Where Ottawa Magazine March April 2017 | Page 23

Q & A :

Q & A :

Hometown hero , international daredevil
Daniel Guolla , 25 , will be the only Ottawa competitor when ice cross downhill glides into the capital .
Q : What will this Crashed Ice race involve and how dangerous is the sport ? A : Part of it is skating , but a lot of it is how smooth you can be getting through all of the obstacles , jumps , bumps , and tight turns — a jump in Munich in 2015 was a 45-foot vertical drop ! We ’ re rarely getting serious hospital injuries though . There ’ s a lot of incidental contact , pretty similar to non-contact hockey . You can lean on each other , you can use your legs to battle , but you can ’ t just hit a guy . If we could do that , guys would get seriously hurt .
How can I watch ? For spectators watching the race , there ’ s no cost ! Just head on over to the locks by Parliament Hill and Major ’ s Hill Park nice and early to get a good view . Keep an eye out for Canadian favourite , Scott Croxall — who will be looking to reclaim his world championship title on home soil .
Q : How special is it for you to have the event finally debut in your hometown ? A : The location in Ottawa has the potential to be one of the better events we ’ ve ever had … I had hip surgery in May , which has personally motivated me to get back skating again so I can compete in the upcoming race . I ’ m excited for this opportunity and for more people to see it . — Matt Harrison
march / april 2017 where . ca 23