Interview: Levi Sherwood on the mend

After his huge season-ending crash at the ASA World Championships of FMX in Pomona, Calif. in September, Levi Sherwood has all but fallen off the radar as far as the US scene goes. There's a good reason for that -- he's been recovering from his broken femur and wrist back in his hometown of Palmerston North, New Zealand. It's a world away from the So Cal scene, where riders are constantly under the microscope and everyone knows their every move. New Zealand is the perfect haven and has provided Sherwood some much needed downtime and the chance to hang with his family, friends, eat his favorite foods and generally escape the professional FMX pressure-cooker. We managed to hunt down the laid-back teenager and found out exactly what he's been up to, and when he's planning his big return.

Red BullLevi Sherwood catches a cab at the first round of the 2010 Red Bull X-Fighters World Tour in Mexico City, Mexico.

Levi, you busted yourself up at the ASA World Championships of FMX. What happened?
The course had a 75-foot double into an 85-foot double and I pulled a stripper flip on the first jump, then on the way back through my toes just nipped the gear-shifter and tapped the bike into neutral. It was mid-run, and because of the momentum I was kinda 50/50 as to whether it was in neutral and decided to give it a go anyway. I had no drive off the ramp and landed on the flat halfway between the ramp and landing. I didn't think it was going to be too bad, but as soon as I hit the ground I knew I'd broken my wrist and femur, and it was game over; it's the worst stack I've ever had.

You finished the Red Bull X-Fighters series in fourth overall in 2010. Who's going to be the one to watch out for in 2011?
Nate Adams. He's won it the last two years and he's always on point. I've also realized this sport is a "name-game". I watched the final round in Rome from the couch and even I found myself being biased towards the bigger-named riders. In FMX contests I think your actual riding only accounts for 50 percent of your result. If you're flavor of the month you'll get another 25 percent, and if you're a big-name rider, you'll get another 25 percent. Unless your name is Travis Pastrana; then it's probably 75 percent about the name and 25 percent about doing backflips over berms.

What have you been up do since returning home?
There's been a lot of catching with friends and family, hanging at the beach, mucking around on my 50 and a fair bit of Playstation action. I also watched all 18 episodes of "Outrageous Fortune" in a week, which was pretty mad. The leg is coming along well too. I don't have a limp any more and I'm starting to build the muscle up again. The screws in my hip bother me a bit, but I'm going to get those out as soon as I can.

ESPN Action SportsSherwood with a huge Hart Attack at X Games 16.

Nice one, bro. We hear you've been looking at some land in New Zealand?
Yeah I'm looking around. There was one place I was keen on but they wanted a bit much for it, and the longer I wait the more likely I'll get what I'm after. I'm looking for land with maximum hills so I don't get bored riding there after a couple of weeks, and it's got to be away from houses so I don't run into any trouble with noise, dust and all that sort of bullshit.

Good luck with that. In all your travels, what's been your biggest rock star moment?
I'd had to say my first X-Fighters in Mexico last year. I was carried around on the shoulders of all these Mexicans and was treated like a god. They'd all yell "Champion! Champion!" because that's all they could say. I honestly didn't know what to do with myself. I couldn't drink the champagne because I was too young, but I threw pretty much every item of riding gear up into the crowd. It was amazing.

Does the Kiwi accent go down well with the ladies on the Red Bull X-Fighters tour?
Yeah, they like it, but I don't have the game to back it up unfortunately. I think girls just like freestyle riders in general. Everyone else seems to pick up heaps of girls, but I struggle.

I don't believe that for a second, but whatever. What are your plans/goals for next year?
I want to finish the X-Fighters series without getting hurt and have a decent shot at the title, and I want to do better at X Games and beat Travis. Actually, speaking of Travis, I'm going to ride the New Zealand leg of the Nitro Circus Live Tour at the beginning of next year. I'm looking forward to catching up with all my old show mates and to having a good time with no stress. It's going to be mint riding in front of my home country, but I'm going to need to find 300 free tickets at every round, as all my mates are hitting me up already!

