Kathy Okoniewski caught up with Brad and Bo Underhill back in January. Bo is living and training at Sunday River with a few other Bates College teammates, while Brad is traveling, training and racing in Europe this winter with the US Ski Team. Brad and Bo are twins, hailing originally from Mt. Sunapee, NH and then Killington Mountain School. While they are spending this season apart and pursuing ski racing differently, they continue to stay close and deeply connected to each other, as best friends and brothers. I hope you enjoy the following interview, and appreciate a little about these 2 outstanding young men, their journey so far, and their powerful message about being well-rounded athletes and people.
Kathy Okoniewski
Thank you so much, Brad & Bo, for being willing to do this interview. I can appreciate that it's a little bit distracting right now and not easy to figure out the timing to carve out an hour, but I really, really appreciate it. I hope my questions will be meaningful and that our membership will find those little nuggets in this interview where athletes, coaches and parents can really find connection with you both.
So let’s get started. Where is your hometown and your home club?
Bo Underhill
Our hometown is Newbury, New Hampshire,and our home club is Mt. Sunapee, NH. Our Mom and Dad were very involved in ski racing, Dad was our U14 Coach and Mom ran the race program. We started High School at Kearsarge Regional HS, a small regional school in our area and then when we became sophomores in High School, we went to Killington Mt. School until graduation.
Kathy O.
You both got involved in ski racing because it's deeply rooted in your family’s culture. Can you talk a little bit about your first experiences with skiing and ski racing?
Brad Underhill
I want to say it was always fun! When we were really little, we would go to work with my mom and not really be there for ski racing but to learn to ski and explore. There was always emphasis on having fun, and that was the biggest goal. We had a great coach, who was one of our good friends Dad. His name is Billy Curtis and he was really big on having fun. We skied with him on the weekends. Eventually we started ski racing, and we grew to love everything about it.
Kathy O.
What would a typical day of training look like for you as a U12 & U14?
Bo
We would show up in the morning and then go and ski for 45 minutes before the program started. We’d then go train or freeski with coaches, sometimes we would do drills. We also both played basketball and indoor soccer through our U12 and U14 years, so we would leave in the middle of the day and go play games and then come back in the afternoon and jump back into training or skiing. So it was definitely a pretty unique and busy path. We always wanted to play other sports, but skiing was always our priority, so my parents did what they could so that we could participate. We both played soccer in high school, we played baseball our freshmen and sophomore year. We also play tennis and golf with our Mom and Dad. I recently picked up golf again and I walked onto the Bates Golf Team last spring. It’s been a lot of fun!
Kathy O.
It's so interesting to see how athletes can bring their talent to other sports, and those characteristics tend to crossover to lots of other things. Do you feel like being involved in other sports has been positive or a negative for you?
Brad
I wouldn’t do anything differently. I think playing sports in the summer and doing other things was a great way to grow up. It was so good to be a part of an actual team and to learn the dynamic part of team sports. I also think that playing a lot of other sports helped me in the conditioning side of skiing. Playing soccer and doing all these different sports, helps you to bring so much more agility and muscle readiness to ski racing.I feel that some kids who don't play other sports might not be as prepared for the physical demands and testing required to do this sport well. Over this past summer, I tested high in many of the fitness requirements and that definitely came from my years in soccer. I love to play other sports and I feel it helps me to be an all around athlete.
Bo
I'd say that is the truth for both of us. By playing other sports and doing other active things, allows you to take a break from the intensity of just one sport. When you never get a break by skiing year round, some athletes have a tendency to burn out of skiing. It helps you to stay excited about working hard at your sport, and we definitely never wanted to get burned out ourselves.
Kathy O.
Are there other hobbies or interests that you are interested in?
Brad
We used to ski in the park and play on the rails, pipes and jumps.That was something that we really did a lot of, especially when we were U12,’s 14’s and 16’s. That was how we took our minds off of the pressures of ski racing. We would just hang out with our friends and practice tricks. When we weren’t training or helping out, we’d go to the park and have so much fun.
Bo
We are also big readers. We love books and we both have Kindles. When we were young, My mom always made us read and we still do, And I know we'll continue to be avid readers.
Kathy O.
What sort of books do you enjoy?
Bo
My favorite series growing up was definitely the Harry Potter series. And then Suzanne Collins, she wrote like Hunger Games, and another series called Gregor the Overlander.
Brad
I definitely like to read fiction, like anything that keeps my attention and is interesting, It’s actually fun to read.
Kathy O.
Does your Family have a business in the summer that relates to sport?
Bo
We own and operate a driving range. It also has mini golf and batting cage, as well. Brad and I always mow the greens we do pretty much everything we can to help out..
Kathy O.
I loved that you shared that part about loving the park and I think that it’s really, really important for people to understand that great skiers love to ski everywhere, ski anything and in any condition!
At Mt. Sunapee, what was a favorite type of training day?
