WEBVTT - Jeremy Bloom 0:00:00.360 --> 0:00:02.600 This is cut to it with Steve Smith Senior at 0:00:02.640 --> 0:00:08.879 production of The Black Effect and I Heart Radio. I'm 0:00:08.920 --> 0:00:11.680 Steve Smith Senior and I'm a little John and this 0:00:11.800 --> 0:00:15.680 is cut to it. Good do it, Good do it. 0:00:16.079 --> 0:00:19.520 They's getting down to do it. Good do it. We 0:00:19.560 --> 0:00:22.880 asked the questions you always want to know, but no 0:00:22.920 --> 0:00:29.040 one ever asked, let's cut to it. You ain't heard 0:00:29.080 --> 0:00:31.800 am about it, then we're about to let you know. 0:00:32.080 --> 0:00:41.200 It's all. I just got back back in town, came 0:00:41.280 --> 0:00:44.239 back and I was up in though I was up 0:00:44.280 --> 0:00:48.000 in Big Sky. Was that Montana? Montana? Yeah, ain't a 0:00:48.000 --> 0:00:50.800 lot of brothers in. I was gonna say, school, Why 0:00:50.800 --> 0:00:52.360 don't you up in Big Scott? What was going on 0:00:52.400 --> 0:00:55.480 in Montana? What was going on in those Montana streets? 0:00:56.760 --> 0:01:00.279 The slopes, Montena slopes. I was. I was out their 0:01:00.280 --> 0:01:02.360 skin and it was good. It was fun. That's my 0:01:02.520 --> 0:01:05.720 um that's my happy place. Okay, it's my favorite place. 0:01:08.400 --> 0:01:12.520 It's just peaceful, man. It's uh, you're just on the mountain. 0:01:12.600 --> 0:01:18.680 No agendas. Uh, well, there's agenda not to fall and 0:01:19.080 --> 0:01:22.120 if you look to you know, try to avoid bears. 0:01:22.160 --> 0:01:23.840 Like last year we were out there and uh we 0:01:24.000 --> 0:01:27.759 left and there was a bear. Um, but it's um 0:01:27.800 --> 0:01:31.240 just a good opportunity, good good, good fellowship. There's about 0:01:32.480 --> 0:01:36.560 there's about fifteen of us, about three houses, five or 0:01:36.560 --> 0:01:42.839 six rental, all guys nice, all guys UM and these 0:01:42.840 --> 0:01:47.000 guys all most of them, majority of them, Uh you know, 0:01:47.080 --> 0:01:50.720 they went to college, like the core guys went to college. 0:01:51.320 --> 0:01:53.480 So there's some guys who went to Florida. And then 0:01:53.560 --> 0:01:56.560 I'm I'm friends with a guy that wanted core guys together. Yeah, 0:01:56.600 --> 0:01:58.800 went the four together. And then I'm friends with want 0:01:58.800 --> 0:02:02.320 of the core guys. Um, d C shout out to 0:02:02.400 --> 0:02:06.840 d C and over the ears is just they invite 0:02:07.360 --> 0:02:11.760 people that they feel um that brings something to the table, 0:02:11.880 --> 0:02:16.960 whether it's energy, uh, personality and also too, you know, 0:02:17.320 --> 0:02:20.240 are you trustworthy a little bit right? And so it's 0:02:20.440 --> 0:02:28.200 it's all good fun ski um. We eat play cards, 0:02:28.639 --> 0:02:32.200 tell jokes, talk crap to each other. So it's like 0:02:32.320 --> 0:02:35.200 it's like a it's like a Baschlard trip without the bachelornus. 0:02:35.240 --> 0:02:42.360 No no, no, no bachelors. It's it's literally it is 0:02:44.040 --> 0:02:48.720 four or five days of during the day's skin in 0:02:48.800 --> 0:02:51.520 the evenings and in the mornings you're catching up on 0:02:51.600 --> 0:02:55.200 work emails and it's just you just skiing. Man, it's um, 0:02:55.240 --> 0:02:57.800 there's some good skiers, there's some guys who don't belong. 0:02:58.440 --> 0:03:01.679 Give me the ski highlights, so ski highlight, um any 0:03:01.720 --> 0:03:05.799 new contraptions. So so so here here's what happened, right, 0:03:05.919 --> 0:03:09.000 And so when you say, man, Steve's a skier, like 0:03:09.120 --> 0:03:11.320 when I said, I just enjoyed skinning, that's my little 0:03:11.320 --> 0:03:13.880 happy place. So when I go back in my history, right, 0:03:14.360 --> 0:03:20.520 I had moonlight basin, I skied seventeen point nine miles. 0:03:22.120 --> 0:03:25.720 Uh that my max speed was forty five point eight. 