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Interview: Libor Podmol, World Champ

Czech rider Libor Podmol won the International Freestyle Motocross Federation (IFMXF) Night of the Jumps event in Fortaleza, Brazil on Sunday with a run including underflips, a cliffhanger flip, and a Superman seat grab flip, picking up enough points to edge out French competitors Brice Izzo and Remi Bizouard to claim the FIM Freestyle MX World Champion title in the bargain. This is Podmol's first major championship win in international competition, but he's definitely been coming up for a while: He finished third overall in the 2009 FIM Freestyle MX World Championships and finished second in 2006, 2007, and 2008.

We called him while he was still celebrating in Brazil to get the scoop on his big victory and his plans for coming across the pond to compete at X Games and make a bigger splash in the United States.

Red BullCzech Republic's Libor Podmol has finally put the nail in the coffin by winning his first-ever FIM Freestyle MX World Championship after years of coming up short.

ESPN: Congratulations on your big win this weekend as the 2010 FIM Freestyle MX World Champion.
Libor Podmol: Thank you. The IMFXF World Tour is the biggest and longest tour in freestyle motocross, with stops all over Europe and in places like Africa and Brazil, so it's been a long year and it feels great to finally win it after coming close the last couple of years. I had a really good season all year but then I broke my collarbone doing a really stupid nose wheelie and missed a couple of events and messed up my ranking, so I want to thank all of the fans, all of my sponsors, and everybody who helped keep me thinking positive so I could heal up quick and come back out and win it.

-- Libor Podmol

What was the crowd like in Fortaleza? I've heard action sports events can get crazy down there in Brazil.
Oh yeah, it was totally crazy! There were 40,000 fans, all of them screaming like mad. All of the Brazilian riders were really good too, so it was even more special to win there. I had to ride last and everyone made a really good run before me, so the pressure was on just the way I like it. The course in Brazil was a little bit difficult but I went out and I was feeling good. I got my cliffhanger backflip and all the tricks I wanted to get and I had a very good feeling about it as I was riding. It's fun to ride in places like Brazil to realize how much people love FMX all across the world.

You came into this event with a small points lead over French rider Brice Izzo, who finished in second in Brazil and in the overall IFMXF standings. Is he somebody you have a rivalry with?
We travel together and ride together all year and we're good friends, but then we go out and compete against each other with everything we've got. On the dirt your best friend can become your worst enemy, but then it's over and you're back to being buddies. Brice had a great year too, and he rode really well in Brazil, with a lazyboy flip, tsunami flip, an underflip, and a stripper flip, really putting on a show for the crowd. It makes it fun to have a guy like him on the tour because you know you have to really bring it every time you go out.

liborpodmol.comPodmol extends a cliffhanger flip during his trip to the US earlier in the year.

What's the FMX scene like back home in the Czech Republic?
The Czech Republic is a very tiny country, but we have a lot of great riders and a lot of people who love FMX. The problem I have is that my track is covered in snow right now: The winters can be very hard for an FMX rider in the Czech Republic! But I can think of at least five guys who are very good and at least another ten who are back-flipping and learning very fast, so I think you will keep seeing Czech riders coming up. The whole European FMX scene is blowing up, so there's no telling where the next guys will come from.

-- Libor Podmol

What are your goals for 2011?
I would love to compete at X Games and on the Dew Tour and get back to the U.S. I have a lot of friends in the U.S. and I'm looking forward to riding more there. I would also like to do the Red Bull X-Fighters tour, and I'd like to win the IFMXF World Championships again. I'm looking forward to the UEM Freestyle European Championship opener in Linz, Austria next month, and then the FIM Freestyle Motocross World Championship gets going again in February in Turin, Italy. I like traveling so I'd like to stay busy and stay healthy and do as many events as possible next year.

We'll look forward to seeing more from you.
Thanks. I'm really hoping to make the cut for X Games this year and come see all of my American friends. What are they afraid of? Tell them to let me come over and show them how it's done.