Brad
Thinking back to Mount Sunapee, my favorite training was when we did dual slalom, head to head against each other. Those were, by far, my favorite. Bo, our friends, and me would race in a friendly competition against each other. Coaches would judge to see who would win. We'd hustle around to see how many laps you could get and that was the most fun. Once we moved to Killington, my favorite days were the SG training that we got every couple of weeks.
Bo
My favorite was also the dual Sundays. We used to train on this trail called Lynx. This was set up near the bottom, but if you hiked up from the lift a little bit and cut through the woods, you’d get more runs. We’d race each other all day to see who could get the most runs. And then at Killington, I've always liked all the training. Everything we did was great and so much fun. So for us, we did not go into an academy, until we were 15/16, and I really appreciated every bit of the training. I would just love going out there every single day.
Kathy O.
Where are your favorite places to freeski? And where are your favorite places to race?
Bo
When we were 13, we went to Vail to stay with our older brother Matt. We would train in the morning and then go freeskiing afternoons. We got to learn the mountain and escape from the crowds, and ski a ton of powder. My favorite place to race is at Stowe. That hill has really good rolls and terrain and it’s great for both SG, GS and SL.
Brad
Well, I think, for me, and I don't want to take the same answers as Bo, but we definitely did the most freeskiing at Vail, but I also have great memories of skiing for a couple of days at Snowbird when I was a U16. It snowed 2 feet and I was on a team with some Utah friends, and we just skied the most amazing days of powder there. It was insane and super fun and was one of the craziest days ever! I’m not sure about my favorite place to race but one of the coolest places I've been is Cortina, Italy. You are right in the middle of the dolomites and there's this huge wall of rocks that you ski through. As the sun shines it lights up the walls of rock, it is so beautiful.
Kathy O.
Your brother, Matt Underhill, is a coach for the US Ski Team now. I have heard he is a beloved character out there, an amazing coach, and really he's good at connecting with athletes. What’s it like to ski with him?
Brad
It is really cool. The most time I spent with him was at junior world's last year. It's just cool to see the strong bond he has with all these guys that he has been coaching for a long time. Because he’s family, he is willing to work with me. He knows everything there is to know about skiing, and he is totally not afraid to tell you what he thinks, and I really like that. He’s really straightforward, and super funny. I love working with him and I like coaches that are straightforward and honest. I think that’s why I work really well with Sasha Rearick and Nate Bryant, who are my coaches now.
Kathy O.
When did you guys start skiing in the summer?
Bo
It was after our sophomore year, when we started with Killington Mountain School. We skied 3 times over that first prep period. First was a free ski camp, then a skiing fundamentals drill camp, then a training camp. All the camps were different but it was also really good for us to finally get a lot more time on snow, and to train with the guys we were racing against. I didn’t ski this summer because of the pandemic but it was ok to take extra time off because I’d been racing so much in the winter, and I enjoyed a break. Brad is skiing and conditioning more during the summer with the D Team. I will plan to ski this summer with our College team, and that works well for me.
Kathy O.
Where are you living and training now, Bo?
Bo
I live at Sunday River and am training with Parker Gray. I have been able to train with him and will stay and train until we start school again at Bates in February. That’s when I’ll go back and train with the Bates Team and our coach Kurt Simard. Gould Academy is kind enough to be helping us out and Sunday River, especially early season, is the best training possible. The snow has been incredible the entire time and they have such a great training hill. They put in the new T-Bar that allows us to get eight full length GS runs in the morning session, and then another 8 runs in the afternoon so you get plenty of training and skiing. I can't say enough about how nice it has been to be here on this amazing snow and to work with great coaches like Parker. They’ve been so helpful to all of us.
Kathy O.
What's the best piece of advice your coach or coaches have given you?
Bo
My coaches at KMS - Jack Bailey, Pavel Stastny, and Tom Sell - have given me great information and coaching. There also was a coach named Jake Lund and he graduated from Middlebury. He was on the ski team for three years The biggest piece of advice he gave me was this, “ if you can figure out how to get to the front of your boot, the front of your ski, and stay there and ski there, you’ll be able to attack each turn. It changes the way you look at a course. It changes everything.
Brad
One piece of information that definitely helped me on the mental side and a way to approach skiing as a whole was to remember to appreciate the whole process and always remember to have fun. Sasha reminds us that at the end of the day, ski racing is not the only thing you do, and you have to have fun while you're doing it. There are so many other things in life and it’s important not to get caught up in the past. Always have fun and express yourself freely, Always.
Kathy O.
What piece of advice would you give to our youth athletes, as they pursue their journey in ski racing?
Bo
I agree with all that Brad said, but I also feel that as a kid, you should always do other things as well. Ski Racing is part of who you are but not all of who you are, so staying interested in other things, like sports, hobbies, school, is really important. Having other things to focus on can actually help your skiing.