0:03:26.240 --> 0:03:30.000 That was downhill. I was moving average speed sixteen ski 0:03:30.960 --> 0:03:38.080 Nissan total was sinned. So I was high as fourteen 0:03:38.200 --> 0:03:45.160 thousand four. Man, I ain't never and then just altitude 0:03:45.800 --> 0:03:52.720 nine hundred nine thousand, two hundred and fifty four and 0:03:52.760 --> 0:03:57.520 I hit twelve runs, seventeen slopes. That was day one. 0:03:58.400 --> 0:04:02.280 Day two, oh yeah, day two that's what I was. 0:04:02.760 --> 0:04:06.560 It was good, twenty three slopes, so we we showed 0:04:06.600 --> 0:04:10.120 improvement day too. Oh yeah. But but but the last 0:04:10.200 --> 0:04:16.240 day that's when I got after twenty two miles, I 0:04:16.320 --> 0:04:22.599 got as high as thirteen thousand. I was well. I 0:04:22.640 --> 0:04:26.480 switched over to this little thing called a snow snow 0:04:26.520 --> 0:04:30.360 god bike. It's like a ski it's like a tricycle 0:04:30.600 --> 0:04:33.440 for skiers and you put your feet in. I get 0:04:33.520 --> 0:04:38.880 to wear uh snowboarding boots. So if you ever skied, 0:04:40.279 --> 0:04:42.040 it puts a lot of pressure on your feet and 0:04:42.040 --> 0:04:45.760 you're locked in. Man, this snow this snow good bike. 0:04:46.160 --> 0:04:51.479 It was fire. It was skiing but without being locked in. 0:04:51.640 --> 0:04:54.480 But you have a little snowboard freeness. It's like a 0:04:54.480 --> 0:04:58.640 little hybrid eat bro. It was awesome, like is it was? 0:04:58.920 --> 0:05:01.279 It was nice, it was. It was good, especially after 0:05:02.040 --> 0:05:06.920 skiing for you know, seven eight nine hours every day 0:05:07.080 --> 0:05:09.560 and to have this one. So it was nice. Man. 0:05:09.600 --> 0:05:12.839 I enjoy skinning because it's just it's a quiet place. 0:05:13.360 --> 0:05:17.919 There's no economic status, there's no racial status. They're just 0:05:18.080 --> 0:05:20.559 you can either ski or you can't. And if you can't, 0:05:20.920 --> 0:05:25.040 only only person that really it impacts is yourself. So 0:05:25.080 --> 0:05:27.000 I enjoy it. I love it. Man. It's one of 0:05:27.040 --> 0:05:33.320 the few places, um, I could just be me right 0:05:34.440 --> 0:05:36.640 and you get on. You know, you're on the slope 0:05:37.160 --> 0:05:41.359 next to somebody and sometimes you have conversations, sometimes you don't. 0:05:41.480 --> 0:05:51.000 But it's Uh. Skiing is fun but also too if you. 0:05:51.000 --> 0:05:53.839 When you're on the ski lift. You can also people watch. 0:05:54.640 --> 0:05:57.479 You can see people who you can see who You 0:05:57.520 --> 0:06:00.200 can see people who have gotten on the slope and 0:06:00.200 --> 0:06:04.400 they realize they're green, which is easy, but they don't 0:06:04.400 --> 0:06:09.400 know they're on the blue, which is difficult or experience. 0:06:09.560 --> 0:06:13.919 Or they they're blue, but they thank they're black diamonds, 0:06:14.640 --> 0:06:18.800 and some of the black diamonds. I don't go on 0:06:18.800 --> 0:06:21.200 some of the black diamonds because of the name. So 0:06:21.200 --> 0:06:23.400 it's like that is that is that the most some 0:06:23.920 --> 0:06:29.200 black diamonds is that that's like a black belt of skin. Yeah, 0:06:29.480 --> 0:06:31.360 here's what it is. Yes, it's a black belt, which 0:06:31.440 --> 0:06:33.760 is you can get your ass. We here's some of 0:06:33.760 --> 0:06:36.680 the names of some of the black diamonds, bone crusher, 0:06:37.839 --> 0:06:43.680 sticks and stones, and the last one the wittoe maker. Oh, 0:06:43.760 --> 0:06:46.360 the widow make. Yeah that ain't that ain't good? No, 0:06:46.839 --> 0:06:48.960 that ain't good. I'm not going on that one. It's 0:06:49.000 --> 0:06:53.560 telling you if you do not belong here, you have 0:06:53.560 --> 0:06:56.640 found out, you will find out the hard way that 0:06:56.680 --> 0:06:58.839 you shouldn't have got on this. So maybe that's reserved 0:06:58.839 --> 0:07:01.640 