Without doubt Sam Hill is Australiaa��s most successful downhill racer ever. His quiet, a�?let the riding do the talkinga��, demeanour can be quite refreshing and as anyone that knows him well will tell you, hea��s a genuinely nice guy with a dry sense of humor. Enough character assessment, we talked to Sam about his injuries, plans for the off season to race the National Series and National Champs and his goals for 2012.
Name: Sam Hill
Age: 26
Hometown: Perth
Sam, I recall you saying that even though it is coming into the a�?off seasona��, for you, it feels like the start of the season because with your injuries you missed out on the World Cups. You have been recovering and then slowly getting up to speed, is it hard for you to stay motivated:
Ita��s pretty hard, I guess for the last two seasons I have had pretty big injuries and operations because of it. They ended in me spending a lot of time on the couch, it definitely makes it pretty hard.A�
Why are you doing the National Series and National Champs this year when in the past you have taken them off:
Usually it just feels like so much time away from home racing, you can only do so much racing otherwise you get burnt out, you kinda want the summer off. I feel refreshed to ride though, I am going to have a lot of fun riding it and I havena��t done a lot of riding in the last couple of seasons so I want to get back out there.
Is there such thing as a a�?race minda��, everyone talks about after having not ridden for a little while you get a bit rusty, no matter how many shuttles you do at home, you need that extra touch you can only get from racing, is that true:
Yeah I think so but even so doing the National Series and then going to World Cups you still got that difference. You dona��t really know I think, ita��s more you dona��t know if you have done enough work during the off season. You dona��t know what the other guys have been doing but once you get the first race done it all goes from there and makes it a bit easier heading to the next races.
There are no Western Australian National rounds are there any National rounds youa��re looking forward to in particular or you just want to get out there to them all:
I am actually looking forward to them all, especially Mount Buller and that Awaba track, I think they are both pretty fun tracks to ride, Thredbo will be cool ita��s such a long, rough track and with chairlifts. Believe it or not, I am actually looking forward to Canberra! Seeing if my off season training is coming along.
Is Awaba a track you have ridden before:
I have been there a couple of years ago but I have never raced there, ita��s a pretty cool track.
Do you have a fitness coach, with a specific training program, has the level gotten that high or is it just something you do by yourself:
I work with a coach a little bit to help me out, 2-3 times a week. Then he sets me a program to do for the other days. I think you can train yourself but to make it to the next level and get any doubt out of your mind it makes it easier to go do what you have been told to do.
Now with your shoulder, is it something youa��re really keeping an eye on, it has to be more vulnerable:A�
Both my shoulder injuries have been from impact, snapped tendons and ligaments, not much you can do about it. I have been seeing a physio twice a week and being doing weights to try and get it back to where it should be. Hopefully by the time the start of the season I will have stronger shoulders then before.
Have you already got set goals for the upcoming World Cup season:
Definitely feeling pretty hungry to go and win them, hopefully I will take my game to the next level and be able to push the other guys on. Some of the other guys have pushed everyone this year and ita��s just going to grow from there with everyonea��s fitness and everything they do.
Everyone is talking about Aaron Gwin, do you think he has done anything different, is he on some amazing fitness program or has he just got his fitness in order, his mental state in order, his racing in order and once the ball starts rolling everything goes your way:
I dona��t think hea��s doing anything different or special, I think everything you can do right he has just gone and done right. I think that has shown this past year that its paid off for him. I think last year he probably wanted to win some races, that probably gave him a fair bit of motivation and drive for this year.A�
And Troy and the other young guys are doing pretty amazing things, like Danny Hart, he is just riding really loose but do you think it is because they are committing more and riding closer to 100% on the edge or is it just their style:
I think some dudes ita��s their style but when your a bit younger you just want to hang it out a bit more, thata��s kind of what they are doing and pulling it off.
After winning the recent Asia Pacific Downhill Challenge Sam has shown he is getting back to his previous form. It will be a great boost for racing in Australia to see Sam at the National races this year. The 2012 overseas race calendar is going to be an interesting one, we know this already, if Sam gets back to previous form whata��s that going to mean for him and all his competitors?