.”

Read an article about the Windsor qualifying event. Learn more about the Red Bull Crashed Ice World Championship at www.redbullcrashedice.com.