for like your a length type of skiers. Ain't it 0:07:01.640 --> 0:07:03.760 ain't for me? That's all I know I'm not getting 0:07:03.760 --> 0:07:06.440 on anything that says you can die in their name 0:07:06.520 --> 0:07:10.880 tag widow maker. I enjoy the skin. It's nice, it's fun, 0:07:11.720 --> 0:07:13.920 it's um. You get up on that mountain clear air. 0:07:14.760 --> 0:07:18.160 Uh it was nice, and you know, it snowed a 0:07:18.160 --> 0:07:19.680 few days and it was clear. But one of the 0:07:19.720 --> 0:07:22.640 cool things is you go high enough. At one point, 0:07:22.720 --> 0:07:29.480 I was high enough that you felt like, if I 0:07:29.520 --> 0:07:34.600 can just take another ski left up, I can maybe 0:07:34.600 --> 0:07:36.480 touch the clouds on on the way up to the 0:07:36.520 --> 0:07:38.600 ski left. That's how high the mound was. It was 0:07:38.600 --> 0:07:42.680 pretty cool. And that's that's hot. That is high high. 0:07:44.440 --> 0:07:48.640 That's higher than stoop Dog. It's really I ain't never 0:07:48.680 --> 0:07:52.720 been there, but man, it was awesome. Man. I love it. 0:07:52.760 --> 0:07:54.320 I love it. It's it's just a great place. Man. 0:07:54.400 --> 0:07:55.960 I'm looking forward to it. And I think we got 0:07:56.000 --> 0:07:58.800 someone coming up who has their fair share of experience 0:07:58.800 --> 0:08:01.360 when it comes to skin as well. Well. Listen, if 0:08:01.360 --> 0:08:03.400 you're talking about the guy that I think you're talking about, 0:08:03.520 --> 0:08:09.480 I think so I'm gonna try sits compared to him, 0:08:09.480 --> 0:08:15.440 like I still got my training wheels on. Welcome to 0:08:15.520 --> 0:08:21.920 the cut to a podcast. Jeremy bloom um Man, Good friend. Also, 0:08:22.800 --> 0:08:28.280 are you loving time World Cup gold medalists, three time 0:08:28.400 --> 0:08:35.000 World champion, two time Olympia, former skier, farmer, NFL player, 0:08:35.120 --> 0:08:43.199 but also a Colorado University of Colorado outstanding playmaker. Thank 0:08:43.240 --> 0:08:49.559 you for coming on the cut to a podcast. Make 0:08:49.600 --> 0:08:53.760 yourself at home, get comfortable. Yes, man, We're gonna jump 0:08:53.840 --> 0:08:58.200 right into it. Listen when you're down. What makes you 0:08:58.240 --> 0:09:08.200 feel better? Ice cream cake? Okay, cream cream cookie dough oreo, 0:09:08.679 --> 0:09:12.240 you name it, um, chocolate chip cookies. I'm a big 0:09:12.240 --> 0:09:17.480 dessert guike. In fact, I learned how to ski by 0:09:17.520 --> 0:09:21.520 my grandfather throwing candy bars down the mountain. True story three, 0:09:21.600 --> 0:09:25.000 Ages three, four and five. The grand grandfather got off 0:09:25.000 --> 0:09:27.960 the lift through candy bars down the mountain, and if 0:09:28.000 --> 0:09:29.880 I was good enough to ski down and find them, 0:09:29.880 --> 0:09:32.120 I could eat them. So I've been a bit of 0:09:32.120 --> 0:09:34.720 a dessert guid my life. Have you tried that training 0:09:34.760 --> 0:09:37.880 on anyone else? Not yet, But but I have an 0:09:37.880 --> 0:09:41.959 eleven eleven month old daughter in the house. You will 0:09:42.000 --> 0:09:50.960 be learning the same way. What can what candy bar? Uh? 0:09:51.080 --> 0:09:54.320 He threw Snickers and Mars candy bars. Those were his favorites. 0:09:56.440 --> 0:09:59.280 All right, man? In place you would like to travel, 0:10:00.160 --> 0:10:04.360 but haven't done it yet? Where and why haven't you 0:10:04.400 --> 0:10:08.720 done it? I would say, I mean, I think Antarctica 0:10:08.840 --> 0:10:11.760 would be a bucket list thing. Obviously it's really hard 0:10:11.760 --> 0:10:13.400 to get down there. There's not a lot down there, 0:10:13.400 --> 0:10:15.400 but just to be able to go to all all 0:10:15.480 --> 0:10:17.520 the continents I think would be pretty special. So at 0:10:17.559 --> 0:10:20.199 some point I'd like to get down there. Um. The 0:10:20.600 --> 0:10:22.839 other one I guess