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Interview: Libor Podmol, World Champ

Czech rider Libor Podmol won the International Freestyle Motocross Federation (IFMXF) Night of the Jumps event in Fortaleza, Brazil on Sunday with a run including underflips, a cliffhanger flip, and a Superman seat grab flip, picking up enough points to edge out French competitors Brice Izzo and Remi Bizouard to claim the FIM Freestyle MX World Champion title in the bargain. This is Podmol's first major championship win in international competition, but he's definitely been coming up for a while: He finished third overall in the 2009 FIM Freestyle MX World Championships and finished second in 2006, 2007, and 2008.

We called him while he was still celebrating in Brazil to get the scoop on his big victory and his plans for coming across the pond to compete at X Games and make a bigger splash in the United States.

Red BullCzech Republic's Libor Podmol has finally put the nail in the coffin by winning his first-ever FIM Freestyle MX World Championship after years of coming up short.

ESPN: Congratulations on your big win this weekend as the 2010 FIM Freestyle MX World Champion.
Libor Podmol: Thank you. The IMFXF World Tour is the biggest and longest tour in freestyle motocross, with stops all over Europe and in places like Africa and Brazil, so it's been a long year and it feels great to finally win it after coming close the last couple of years. I had a really good season all year but then I broke my collarbone doing a really stupid nose wheelie and missed a couple of events and messed up my ranking, so I want to thank all of the fans, all of my sponsors, and everybody who helped keep me thinking positive so I could heal up quick and come back out and win it.

-- Libor Podmol

What was the crowd like in Fortaleza? I've heard action sports events can get crazy down there in Brazil.
Oh yeah, it was totally crazy! There were 40,000 fans, all of them screaming like mad. All of the Brazilian riders were really good too, so it was even more special to win there. I had to ride last and everyone made a really good run before me, so the pressure was on just the way I like it. The course in Brazil was a little bit difficult but I went out and I was feeling good. I got my cliffhanger backflip and all the tricks I wanted to get and I had a very good feeling about it as I was riding. It's fun to ride in places like Brazil to realize how much people love FMX all across the world.

You came into this event with a small points lead over French rider Brice Izzo, who finished in second in Brazil and in the overall IFMXF standings. Is he somebody you have a rivalry with?
We travel together and ride together all year and we're good friends, but then we go out and compete against each other with everything we've got. On the dirt your best friend can become your worst enemy, but then it's over and you're back to being buddies. Brice had a great year too, and he rode really well in Brazil, with a lazyboy flip, tsunami flip, an underflip, and a stripper flip, really putting on a show for the crowd. It makes it fun to have a guy like him on the tour because you know you have to really bring it every time you go out.

liborpodmol.comPodmol extends a cliffhanger flip during his trip to the US earlier in the year.

What's the FMX scene like back home in the Czech Republic?
The Czech Republic is a very tiny country, but we have a lot of great riders and a lot of people who love FMX. The problem I have is that my track is covered in snow right now: The winters can be very hard for an FMX rider in the Czech Republic! But I can think of at least five guys who are very good and at least another ten who are back-flipping and learning very fast, so I think you will keep seeing Czech riders coming up. The whole European FMX scene is blowing up, so there's no telling where the next guys will come from.

-- Libor Podmol

What are your goals for 2011?
I would love to compete at X Games and on the Dew Tour and get back to the U.S. I have a lot of friends in the U.S. and I'm looking forward to riding more there. I would also like to do the Red Bull X-Fighters tour, and I'd like to win the IFMXF World Championships again. I'm looking forward to the UEM Freestyle European Championship opener in Linz, Austria next month, and then the FIM Freestyle Motocross World Championship gets going again in February in Turin, Italy. I like traveling so I'd like to stay busy and stay healthy and do as many events as possible next year.

We'll look forward to seeing more from you.
Thanks. I'm really hoping to make the cut for X Games this year and come see all of my American friends. What are they afraid of? Tell them to let me come over and show them how it's done.

jQuery(window).load(function() {jQuery('#video5919842').html('');});Comments that include profanity, or personal attacks, or antisocial behavior such as "spamming" or "trolling," or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site. We will take steps to block users who violate any of our terms of use. You are fully responsible for the content that you post.

