Interview: Steve Omischl, Olympic Aerials

Written by: AllergyMom

Steve Omischl is world champion in Freestyle Skiing (2005), winner of 26 World Cup metals and winner of a bronze metal at the Freestyle Ski World Championships (2007). He is also on the Canadian Freestyle Ski Team for the Vancouver 2010 Olympics, representing Canada in his third Olympic games. 

Photo by: Mike Ridewood

Steve has a hectic training schedule, as you can imagine, and was out in Western Canada for several weeks so between the time change and our schedules, this interview took a long time to coordinate.  We finally caught up on the morning of Canada Day. It was such a pleasure to speak with Steve and definitely worth the wait.  We had a great conversation. I learned alot about him, about his career and about how he lives with his peanut allergy. Here are some excerpts from our interview. I hope you enjoy learning more about Steve!

I want our readers to get a sense of where are you from and when you started skiing?

My parents are from Austria and I grew up in North Bay. We lived down the street from a local ski hill where I started skiing at the age of 3. I was on the hill constantly and night skiing all the time. I got bored with the local alpine program and started freestyle.

What was your biggest challenge getting into this sport?

Starting any sport if difficult – for me the challenge was financial as it was very expensive. I had a paper route when I was about 10 and a job in town at age 16 making minimum wage. I had big travel expenses, team fees and needed to raise funds.

I started doing this sport before I even knew it was a sport. I would build jumps in my backyard and at the age of 13 I joined the local freestyle program. I didn’t necessarily have aspirations of becoming professional or going to the Olympics, it was just what I was into.  I loved the jumping.

So, when did you start taking it seriously?

When I was 18, I worked on harder jumps and joined the national development team, the Ontario team. It was a lot more work and I knew I wanted to join the national team one day. I had a level of jumping talent and wanted to pursue this as I had lots of fun.

I am so lucky as I get tot do exactly what I love everyday.  It is an honor to represent the country and personally I love what I do.

Photo by Mike Ridewood

Do you live near snow all year?

I train all year but not always on snow. We train with a water ramp, which is plastic snow with a ramp that goes into a pool.  We practice all of our maneuvers and then transfer what we have training on when we move to the snow.  We used to train in the summer in Lake Placid, NY but we now have a facility in Quebec which was built 5 years ago.

You must have skied at incredible resorts around the world. Do you have a favorite one?

I don’t really have one – the conditions dictate how good the resort is on a particular day. When I’m not competing I like to do the back, unmarked runs. Waiting in line for chair lift is not my favorite part of skiing.

So now that we know how you got into skiing – tell me a little about your peanut allergy. How old were you when you discovered your peanut allergy?

My first reaction was when I was 2-3 years old. I had peanut butter and my mom took me to the hospital right away. I am lucky though as I can be around peanut butter. The smell doesn’t bother me. I may sneeze but unless I inject it I won’t have any reaction.  I have had reaction when my teammates have been around me.  They are all trained on how to use an epipen and I travel with both it and benadryl everywhere I go.

You travel between many continents with the team – how do you prepare for airline travel?

I am the king of Ziploc bags. They should sponsor me! I prepare all of my snacks when I travel and may take 20-30 pounds of dried food with me.  It’s hard to communicate my allergy in foreign countries so I take control and am always prepared with lots of food and snacks. I takes lots of snacks for plane rides too so that I always have food available.

Where do you eat when you travel with the team? Are special meals prepared for you?

It depends where we are – some are buffets, some sit down meals and at other times we cook in our own condos. I always ask the staff about peanuts and oils and I try to steer clear from buffets.

What is your favorite ‘before’ an event meal?

I love granola and blueberries with yogurt. Fresh fruit is my dessert of choice.

How difficult is it to find safe food at the ski hills? Do you eat prepared foods or bring your own?

I usually let the staff know about my food allergy and then gauge the level of concern on that individual’s face.  If they take it seriously I will eat there, if not I’ll leave. I am always prepared with Benadryl and my epipen but always prefer to pack my own meals. By doing that I eliminate any chance of a reaction and I also eat healthier. I take matters into my own hands and avoid the risk.

Are you doing anything different to prepare for these Olympics compared to past events?

I don’t look at the past. I focus on being consistent during training and I bring my consistency from training to competitions. I have the same intensity during training that I bring to competition – no more, no less.

Do you feel that this training season different because of the Olympics in February?

No, not really. We train hard at training camp and have about 6 events prior to the Olympics. That is a great opportunity for us as we will be ready to peak in February.

Athletes always have interesting training regimes. What kind of cross training do you do?

Trampoline is really where we practice the basic elements in jumping.  It is a smaller, controlled environment where we focus on repetition. I also go to the gym for strength training and plyometric training, as we need to be able to stand with the impact of landing. I also surf, play golf and hockey. I pretty much do every sport out there.

Photo by: Mike Ridewood

Steve, this is something I’ve personally always wondered when I see ski jumping on TV – what do you think about in that moment of take off for a jump?

It is very technical. So many things have to come together in that one moment. The speed has to be right on to ensure timing on take off, the air movement precise enough to do the trick and I need to ensure I land safely. The whole thing is only 3.5 seconds of airtime. I think precisely about what my body has to do.

If I think about hockey players, their game is 60 minutes per night. We probably train for the same amount of time, yet our sport allows for 2 jumps per event for a total of 7 seconds. I can’t let my mind waiver, as I need to produce a great jump every time.  It takes years of training and discipline to prepare for a big moment.

Which athletes inspired you?

Definitely a handful including Jean-Luc Brassard, winner of the 1994 Olympic Gold medalist for moguls and Eric Bergoust, 1998 Olympic Gold Medalist

Of course Tiger Woods and Wayne Gretzky – I respect their accomplishments.

Any idea what you want to do when you retire from aerials?

I would like to stay in the sport doing coaching, administration or involved somehow trying to develop sports programs. Sports have given me so much I am personally motivated to give back.

What would you say to the millions of kids living with food allergies?

Don’t let something small like severe allergies stop you from doing what you want to do including travel and sports. Take extra time to be prepared and keep yourself safe.  Teach those around you how to use an epipen.

I think you are inspiring to many kids out there who have dreams of either being an athlete, or following their passions as you clearly have. Thanks so much for taking the time to speak with me today and I wish you a Happy Canada Day and a great season ahead.

To learn more about Steve, visit his website at toyourfeet.ca

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