would be New Zealand. I'd love 0:10:22.880 --> 0:10:25.880 to track and hike the Milford Sound down there. It's just, 0:10:26.080 --> 0:10:28.680 you know, really incredible beautiful landscape and you know, I 0:10:28.679 --> 0:10:31.240 love being outside and in the nature. So I think 0:10:31.320 --> 0:10:34.880 I think New Zealand and Antarctica are two on the list. 0:10:35.480 --> 0:10:38.400 And article is definitely on brand for you. Butther like me, 0:10:38.400 --> 0:10:42.840 ain't going to an article. I don't think a lot 0:10:42.880 --> 0:10:48.480 of people are putting that over on Brandford Jeremy Nough, 0:10:49.520 --> 0:10:54.600 What what's the most beautiful drive you've you've taken? Um? 0:10:54.640 --> 0:10:56.920 I would say, you know, you know, I was part 0:10:56.960 --> 0:10:58.840 of the United States key team for a bunch of years. 0:10:58.840 --> 0:11:01.920 We would compete. We'd start the season in Europe and 0:11:02.000 --> 0:11:06.480 we'd ski um the Pyrenees, like you know, in in France. 0:11:06.520 --> 0:11:10.000 We'd we'd ski the Alps, you know, in Switzerland, we'd 0:11:10.040 --> 0:11:14.120 see ski the Dolomites in Italy. Um, I would say, 0:11:14.480 --> 0:11:16.719 you know, nothing can compare to that, certainly nothing I've 0:11:16.720 --> 0:11:18.760 experienced in the United States, because the mountains are just 0:11:18.840 --> 0:11:21.920 so much higher, not from an elevation perspective, but the 0:11:22.240 --> 0:11:24.600 town's basically started sea level. And if the mountains go 0:11:24.720 --> 0:11:27.080 up to you know whatever, eight thousand feet, and they 0:11:27.160 --> 0:11:29.680 just they look like Mount Everest. So I would say, 0:11:29.800 --> 0:11:31.839 you know, driving in in the in the Alps or 0:11:31.840 --> 0:11:36.000 the Dolomites are the Pyrenees, it's just you know, otherworldly, 0:11:36.640 --> 0:11:42.240 it's pretty incredible over there. Um, are the Alps rowed 0:11:42.640 --> 0:11:46.120 like in Colorado and in Utah. I heard they're a 0:11:46.120 --> 0:11:51.400 little bit more dangerous. The Alps are are more there. 0:11:51.960 --> 0:11:54.240 There's less trees in the Alps, so there's not a 0:11:54.240 --> 0:11:56.679 ton of tree skiing. It's just like big mountains, open 0:11:56.760 --> 0:11:59.480 mountains and runs for days, and a lot of the 0:11:59.480 --> 0:12:01.920 ski area is in In Europe, you can ski from 0:12:01.920 --> 0:12:04.280 country to country, that's how big they are. Like you 0:12:04.320 --> 0:12:07.000 can ski from one country and go have lunch in 0:12:07.040 --> 0:12:10.640 another country and then ski back and take take the lifts. 0:12:10.800 --> 0:12:13.160 Um but you know, they do groop some of the 0:12:13.360 --> 0:12:15.040 some of the runs some of the mountains, but it's 0:12:15.080 --> 0:12:18.160 more off piece, more back country skiing than than typically 0:12:18.160 --> 0:12:22.320 like in Colorado. Is that why you have I'm assuming 0:12:22.400 --> 0:12:26.520 you have more injuries out there skiing out there, because 0:12:26.520 --> 0:12:30.240 I've heard that some of the some of the of 0:12:30.320 --> 0:12:35.480 the skiing out there is a little less um they 0:12:35.520 --> 0:12:39.160 have less warning, they have less you know, understanding where 0:12:39.160 --> 0:12:42.400 you are because you know you're in Colorado. You know 0:12:42.400 --> 0:12:45.600 a skiing utah a lot, and there's just like you 0:12:45.640 --> 0:12:50.920 know if you're going off, you know, off the trail, 0:12:51.080 --> 0:12:54.240 and I hear in Europe you you don't find out 0:12:54.320 --> 0:12:58.400 until your off the trail and down the hill you 0:12:58.400 --> 0:13:01.440 are spot on, Steve, That's exactly how it is. I mean, 0:13:01.600 --> 0:13:04.360 we're the land of regulations here in the United States. 