Recently LifeLong Olympic had the great pleasure of hosting 2018 Portuguese Olympic Cross Country Skier Kequyen Lam in the metro NYC area. His visit was coordinated with his attendance in the 2018 Portugal  Day Newark Festival and Parade. Here is a recent interview regarding this historic visit by this distinguished athlete to the NYC metro area.

LLO – Hey Kequyen thanks for having taken the interest in the metro NYC area when we contacted you to come visit.

KL- So glad you did and it was a pleasure to be here, connect, engage, and be a part of this killer project!

LLO- Congratulations on having represented Portugal at the 2018 winter games! Did you think this would wind you up in NYC ever?

KL- Muito Obrigado 🙂 Much thanks! NYC wasn’t on the radar, but now it is and I can’t wait to come back. It has so much to offer and, well, you know, IT’S NEW YORK CITY, the centre of the world!

LLO- Now that you have come and actually skied the area from Central Park to Storm King Mt. What do you think? Has the area got half a shot at doing same as Brazil has developing an olympian(Victor Santos) out of the favelas?

KL- The skiing is great! There is an abundance of areas to train. Central Park is awesome. Route 218 is buttery glass. Storm King Mountain will keep you on your feet and teach you some lessons on agility. If you’re looking for a real challenge, Chunky Monkey (Ninth Avenue under construction) and dodging New York City traffic will surely get those juices flowing. Kidding aside, have confidence in your local coaches as they know this area inside and out and will take of you.

NYC is the center of the world and every nation amasses here. There is so much potential. With grit, determination, and desire, of course, grassroots development can surely get athletes to the Olympics based out of NYC.

LLO- We loved having you here and especially watching you ski. Our production team was very impressed  not only with your technical execution but also all the analysis you gave as we reviewed some of the media with you. How early on did you begin to review yourself on video and still images? Would you recommend being filmed and critically examined at the start of all practice for beginners?

KL- Thanks! I’m glad my skiing was up to par ?     I’ve been watching video for a while now and it started when I was training in Snowboard Cross. As for XC, I feel video is critical. It was a huge reason why I developed so fast…. I’ve watched just about every video on youtube that has anything to do with Nordic XC skiing.

LLO- LifeLong Olympic began skiing on pavement. Our excitement for the movement language is unparalleled. Of all the transport sports we practice, without question, XC skiing gives us the most accomplishment pride. That being said how might younger beginner athletes discover access to the “fun” button early on when XC skiing is the most challenging?

KL- The fun button must start with the coaches in creating an environment that is fun and welcoming. Variety is also key and there are many ways to develop XC movements, such as roller blades, scooters, SpikeBoarding etc.

LLO- The Portuguese in Newark loved you man! When we approached them to have you invited, they said yes instantly. How was the festival and the parade? Any plans to come back in 2019?

KL- It was an honor to attend the festival and take part in the parade on roller skis. Connecting and engaging was great and I wish to be back in 2019 with a stream of other roller skiers in tow!

LLO- LifeLong Olympic is dedicated to the education of all the transport sports. Especially to local urban youth who might never know they existed and are given primarily a 100% formal K-12 field sport only curriculums.  Cycling is the queen of them all and XC skiing is the grand dam of maximum concentration while out putting strength, endurance plus balance. While you were here you got to witness and practiced one session with the new little sister sport of XC skiing, SpikeBoarding. What feed back might you give XC skiers and non skiers alike regarding what you saw and felt after your initial student session?

KL- My first immediate thought when I started the session was “this feels just like double poling on rollerskis“. The movement was similar and I was able to pick up that part of the movement relatively fast. Also, SpikeBoarding emphasizes ambipedal and because i’m not as strong on my left leg, that became quite evident I need to work on that side and SpikeBoarding will definitely help

LLO- You know we  Flat Water SUP a great deal here in NYC June-August. Your time during this visit did not allow for any paddling on the Hudson River or even on Jamaica Bay. You are going to stay open to that next time right? Love to get you on the water man. Will you join us under the fire works on the 4th of July some time? It’s a great night of summer paddling!

KL- That would be sick! Although you’ll have to strap water wings and a couple life jackets on me as I sink like a rock.

LLO- Hey we put some miles into you on a bike as well. NYC is some bike town right? Getting up to the SUSOIX Garage is a great work out. Tell us a little of what you recall on the way up, 14th street Manhattan to George Washington Bridge? What do NYC visitors have to look forward to?

KL- NYC is a mega bike town. Screaming alongside traffic, wheeling and dealing on hybrid bikes. Don’t blink as you’ll miss the action. Don’t blink at all lol. There is nothing like bombing through traffic and experiencing NYC the way we did.

LLO- OK so you are the first ever Olympian to be filmed on video skiing well in Central Park. In 2016 Olympic gold medal winner Corinne Niogret took us up on the offer of a ski tour in Central Park. It was a delight to have taken her and now you. Explain to elite skiers  about the park experience you had and perhaps a little of why you believe that by having Olympians come to ski in NYC and Central Park and publicize it well, that these actions will begin to draw more people to the sport of cross county skiing?

KL- I can’t believe more elite xc skiers have not roller skied Central Park! It was awesome and the terrain is perfect for training and hopefully a future race. The more people who ski Central Park, the more grassroots development will happen. 100%

LLO- The 2018 Olympic Games produced a great many first time nations in cross country skiing. These were all male first time precedents however. LifeLong Olympic believes without any reservations that the metro area has all that it needs to discover and develop the first women for all these first time skiing nations. Can you speak a little to this situation? How possible do you see this with the NYC metro area being the single most diversified place on the planet and the skiing conditions we have here? If a government or a national community group with interest in participating in sport that is Olympian is reading what would you tell them about LifeLong Olympic and the metro NYC area for skiing?

KL- Small nation females are under-represented in XC skiing at the Winter Olympics. for sure, there are women in NYC. They just need to be discovered. I would say, NYC is diverse and a great training area for skiing and have confidence in your local coaches to get you going and development

LLO- Thanks Kequyen for taking the time to chat with LifeLong Olympic. You are an inspiration and we loved having you visit us and become the first Olympian ever to have wanted to make video media with us! Hey, lastly we want to know what was your favorite eats in NYC were? The vegan or the animal based joints?

KL- All the food was amazing! every single meal… even the CVS breakfast lol. If I had to choose, and since i’m a lover of pizza, the super vegan at Two Boots Pizza is my fave.  but man, the impossible burger was sooooo goooood too. If I’m going down this path now, well, how can I not mention the freaky delish BBQ at Blue Smoke, never had anything like it. I’d say, though, LOLO is the man and Socarrat is the bomb.

LLO- Ski Hard Ski Often Kequyen!

KL- Keep grinding, keep hustling, keep believing. This is just the beginning!