Interview Senad Grosic

Jan 08, 2008

Written by Bart de Jong

Read 10208 times

Name: Senad Grosic
Age: 28
Hometown: Untertullnerbach, Austria
Sponsors: Redbull, Oakley, Vans, Mankind, Eastpak, Profile

Do you think it's hard to ride in a country where not all people understand what you're doing and where you don't have a big scene of riders to ride with?

Senad: Sometimes it's hard because there are not a lot of skateparks, there is no support from the local council but things have become a lot better since we started our own indoor spot. People are coming to us to ride and there are some really good riders now. It is fun to ride with them.

What have you done for yourself and the riders in Austria to make the scene better?
Senad: I don't know, started an indoor park and organized a couple of rookie contests (more are coming up).

How many contests do you have in Austria on a yearly basis?
Senad: A very good contest is the annual AKOD Dirt contest in Linz. The rest of the events are usually small jams. Last year we had two contests at our indoor place so together we've got around seven events. Cool, huh?

You do quite a few shows, ride a lot of contests and together with your sponsors you have been able to make a living riding a BMX bike. How stoked are you on that?
Senad: I still can't believe it. I'm the happiest man on earth. It is an incredible feeling to travel to the greatest countries in the world to ride contests and to do shows. I thank everyone who makes it possible for me to have fun on my bike. Cheers.

You're originally from Croatia. What is the BMX scene like over there?
Senad: You won't believe it but the scene is even smaller than in Austria. One time a year I travel to Osijek for a contest. For me it is one of the most fun and relaxed contests of the year. The riders do not have any training facilities but they are very motivated to learn new tricks. For the first time in my life I saw a "Leaf-pit". Instead of foam they took the leafs off the trees and put them on a stack and jumped into them. It is fun to ride together with somebody who is really motivated.

Can you tell us the story about you backflipping the Governator?
Senad: Oh man, Rob-O has blown up this story! I had a show once where Felix baumgartner and Hermann Meier (Herminator - Austrian ski superstar) were sitting on the jump box and I jumped over them. I think the story comes from that. Rob-O is the funniest guy on earth but Tobias Wicke and I were messing with him regardless. Sorry Rob-O.

What is it like jumping off a freestyle motocross ramp?
Senad: It was one of the coolest things ever but the crashes were unbelievable. On the first jump I knocked myself out for 10 minutes but I would like to do it again with more time and without pressure.

Where can the fans see Senad do crazy stunts in 2008?
Senad: Tallinn, Estonia and I don't know what else yet. On Saturday I'm leaving for a snowboarding trip with friends and we'll see what happens after that. Thanks for the interview and I hope to see you in Tallinn.

Pics: RedBull/Rutger Pauw/Georg Oberlechner