0:13:04.679 --> 0:13:08.160 We have regulations for the regulations, and that certainly plays 0:13:08.200 --> 0:13:11.960 out in skiing. Like you don't have to be very 0:13:12.000 --> 0:13:15.000 intelligent or a good skier to follow the regulations in 0:13:15.000 --> 0:13:19.400 the United States. But yes, over and over in Europe, um, 0:13:19.440 --> 0:13:22.880 they they don't really tell you if you're going off 0:13:22.920 --> 0:13:25.720 peace or off mountain. You really have to pay attention 0:13:25.800 --> 0:13:28.800 to like the runs because you will find yourself so 0:13:29.160 --> 0:13:33.079 in the complete back country, and those back country runs 0:13:33.200 --> 0:13:38.440 would be a black diamond or or or harder blue. 0:13:39.040 --> 0:13:43.320 Then you would anticipate where you know and like Utah 0:13:43.559 --> 0:13:46.520 or Colorado, you can you'll see it as well lit 0:13:46.640 --> 0:13:49.160 and understand you go down this, well, this is now 0:13:49.600 --> 0:13:53.800 a mogul right and am I am I off base 0:13:53.840 --> 0:13:57.319 because going going to the Swiss helps is one of 0:13:57.320 --> 0:13:59.240 those that that's that's one of my bucket lists that 0:13:59.280 --> 0:14:02.120 I'm I'm going to do. But I'm also a little 0:14:02.160 --> 0:14:07.640 bit hesitant because of the runs just aren't well, uh, 0:14:07.679 --> 0:14:11.560 they don't have a lot of good direction. Now, you'll 0:14:11.600 --> 0:14:14.440 be fine as long as you pay attention. And you know, 0:14:14.720 --> 0:14:16.880 you gotta go to Zermatt. If you go to Switzerland, 0:14:16.920 --> 0:14:19.520 you've gotta skiser Mat. It's probably the best ski area 0:14:19.520 --> 0:14:23.000 in the world. Um, it's the Paramount Paramount pictures. You 0:14:23.000 --> 0:14:25.720 know the mountain from the Paramount. That's that's where the 0:14:25.760 --> 0:14:28.560 mountains you know comes from. It's it's it's in Zermatt, Switzerland. 0:14:28.680 --> 0:14:33.240 It's incredible. It's an incredible town. Um, I'm sure you 0:14:33.400 --> 0:14:35.200 will be great on skis. I don't know how much 0:14:35.200 --> 0:14:38.320 you've skiwed before I went to snowboarding with Troy palamalo 0:14:39.000 --> 0:14:42.800 Um and it was hilarious because he snowboards just like 0:14:42.840 --> 0:14:46.120 he played football. Like he's just absolutely fearless, like trying 0:14:46.160 --> 0:14:49.400 backflips when he had no business doing backflips, and you know, 0:14:49.480 --> 0:14:52.280 he's just you know, you guys are guys are fearless. 0:14:52.320 --> 0:15:00.400 And I've been skiing since two thousand three college. Did 0:15:00.400 --> 0:15:03.720 you ski when you went to Yeah? I skied out there, 0:15:03.760 --> 0:15:06.440 and then once I was done, once I graduated, once 0:15:06.520 --> 0:15:09.600 I left college, I started skiing. So I ski now 0:15:09.760 --> 0:15:12.160 and I go to Utah. I primarily go to Utah. 0:15:12.280 --> 0:15:14.720 I've been a breaking ridge. I think it was a 0:15:14.720 --> 0:15:18.640 breaking ridge. We've been a breaking ridge. That you were 0:15:18.680 --> 0:15:21.520 with me, you were you were with me when my 0:15:21.600 --> 0:15:25.280 GPS didin't regulated and just yet, no, when you're saying 0:15:25.320 --> 0:15:28.200 I was with Colorado Colorado, I still don't remember the name. 0:15:28.480 --> 0:15:30.000 So he was in I know it was in Veil, 0:15:30.840 --> 0:15:32.280 so I think it was breaking ridge. So we did 0:15:32.360 --> 0:15:36.840 breaking Ridge, um. But mainly I do the canyons because 0:15:36.840 --> 0:15:38.600 I have an epic paths, so that's that's where I 0:15:38.640 --> 0:15:41.920 liked going. And I'm one of those guys too, like uh, 0:15:43.320 --> 0:15:45.800 I don't need them, but I've had them long enough. 0:15:45.840 --> 0:15:49.840 I need some new ski boots. And then because I 0:15:49.880 --> 0:15:52.880 need new ski boots, I needed some new new ski pants. 