Calgary (AB), Canada – Members of the Canadian ski cross team on Monday unveiled a blue jean-inspired Descente race suit dedicated to the memory of their much-loved teammate Nik Zoricic, who passed away in March following a crash at a race in Switzerland.
Zoricic, of Toronto, Ontario, famously wore blue jeans in one of his first World Cup races because he didn’t have race pants and wanted to be as aerodynamic as possible. His teammates worked with national team clothing supplier Descente to come up with a race pant that looks like a pair of jeans. The new uniform – which includes a red and white race jersey – will be debuted at this weekend’s inaugural Audi FIS Nakiska Ski Cross World Cup event in Alberta.
“This is the most excited I’ve been to put on a Canadian ski cross uniform,” said World Cup veteran Dave Duncan, of London, Ontario, a close friend and teammate of Zoricic. “The jean style is in memory of one of Nik’s first World Cups where he raced in blue jeans – it looks like a regular pair of jeans with Canada emblazoned on it. It’s a way of keeping Nik with us.”
Zoricic, 29, died on March 10, 2012, following a crash at a World Cup race in Grindelwald, Switzerland. Saturday’s ski cross finals in Nakiska will be the first ski cross World Cup races held since that day.
“We got together at the end of the year and there was a consensus that we wanted to do a denim jean moving forward,” said Duncan, who has taken on the responsibility of being the team’s athlete representative on safety issues at the international level. “If it wasn’t denim this year we might not have raced – we felt that strongly that we wanted it. We are really glad that Descente and everyone else involved was able to make it happen. We are incredibly happy and we can’t wait to sport our new uniforms.”
Zoricic was a successful alpine ski racer who started competing in ski cross event at the end of 2008. He made his ski cross World Cup debut in January 2009 in Lake Placid, N.Y., before he famously showed up at the Cypress Mountain World Cup stop a month later in British Columbia without any race pants. He opted to wear blue jeans instead and finished 38th. Zoricic’s longtime teammate Brady Leman, of Calgary, Alberta, said the idea of designing a jean style racing pant was first raised before Zoricic passed away.
“It’s something that we talked about for a long time – even with him,” said Leman, who is ranked No. 2 in the world in men’s ski cross. “We wanted to do some sort of tribute and we were finally able to make the denim look happen – it’s awesome.”
Although the pants – which include the word “Canada” along the side as well as a team logo – were designed specifically for the 2012-13 season, Leman hopes they will be around for years to come.
“I’d like to see us just changing the top every year,” Leman said. “I hope the denim look is here to stay for team Canada.
“Racing in them – they look exactly like jeans – it’s going to put a smile on everyone’s face. The Canadian tuxedo thing (denim jeans and top) kind of holds true too, so that’s something cool. It’s pretty identifiable. We’re stoked.”
Nik’s father Bebe Zoricic, who is in the process of setting up The NZ Foundation to support young athletes, develop safety initiatives and “keep the memory and legacy of Nik alive,” said he is delighted the Canadian team is remembering Nik through its race uniforms.
“We are honored that Nik’s memory is being honoured in this way,” said Bebe, who added that The NZ Foundation website – www.nzfoundation.ca – is due to launch later in the week. “We told Nik’s friends about it and they were touched and happy that the team is continuing to support Nik’s legacy. Hopefully these pants will become a tradition.”
Marielle Thompson, the first Canadian to win an individual ski cross Crystal Globe as the overall World Cup champion, thinks the race suits will be the talk of the circuit.
“Descente has done a really good job making them look good. Our cool factor is definitely going to be up with these suits,” said Thompson, of Whistler, British Columbia. “It’s awesome that we can show our respect to Nik on the hill and while we’re skiing.”
Dave Ellis, athletic director for the Canadian ski cross team, said the pants aren’t the only nod to Nik.
“The jacket itself is the same pattern we had last year – but with red instead of yellow – and it’s actually called the Sarajevo, which coincidentally is where Nik was born,” Ellis said. “Unfortunately, Nik passed away doing this sport that we all love. It’s part of that mountain culture where athletes always want to remember their close friends doing the sport they love and I think this will be a good way to keep him close to our heart.
“The pants keep Nik with us on the snow and in our minds while racing on the hill. We will be debuting them at our World Cup here in the Rockies. Nik will be here with us.”