{"id":8270,"date":"2021-04-24T03:00:15","date_gmt":"2021-04-24T03:00:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/koolboards.me\/?p=8270"},"modified":"2021-04-24T03:00:15","modified_gmt":"2021-04-24T03:00:15","slug":"they-need-young-british-people-in-resorts-qa-with-billy-morgan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koolboards.me\/?p=8270","title":{"rendered":"\u201cThey Need Young British People In Resorts\u201d | Q&A With Billy Morgan"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Southampton\u2019s Billy Morgan is synonymous with snowboarding in this country. We gave him a call to talk all about his achievements and the future of the sport he loves so much<\/h2>\n

In 2011, the order was a Triple Backside Rodeo 1260. In 2015, this was followed by the Backside Quad Cork 1800. If you didn\u2019t know better, you\u2019d be forgiven for thinking that these are burgers of the month at your local fast food joint. They are, of course, snowboarding<\/a> tricks though and not just any old ones either. They\u2019re some of the hardest to perform in the entire sport.<\/p>\n

When Billy Morgan became the first snowboarder to land these, he pretty much cemented his place in the history books for all eternity (even if cynics might try to argue otherwise). To give you a sense of the latter trick\u2019s difficulty, a Quadruple Cork requires the rider to perform four off-axis flips with five full rotations and somehow land upright before sliding away.<\/p>\n

When the Southampton snowboarder landed this move in Livigno, Italy, you\u2019ll remember that the buzz around him was infectious. The footage of the trick went well and truly viral, moving beyond the borders of the snowboard news cycle and into the realm of mainstream media. It also got Billy on the radar of sports journalists ahead of what was, at the time, the next winter Olympics.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThree years later at Pyeongchang 2018, Billy made headlines again by becoming the first British man to win an Olympic medal on snow\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Three years later at Pyeongchang 2018, Billy made headlines again by becoming the first British man to win an Olympic medal on snow. For neutrals and supporters alike, the winning of Olympic bronze felt like a much deserved payoff for all of the hard work he\u2019d put in. His Double Grab Frontside Triple Cork and the resulting spot on the podium it earned him was, from a British perspective at least, a feelgood story for the ages.<\/p>\n

Three years on from his heroics in Pyeonchang, and Billy\u2019s still the same down-to-earth lad from England\u2019s south coast; one whose stamina for shenaginans remains fully intact. Many people will never forget his debut Olympics. He famously marked his Sochi appearance by dancing with a toilet seat around his neck in the middle of a Russian nightclub. In 2018, he continued to do his bit for the concept of banter when he memorably balanced the Union flag on his chin at the Olympics closing ceremony.<\/p>\n

During a recent telephone call with Billy, we spoke about everything from his sporting achievements to the impact Brexit will have on the future of snowboarding.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a transcript of that chinwag below.<\/p>\n

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Credit: Red Bull<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

All of these amazing achievements in the sport from a person who first picked up a snowboard when they were 14 \u2013 Why was it snowboarding for you?<\/b><\/p>\n

Yeah, I was quite late to the party. But as I got into it and older, it was just such a good social aspect to it all. I was hooked the whole way. I think it has a lot to do with the freedom of it all, and that\u2019s something I enjoy the most and still do.<\/p>\n

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Credit: Red Bull<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

You were heavily involved with gymnastics from an early age. Has this gymnastic background been a great help in your snowboarding career?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

It was a massive help. It was mainly just the aerial awareness and obviously with me doing lots of spins and flips and that in the air. When you\u2019re up there, knowing where you are is quite important, and that was bred into me in gymnastics training and drummed into me from a young age.<\/p>\n

Even after I quit when I was 14, I went to adult gymnastics on a Tuesday and Thursday night and just messed around in the gym club where we just used to go mental and do flips. I found gymnastics really transferred across to snowboarding. It was almost like without knowing it, I was training for my future snowboard career.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI found gymnastics really transferred across to snowboarding. It was almost like without it, I was training for my future snowboard career\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Your performance at the Winter Olympics was British snowsport history. The pay off for all your dedication to snowboarding \u2013 how do you feel about it now? Has time faded the feeling, or does it still make you smile whenever you think about it?\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Yeah, I was just talking about this, I still sometimes forget, and I\u2019m like, no way. I still can\u2019t believe I got the medal. Because it\u2019s never the be-all or end-all achievement for me. It\u2019s more about going out there and doing the best I can.<\/p>\n

I especially never want to let down my country. That\u2019s my biggest fear. I always try to enjoy it as much as possible. It\u2019s about going through the journey and the training and all the things like that. It\u2019s just such good fun, and getting a medal in the end was a huge bonus. When I think back, I\u2019m like, that\u2019s a bit mad.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIt\u2019s just such good fun, and getting a medal in the end was a huge bonus\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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