Nike 6.0 Olympic Hopeful Teamrider Bios
Kevin Pearce
A pioneer of the air space above jump lips and halfpipe walls worldwide, Vermont-born Kevin Pearce is widely recognized as snowboarding’s next great prodigy. Two-time winner of the prestigious Arctic Challenge Quarterpipe and champion of countless events over the last couple seasons (many that included the so-called unbeatable Shaun White in their start lists), Pearce has spearheaded an inspirational changing of the guard in snowboardin. While his results seem to indicate a fierce desire to win, Pearce attains such shred supremacy by tempering his competitive nature with a sheer love of riding for the fun in it. He co-filmed an awe-inspiring halfpipe part for Mack Dawg’s Picture This, as well as launching an environmentally conscious dog-sled/shred trip to Greenland with one of his biggest supporters—the legendary Terje Haakonsen. A true Vermonter through and through, Kevin grew up in a refinished barn out in the rolling hills of the Green Mountain State—which is where this hero-in-the making still goes to tap into his roots and get some down-home-style riding with his brothers.
TJ Schiller
Like Neil Armstrong setting foot on the moon, Canadian freeskier TJ Schiller went where no man has gone before when he landed an insane switch 1440 mute grab (that’s three times around—switch!) at the US Freeskiing Open a few years ago—becoming the first skier in history to land that trick in competition. Since that day, Schiller has done the “undoable” on a daily basis. Born and raised in British Columbia, this dynamic jumper calls Whistler home, and when he’s not launching powder-seeking missions deep in to the backcountry, he’s defying physics in the Blackcomb park. Schiller distinguishes himself from the masses with a rare strain of determination and resilience—as demonstrated this past season when he returned from ACL surgery to win the 2009 X-Games Slopestyle in a massive field-wide upset. A devoted disciple of high speeds and amplitude, TJ is a big-air specialist who’s constantly pushing the cusp of what can be done on a set of skis.
Carissa Moore
The ocean—it’s one of earth’s final frontiers, and young Hawaiian surfer Carissa Moore is one of its most brilliant pioneers. Raised on the white sands of Honolulu, Moore has been riding waves since the ripe old age of four and competing on a professional level since age eleven. Currently 16 years old, she has courage and vision beyond her years—and despite a sweet and centered personality, she notoriously shakes up the status quo. Whether it’s becoming the youngest surfer to ever win a Triple Crown event (at the 2008 Reef Hawaiian Pro) or being the first female in over a decade to grace the cover of Surfer Magazine this past spring, Moore is constantly pushing the limits of women’s surfing. In fact, thanks in large part to Carissa’s progressive wave riding, young female surfers around the world are casting off the shackles of what was done before them and very simply ripping. Of course, young Moore is still in high school, and she has continually put her studies before globetrotting the world’s surf breaks—a testament to the iron-clad determination it takes to be a champion.
James Stewart
Motocross is one of the most physically demanding sports on earth, requiring an aggressive personality and an inherent love of danger. With that said, James Stewart dominates his discipline for a reason. This relentless Floridian has a stack of X-rays and hospital files dwarfed only by his even larger stack of competition gold medals. Last year was a standout for Stewart. He returned from a season-long hiatus due to knee surgery by winning 24 out of 24 races in 2009, thereby recording a perfect season. And while he may be best known as the first African-American to dominate the top level of motocross (quite a prestigious accolade in its own right), the athlete himself seems to be more proud of his brass-tacks performance in the trenches—coming back from injuries for the win and the times he took it by the dirt on the skin of his teeth. “With a helmet on, we all look the same anyway,” he says on his Web site. Regardless, James continually pushes limits—whether they be speed or racial—by simply fulfilling his insatiable appetite for motocross.
Simon Dumont
It takes an elite and inspirational personality to take the kind of risks that put your life in danger in the name of progression—but that’s freeskier Simon Dumont’s M.O. Type his name into any Internet search engine and you’ll be served up a heaping plate of posts on Dumont’s world-record-breaking quarterpipe air last spring at Sunday River, Maine. On a custom-built QP at his home mountain, Dumont soared 35 feet above the lip (that’s 73 feet above the ground!) to beat out the former record of 32.1 feet … And did we mention he was spinning a corked 900-degree tail grab in the process? However, for every broken record, there’s plenty of broken skis and broken bones—a lesson Simon learned in 2005 when he plummeted 80 feet to the ground in Park City, Utah, fracturing his pelvis, rupturing his spleen, and very nearly losing his life. Six weeks later, he was on the snow again. A master competitor who thrives on the pressure that comes with winning, Simon gives back to the competitive skiing community by co-hosting the North American Cup with legendary skier Jon Olson, as well as holding the annual “Dumont Cup” back home in Sunday River. At the spry age of 23, Dumont is already a natural leader and one of freeskiing’s true heroes.
Garrett Reynolds
Like a rocket scientist on the forefront of the space race, Jersey-based BMXer Garrett Reynolds is a technical wizard who’s constantly inventing new tricks, new lines, and new combinations. His inexplicable natural talent dictates that he basically does anything he wants to on a bike (i.e. awe-inspiring bar-spin combinations and ridiculous rotations). It’s a limitless, fluid approach that’s taken him straight to the top at countless competitions. Two-time Simpel Session winner, 2009 Asian X Games champ, and winner of the 2008 X Games street comp in Los Angeles, Reynolds’ ability to unleash rapid-fire tricks allows him to pack an impressive amount into one run, while a unique vision means he sees lines that his competitors do not. At 19 years old, Garrett may still be a teenager, but he’s been on the forefront of BMX progression for years now. He’s a seasoned competitor and a hilarious personality who’s inspired by exploration of the street—unearthing never-before-ridden spots, pushing and getting pushed by his friends, and straight-up goofing off.
Michel Bourez
Courage, focus, and unquestionable strength—these are the traits required to surf the world’s biggest waves, and they’re what Tihitian-born Michel Bourez has in spades. His deep-tube riding was honed on the notoriously heavy Teahupoo, a wave that strikes fear in the hearts of many, but he’s also a complete surfer who’s skill owns realms beyond the big breaks. Bourez famously beat out surf superstar Kelly Slater at the 2008 Reef Hawaii Pro, thereby both toppling a legend and earning himself a spot on the 2009 ASP Tour. Michel’s mental game is hard as nails, and his muscles? They are, too—a fact that’s earned him the nickname “Spartan.” An extraordinary athlete with critical moves and powerful potential, the Spartan has the tour’s top pros scrambling to protect their status.
Fall, 2009
