Louie Vito earned 2011 Winter X SuperPipe bronze before striking gold at Winter X Europe. But it wasn't enough, and he's stepping it up for 2012.
Vito is already one of the top halfpipe riders in the world -- there's the 5th at the 2010 Winter Olympics, 2010 Winter X Europe bronze and the 2011 Winter Dew Tour championship in addition to his 2011 WX and WXE hardware -- but he wants to be the best.
In May 2011, the Ohio native decided to go all out and work with eight-time Olympic medalist Apolo Anton Ohno's trainer. He went to a six week boot camp and was told at the beginning by Winning Factor trainer John Schaeffer, "Louie, you are not in good shape." He started at the bottom in Philadelphia, getting lapped by other professional athletes, boxers and football players. At the end of the six weeks, he says he was being chased by everyone else. He'd lost 10 percent of his body fat, gained muscle, and lost 10 pounds. Now at a lean 5 percent body fat and 140 pounds, Vito is in the best shape of his life.
"Before I started working with John, I knew it would be a hard, intense program," Vito says. Now that it's over, he continues his training regiment, both working out and eating right, and he continues to make gains in his strength, both mental and physical.
Vito is well known for his technical spins and ability to link complicated inverts, but he needs to soar higher to challenge the likes of Shaun White, and Schaeffer has worked specifically on achieving additional height out of the pipe. Vito is also working with Bud Keene, the former U.S. Snowboarding team coach. He hasn't eaten bread or had a drink since May 2011, saying "I'm over partying. I'm 23 and I partied my brains out." He's developed an even stronger work ethic, and Schaeffer ranks his mental stamina among the top three of any athletes he's worked with in 40 years. Those other driven athletes include Apolo Ohno and champion Russian boxer Alex Zolkin.
With all of this training, Vito says, "My body feels better, stronger." He adds that his new conditioning allows him to land in the flatbottom and ride away. He's also more focused. "The past couple of years have shown me how quick it could all change," he says, referring to friend and Winter X medalist Kevin Pearce, whose career ended when he suffered a brain injury in December '09.
Vito who says that he is usually "so amped" to come to Winter X, but in the past, hasn't finished as well as he's hoped. The WX 2011 bronze, "helped my confidence," he says. Vito also just recently finished 2nd to Shaun White at the first stop of the Winter Dew Tour in Breckenridge in December. That should help his confidence, too. But his trainer says it's only the beginning.