View the original article here

Interview: Libor Podmol, World Champ

Czech rider Libor Podmol won the International Freestyle Motocross Federation (IFMXF) Night of the Jumps event in Fortaleza, Brazil on Sunday with a run including underflips, a cliffhanger flip, and a Superman seat grab flip, picking up enough points to edge out French competitors Brice Izzo and Remi Bizouard to claim the FIM Freestyle MX World Champion title in the bargain. This is Podmol's first major championship win in international competition, but he's definitely been coming up for a while: He finished third overall in the 2009 FIM Freestyle MX World Championships and finished second in 2006, 2007, and 2008.

We called him while he was still celebrating in Brazil to get the scoop on his big victory and his plans for coming across the pond to compete at X Games and make a bigger splash in the United States.

Red BullCzech Republic's Libor Podmol has finally put the nail in the coffin by winning his first-ever FIM Freestyle MX World Championship after years of coming up short.

ESPN: Congratulations on your big win this weekend as the 2010 FIM Freestyle MX World Champion.
Libor Podmol: Thank you. The IMFXF World Tour is the biggest and longest tour in freestyle motocross, with stops all over Europe and in places like Africa and Brazil, so it's been a long year and it feels great to finally win it after coming close the last couple of years. I had a really good season all year but then I broke my collarbone doing a really stupid nose wheelie and missed a couple of events and messed up my ranking, so I want to thank all of the fans, all of my sponsors, and everybody who helped keep me thinking positive so I could heal up quick and come back out and win it.

-- Libor Podmol

What was the crowd like in Fortaleza? I've heard action sports events can get crazy down there in Brazil.
Oh yeah, it was totally crazy! There were 40,000 fans, all of them screaming like mad. All of the Brazilian riders were really good too, so it was even more special to win there. I had to ride last and everyone made a really good run before me, so the pressure was on just the way I like it. The course in Brazil was a little bit difficult but I went out and I was feeling good. I got my cliffhanger backflip and all the tricks I wanted to get and I had a very good feeling about it as I was riding. It's fun to ride in places like Brazil to realize how much people love FMX all across the world.

You came into this event with a small points lead over French rider Brice Izzo, who finished in second in Brazil and in the overall IFMXF standings. Is he somebody you have a rivalry with?
We travel together and ride together all year and we're good friends, but then we go out and compete against each other with everything we've got. On the dirt your best friend can become your worst enemy, but then it's over and you're back to being buddies. Brice had a great year too, and he rode really well in Brazil, with a lazyboy flip, tsunami flip, an underflip, and a stripper flip, really putting on a show for the crowd. It makes it fun to have a guy like him on the tour because you know you have to really bring it every time you go out.

liborpodmol.comPodmol extends a cliffhanger flip during his trip to the US earlier in the year.

What's the FMX scene like back home in the Czech Republic?
The Czech Republic is a very tiny country, but we have a lot of great riders and a lot of people who love FMX. The problem I have is that my track is covered in snow right now: The winters can be very hard for an FMX rider in the Czech Republic! But I can think of at least five guys who are very good and at least another ten who are back-flipping and learning very fast, so I think you will keep seeing Czech riders coming up. The whole European FMX scene is blowing up, so there's no telling where the next guys will come from.

-- Libor Podmol

What are your goals for 2011?
I would love to compete at X Games and on the Dew Tour and get back to the U.S. I have a lot of friends in the U.S. and I'm looking forward to riding more there. I would also like to do the Red Bull X-Fighters tour, and I'd like to win the IFMXF World Championships again. I'm looking forward to the UEM Freestyle European Championship opener in Linz, Austria next month, and then the FIM Freestyle Motocross World Championship gets going again in February in Turin, Italy. I like traveling so I'd like to stay busy and stay healthy and do as many events as possible next year.

We'll look forward to seeing more from you.
Thanks. I'm really hoping to make the cut for X Games this year and come see all of my American friends. What are they afraid of? Tell them to let me come over and show them how it's done.

jQuery(window).load(function() {jQuery('#video5919842').html('');});Comments that include profanity, or personal attacks, or antisocial behavior such as "spamming" or "trolling," or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site. We will take steps to block users who violate any of our terms of use. You are fully responsible for the content that you post.

View the original article here