0:15:52.920 --> 0:15:54.600 Just go to hold, just go to whole nine, get 0:15:54.600 --> 0:15:59.520 the whole Yeah, absolutely, like, yeah, I think I'm gonna 0:15:59.520 --> 0:16:01.840 do that. I think the only thing I want. Said 0:16:01.920 --> 0:16:07.640 you look good, but you don't buy. I think I 0:16:07.720 --> 0:16:12.200 hear yeah he said yeah, but yeah, I didn't see 0:16:12.240 --> 0:16:16.120 something was a little really good on the left, Brothers, 0:16:16.160 --> 0:16:21.280 get off the left. I just I just drink. So 0:16:21.680 --> 0:16:23.920 all right, let's get into a man. Where are you 0:16:23.960 --> 0:16:27.880 from in the place you call your hometown. I'm from Loveland, Colorado, 0:16:27.920 --> 0:16:30.560 born and raised. It's northern Colorado, kind of outside of Boulder, 0:16:31.400 --> 0:16:33.640 and I went to school at the University of Colorado, 0:16:33.680 --> 0:16:36.840 played football there, made a couple of stints in the NFL, 0:16:37.000 --> 0:16:39.320 the Pittsburgh Steelers and in the philip the Eagles. So 0:16:39.440 --> 0:16:41.200 lived out on the East Coast for a little bit, 0:16:41.760 --> 0:16:43.720 and then, you know, for the last decade, I've been 0:16:43.760 --> 0:16:46.200 really focused on building a nonprofit Wish of a Lifetime. 0:16:46.240 --> 0:16:48.760 We grant wishes to nine hundred year old people. It's 0:16:48.760 --> 0:16:52.160 been just an incredible journey and then building a company, 0:16:52.320 --> 0:16:56.120 UM Integrated and we're enterprise software business, and we were 0:16:56.160 --> 0:16:59.200 recently acquired by a private equity firm by the name 0:16:59.200 --> 0:17:02.040 of Autex. It's based in Boston, and so it's a 0:17:02.080 --> 0:17:05.480 great milestone for everybody involved in the business and about 0:17:05.480 --> 0:17:10.040 thank you, about three employees globally. And now we're working 0:17:10.080 --> 0:17:12.919 inside of Audex to to build an even bigger business. 0:17:12.960 --> 0:17:15.680 So those two things keep me pretty busy. But I'm 0:17:15.680 --> 0:17:19.600 currently residing back in Colorado. UM and living in Boulder 0:17:19.840 --> 0:17:21.960 still feels like you just scratching the surface and all 0:17:22.000 --> 0:17:24.959 the things you're either doing or have done. You just 0:17:25.560 --> 0:17:29.840 a man of many gifts and talents. I'm grateful I've 0:17:29.880 --> 0:17:33.359 been very blessed and been able to, you know, just 0:17:33.359 --> 0:17:36.120 just try a lot of different things in life, from football, 0:17:36.240 --> 0:17:39.480 the skiing, to building a nonprofit, building a business, to 0:17:40.119 --> 0:17:42.439 being on the front lines of bringing name, image and 0:17:42.480 --> 0:17:45.199 likeness to to college athletes. Of course, I had my 0:17:45.200 --> 0:17:47.879 own battles with against Double A, you know, when I 0:17:47.920 --> 0:17:50.959 was in Colorado. Get into that, because I think a 0:17:50.960 --> 0:17:55.560 lot of people don't really realize the extent of what 0:17:55.720 --> 0:17:59.640 you have to deal with personally found you know, professionally 0:17:59.680 --> 0:18:01.879 and what it did, how it held you back, how 0:18:01.920 --> 0:18:07.960 it impacted you, um you know amateurly and and and professionally. 0:18:08.400 --> 0:18:11.400 You know how what it did to Yo psyche as well. 0:18:11.480 --> 0:18:15.160 So we'll get into that. But man, um man, growing 0:18:15.240 --> 0:18:21.720 up in Colorado the mountains, skiing, snowboarding, and you were 0:18:21.880 --> 0:18:28.879 destined to do extreme sports. But what what what really 0:18:29.080 --> 0:18:34.200 captured your heart and having such a strong desire to 0:18:34.400 --> 0:18:36.840 want to do sports at at such a young age 0:18:36.840 --> 0:18:41.160 and what was that age? Yeah, it really happened because 0:18:41.160 --> 0:18:46.159 it too defining moments in my life. The first was 0:18:46.280 --> 0:18:48.359 and I was born in nineteen eighty two. John Elwood 0:18:48.400 --> 0:18:50.680 was drafted in nineteen eighty two. We were a huge 0:18:50.680 --> 0:18:53.440 Denver Bronco fans, so from a very young age, I 0:18:53.440 --> 0:18:55.960 would