Interview with Samo Jaroš! #snowboardzezulateam

The upcoming season will be the fourth in which we will be supporting the Slovak snowboarder Samo Jaroš. Last season was the last one for Samo as a junior rider. This year, he will already be competing with the best riders in the male categories. He is adjusting his training and competition schedule to fit his big dream - participating in the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China.

Samo, what is awaiting you in your first senior season?

Since I finished in junior category last season, only competitions in men's category are awaiting me in the 2019/20 season. World Cup competitions in slopestyle, big air and training of new tricks will be a priority. I will mainly try to keep enough FIS points to have a certain starting position in the qualifications for the 2022 Olympics. The qualification starts in August 2020 in New Zealand. I plan to take part in two to three big air competitions (Seiseralm in Italy, Laax Open in Switzerland and Snowjam at Špindl). I am looking forward to Laax and Špindl because it will be my first start at the Laax Open and it feels a bit like home at Špindl.

Are you planning to include some new tricks in your rides?

There are a lot of tricks in my head that I would like to learn. I am currently focused on switch bs rotations to move to swb 10, 12. I am also still trying interesting head-to-head spins that I will use in slopestyle. Year after year, slopestyle is more and more about creativity. In addition to training new tricks, I want to fine-tune the technique of tricks that I have already mastered. I'm planning to try new grabs.

Samo's set-up

How do you see the current Czechoslovak snowboarding scene?

I meet legends such as Horis (Petr Horák) and Šárka Pančochová mostly at world and FIS competitions. During the trainings in Austria I often meet Czech young guns such as Hrstka, Hroneš, Salač. We talk and we also ride together. And I hope there is a new generation of snowboarders growing up whom we will soon hear about in Slovakia!

At what stage is your cooperation with Red Bull?

I've been working with Red Bull for a couple of years now. Of course, as with any other company, also here you start from scratch, so there are changes in our cooperation every year. This summer I even managed to get to the ATC (Athlete Training Center) in Austria, where athletes from all over the world train and prepare. It is a very pleasant environment where you not only work on yourself physically, but also get a lot of inspiration. Every day, you have the opportunity to meet the world's best athletes from completely different disciplines. So one day you practice with the winner of the Rally Paris-Dakar and the next day with the best obstacle runner in the world.

_{Samo's team helmet, in which he represents SNOWBOARD ZEZULA.}

Are you planning to include any new training methods for this season?

Each season, we try to improve conditions and look for ways together with coaches to intensify the training and accelerate the regeneration. We are currently using a four-wheeler in the summer training for jumping into airbags. The point is not to waste energy for climbing uphill, but to use all the energy for the practicing of tricks. The result is that I am able to do 100% more jumps in a day with a four-wheeler than when I had to climb uphill to do airbag jumps! I just want to train more effectively so that I can still deliver 100% performance.

Samo recommends

We know that you are ambitious and are deliberately pushing your own boundaries. What are your goals for the upcoming season?

My goal is to stay around the top 10 in world cups, which is a big challenge for me at the age of 18. Likewise, this year I want to focus on situations in which I do not have 100% comfort. For example, if I don't feel like jumping in poor conditions, I want my performance to be at my top level, not just my standard. Of course, I have to have the tricks mastered at 100%. I also like competitions in Slovakia and the Czech Republic; there I am at home and the atmosphere is more relaxed. However, riding and training for the world cups requires a lot of travelling, and it often happens that I am not even able to attend the competition at home or in the Czech Republic. One of my favorite competitions in Slovakia is summer Big Air in Kremnica, where there are always a lot of spectators and great atmosphere! In the Czech Republic then, I like Snowjam at Špindl.

Thank you for the interview, Samo. Let the season be according to your wishes!