Brad
I definitely agree with Bo. When talking about ski racing or skiing as a whole, I think the best advice would be just to really enjoy freeskiing and free skiing as much as you can. Being able to express yourself on your skis is so important and it’s something our coaches preach all the time. It’s one of the best ways to figure out how to go fast. Freeskiing, doing drills, and skiing in terrain is the only way to learn or change something in your technique, so free ski as much as you can. I focus on this a lot.
Kathy O.
How involved were your parents with your skiing?
Bo
Our dad was our coach at U14’s. I always tried to listen and learn. Our mom was never fully our coach, since she was busy running the whole program, But she was always someone that could give us good information or tips, as she was always observing. She always tried to be our Mom first, and support us rather than coach us. She really loves watching the racing and asks us if she can help. It is awesome that she is like that.
Brad
She is definitely amazing with that, always being there for us, but not trying to be our coach. We watch video at home sometimes, and they would always help us that way. As I've gotten older, they stay super involved, but not as much on the coaching side anymore. They always support, offer to help, are good listeners, and are just there when I need them. They do such a good job as parents.
Kathy O.
Your mom and I were chatting, over the last few days, trying to get connected for this interview, and she mentioned the word gratitude. Can you speak to that and what that means to you?
Brad
Being grateful is something we actually talk about a lot. Most everyday, when we come off the hill, we have a debrief. Normally, we will talk about how the day of training went, or what and how we felt. Every so often we name some things that we’re grateful for. I normally will choose something along the lines of skiing. But sometimes a mention that I’m grateful for my family, my opportunities, my friends, things along those lines. Our coaches really encourage it as does our parents. I think back to when I was younger and I feel super grateful that I had and have such an awesome family and that I grew up in the Mt. Sunapee skiing community.
Bo
I agree with Brad. we always had an amazing support system and we never had anyone that made us feel like we had to be ski racers.. It was always our choice and we had freedom in making decisions. We always had great mentors and people who lead by example. I am super grateful for those coaches that always encouraged me to be the best skier I could be, and to all the people who encouraged me to be the best person I could be.
Kathy O.
It’s so great to hear you both feeling so much gratitude for all the support, care, culture, and camaraderie that you’ve experienced so far. I had heard just how positive you both are, and I’m sure that your attitude has been a powerful force in helping you to achieve your goals.
Aside from being a competitive ski racer now, as you look into the future, what else might you like to accomplish or what else might you like to do?
Bo
I'd like to travel around the world a little bit and go see different places. My Aunt has done a lot of traveling and I think I’d like to see some of those interesting places I’ve heard about. We've traveled around the US and it was really cool to see all the different monuments including the Grand Canyon.
Brad
I would definitely like to get a college degree. I’m obviously very focused on ski racing right now but I totally agree with Bo and I want to experience and travel more of the world outside of ski racing too. I've been traveling all over Europe, and it’s been awesome seeing all these places in the mountains. We may get to take a break for a few days and Sasha is talking about us being able to go see Rome, Italy. I’m pretty excited about that, and would really like to see other places outside of skiing.
Kathy O.
Last question. Can you talk about this amazing connection that you have as twin brothers? And the challenges of being a little bit separate now that you are pursuing different paths?
Brad
So Bo doesn’t know this yet, but I am applying to colleges, and I wrote my essay on how nice it was to be home, quarantined with Bo last spring. We haven’t been able to spend a whole bunch of time together lately, so having this time, where we worked together every day and literally spent all our time together was amazing. Even though it can be hard to be with anyone, day in and day out, I really valued his company. I especially noticed this when we then were apart, and I was off doing my thing and he his, we often wish we could be doing what each other is doing. So if I’m skiing, he really wishes he could be skiing with me, and if he’s at school, I wish I could be doing that. I have found that he really helps to drive me and encourage me to keep working hard and I almost feel like I’m skiing for him too. It really hits me deeply how connected we are. I found that I could really write about this connection because it really means a lot to me. We have always been so happy for each other’s results, especially when Bo’s result is a great one...I feel so happy for him.
Bo
Wow, this is the first time I’ve heard that, that’s pretty cool! When we were growing up, we always had each other to compete against, which I think when one brother does well, the other one's happy for them, But I always loved it, when we both did well, and we're both right next to each other in the results.We are very close and we talk a lot now, I call him almost every single day when we are apart. It does get harder because we're on different schedules..But we're both definitely interested in what each other are doing, so we stay in touch and share what’s happening in both skiing and college life. We are best friends and Brad is awesome.
Kathy O.
Wow! I am honored to have had an opportunity to chat with you. Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts. I know that the Eastern Region and NH skiing community is very proud of you both and I admire your hard work and positive attitude. You and your parents are deeply connected to the skiing culture in the East, and we wish you the best of luck going forward.
Bo
Thank you so much. This has been a great experience, and hopefully the east will enjoy getting to know us a little. Take Care.
Brad
Thank you and take care.