watch the Denver Broncos play football every Sunday with 0:18:56.040 --> 0:18:58.440 my with my dad. So I wanted to be John 0:18:58.440 --> 0:19:00.840 Elway from a very young age. Of football really was 0:19:00.880 --> 0:19:03.800 the dream. First, I only grew to five ft nine, 0:19:03.840 --> 0:19:06.000 so the idea of being a quarterback was kind of 0:19:06.000 --> 0:19:09.119 thrown out the window and was moved to receiver in 0:19:09.400 --> 0:19:13.040 high school. And then when I was ten years of age, Um, 0:19:13.359 --> 0:19:15.359 I saw the Olympics for the first time the Winter 0:19:15.440 --> 0:19:17.480 Olympics and I saw skiing, and I saw a guy 0:19:17.520 --> 0:19:20.760 by the name of Edgar gross Berraun win an Olympic 0:19:20.760 --> 0:19:24.200 gold medal in front of his hometown crowd in Team France. 0:19:24.760 --> 0:19:26.919 And it was really at that moment. And you know, 0:19:26.960 --> 0:19:29.800 I've been skiing for about seven years, just casually as 0:19:29.880 --> 0:19:32.240 you know, with my family, it's really at that moment 0:19:32.280 --> 0:19:34.320 where I told my parents I wanted to skiing the 0:19:34.320 --> 0:19:36.520 Olympics and I wanted to play in the NFL. And 0:19:36.560 --> 0:19:39.320 then I wanted to dedicate my my whole life, you know, 0:19:39.359 --> 0:19:43.159 my my childhood an earlier adulthood to to you know, 0:19:43.240 --> 0:19:45.560 trying to live out both of those dreams. So I 0:19:45.600 --> 0:19:47.639 knew pretty young, um that I wanted to be a 0:19:47.680 --> 0:19:50.320 skier and a football player. What was your parents response 0:19:50.359 --> 0:19:51.960 when you said you want to do both of those things? 0:19:53.200 --> 0:19:57.240 That he said he wanted to dedicate his life. I know. 0:19:57.440 --> 0:19:59.680 That's why I want to ask, as from a from 0:19:59.680 --> 0:20:02.119 a standpoint, what was their response, because I know my 0:20:02.200 --> 0:20:09.120 mom would go somewhere, I want to dedicate my life 0:20:09.760 --> 0:20:17.080 to ski like that is that is such abnormal statement 0:20:17.320 --> 0:20:20.400 for a kid like I want to be a not 0:20:20.560 --> 0:20:22.600 I want to be a football player. I want to 0:20:22.600 --> 0:20:24.840 be a skier. But when you say I want to 0:20:24.920 --> 0:20:28.119 dedicate my life, I'm just I'm like, you know, just 0:20:28.680 --> 0:20:31.200 trying to get clean your room. Hey, brother, just trying 0:20:31.240 --> 0:20:37.320 to get accrustable. Seriously, what was the response? So, so, 0:20:37.440 --> 0:20:40.399 both my parents have always had a healthy disrespect for 0:20:40.440 --> 0:20:43.359 the impossible, and so you know, both of them said, 0:20:43.440 --> 0:20:45.560 you know you can do that if you attack your dreams, 0:20:45.600 --> 0:20:48.040 and they you know, they conditioned us at a pretty 0:20:48.080 --> 0:20:50.119 young age to know that life wasn't going to give 0:20:50.200 --> 0:20:53.119 us any handouts. You know, we weren't kids that you know, 0:20:53.200 --> 0:20:55.320 if we fell down and hurt ourselves, we weren't allowed 0:20:55.400 --> 0:20:58.200 to complain for too long. We were getting up putting 0:20:58.240 --> 0:21:00.000 some duct tape on it, and you know, we were 0:21:00.000 --> 0:21:01.879 were keep you know, we were going to keep moving 0:21:02.240 --> 0:21:04.320 and if we if we didn't succeeded something, we were 0:21:04.320 --> 0:21:06.639 never allowed to kind of blame other people. So, you know, 0:21:06.680 --> 0:21:08.800 we were conditioned at a young age to know that, hey, 0:21:08.920 --> 0:21:12.640 you know, life is hard. Accomplishing great things is really hard, 0:21:12.640 --> 0:21:14.320 and if you want to be world class and anything, 0:21:14.359 --> 0:21:16.880 you better work harder than anybody else, and you better 0:21:16.880 --> 0:21:18.879 go attack your dreams and goals, and so that was 0:21:18.920 --> 0:21:20.840 kind of the framework in which way you know, my brother, 0:21:21.080 --> 0:21:23.440 sister and I were raised, and so you know, at TWN, 0:21:23.520 --> 0:21:24.760 I knew that if I wanted to do that, I 0:21:25.040 --> 0:21:26.800 did have to dedicate my life, I did have to 0:21:26.800 --> 0:21:29.119 work harder than anybody else. And if I did that, 0:21:29.200 --> 0:21:31.480 and then when I went and attack it, then who knows, 0:21:31.520 --> 0:21:37.720 maybe I could acknowledge it. I love cut to It, 0:21:37.960 --> 0:21:41.280 and I love it even more when you download us 0:21:41.320 --> 0:21:44.680 and subscribe and you can follow us on social media 0:21:44.720 --> 0:21:48.440 to Smithie where where at at cut to It? On Instagram? 0:21:48.600 --> 0:21:53.639 What about twitter? At cut to It? Facebook? Cut to 0:21:53.800 --> 0:21:56.680 It feature in Steve Smith sing your what about online 0:21:57.000 --> 0:21:59.639 and you can follow Louis that cut to It podcast 0:21:59.680 --> 0:22:02.840 dot um where you can buy merch and you can 0:22:02.840 --> 0:22:06.280 subscribe to this wherever you listen to podcasts. I got 0:22:06.320 --> 0:22:09.880 all my answers questions, UM, yeah, I got all my 0:22:10.000 --> 0:22:13.440 questions answered. That's what I'm here for, a brother cut 0:22:13.480 --> 0:22:17.120 to a podcast dot com. How did you attack from 0:22:17.160 --> 0:22:22.920 that point forward? UM? I really focused on putting in 0:22:23.320 --> 0:22:25.760 more hours than anybody else. And whether that was kind 0:22:25.760 --> 0:22:28.159 of in at the regional levels of skiing in the 0:22:28.160 --> 0:22:30.119 early days where I was just competing with folks and 0:22:30.640 --> 0:22:33.280 kids in Colorado. I would observe what they did. I 0:22:33.280 --> 0:22:35.160 would I would see how they trained, I would see 0:22:35.160 --> 0:22:37.040 how long did they spent on it, and I would 0:22:37.040 --> 0:22:39.840 try to just do more um and and same in 0:22:39.840 --> 0:22:42.560 in football. I had to do more in football. I was, 0:22:43.520 --> 0:22:45.400 you know, I think I was born with more ability 0:22:45.440 --> 0:22:47.840 and skiing. From a very young age, coaches said, gosh, 0:22:47.880 --> 0:22:49.720 you you know you could ski in the Olympics. You 0:22:49.720 --> 0:22:52.719 have a you have a pretty pretty good ability. I 0:22:52.840 --> 0:22:54.840 was the smallest kid on every football field I ever 0:22:54.840 --> 0:22:57.840 stepped on, and most people outside of my inner circle 0:22:58.080 --> 0:22:59.960 would would would commonly say, like, what do you do 0:23:00.000 --> 0:23:02.080 and playing football? You're gonna get hurt. You're a good skier, 0:23:02.119 --> 0:23:05.040 maybe you got a future there quits quit football and 0:23:05.280 --> 0:23:08.000 go focus on skiing. But but again, you know, I 0:23:08.359 --> 0:23:11.040 watched guys like Steve Smith, you know, and and Steve 0:23:11.280 --> 0:23:14.080 knows this, but like, there was no receiver who I 0:23:14.119 --> 0:23:16.879 looked up to more my entire life, and Steve Smith 0:23:17.520 --> 0:23:20.680 and I watched thousands of hours. And Steve was nice 0:23:20.760 --> 0:23:22.840 enough to send me some some clips when I was 0:23:22.880 --> 0:23:25.719 at um at the Eagles on how to get off 0:23:25.720 --> 0:23:28.800 the line of scrimmage against press coverage, and nobody did 0:23:28.800 --> 0:23:32.240 it better period, Like I'll go to battle that one 0:23:32.280 --> 0:23:35.399 and and played you know, at five nine, but played 0:23:35.440 --> 0:23:38.640 like six ft four. I I tried to embody everything 0:23:38.680 --> 0:23:41.399 that's Steve that you you you brought to the to 0:23:41.480 --> 0:23:43.720 the football field, and that helped me a lot, because 0:23:43.720 --> 0:23:46.560 I don't think inherently just from a you know, a 0:23:46.640 --> 0:23:50.760 hype weight skill set perspective, I should have had success 0:23:51.000 --> 0:23:53.119 in college. I should have been drafted the NFL. I 0:23:53.440 --> 0:23:57.199