Teacher vs. Student Interview
Spencer O'Brien vs. Jenna Mae Togado
All in session for the MGT Academy! Interview 3. Here is a recap: MGT Academy is all about choosing 1 promising MGT camper and placing them under the tutorial wing of the MGT pro coaches to get a head start on pursuing a snowboard career in 2010. Now it’s down to the final exam. The final exam is an oral; a conversation between pro and am to explore each other’s craniums. The 3rd interview kicks off with Canada's Spencer O'Brien who is currently on fire on the contest circuit and as the face of the B by Burton line. She interviews Academy nominee Jenna Mae Togado. Jenna Mae is starting fires of her own as a passionate rider in the Alberta Rocky Mountains and as an entrepreneur with her own toque company. Let's get into the heat of the action....
Jenna Mae Togado knows how to kick it.
SPENCER: Why did you start snowboarding?
JENNA MAE: I started snowboarding because I became bored of skiing... and it looked SO fun! People on snowboards always seem to have a lot more fun and always had the "love" vibe going down! I'm most definitely attracted to the love vibe!
SPENCER: Who's been your biggest influence?
JENNA MAE: My biggest influence on the real level is my mother. She has always been my rock, super spiritual and driven. I've learned a gazillion things from her. She has always pushed me to follow my dreams and I don't care how corny it sounds... she is a firm believer of following what the heart tells and that's definitely what I believe too.
SPENCER: Where do you see yourself and your snowboarding in five years?
JENNA MAE: I would love to expand the bro and love vibe within snowboarding. Contests wouldn't run on pressure. They would run on love and just snowboarding with like-minded people. Snowboarding would be an undefined unity, a religion, culture that would just run simply on love and win-win situations, more than how it is now. I would love to be a part of this evolution!
SPENCER: What's your favorite type of riding? Park? Pipe? Free riding?
JENNA MAE: I love park and free riding. I haven't spent much time in the pipe, although I would love to work on it and crush it at maximum level in all types of riding.
SPENCER: Top 5 favorite riders? (No pressure….haha!)
JENNA MAE: Leanne Pelosi, Nat Zurek, Robin Van Gyn, Hana Beaman, Jamie Anderson.
Working on planting the hands. Photo by: JGroeneweg
SPENCER: Favorite resort to ride?
JENNA MAE: I love Sunshine Village in the good ‘ol Rockies (near Banff, Alberta). It's my home mountain and I love everything about it. I know that mountain like I know where all the rips in my favorite t-shirt are!
SPENCER: Name five tricks in your future?
JENNA MAE: Hmmmm... that's a hard one because mainly I don't know the names of a lot of tricks. Ha ha! I just do the damn thing and ask people what the name of the doohicker thing I did! LOL. I'll spit out a few things for entertainment value though: I want to land big spins in powder and maybe create my own dorky trick... that would be rad! Ha ha!
SPENCER: If you could snowboard with anyone for a day who would it be?
JENNA MAE: These are tricky questions... I think it would either be Jeremy Jones, JP Walker or Beyonce (am I allowed to say her?!?! Ha ha!)
Jenna Mae Togado is a doer. She is co-founder of Sikknits toques. (www.sikknits.com)
SPENCER: What do you want for your birthday?
JENNA MAE: I would love to have a genuine "Come as You Are" party or one where everyone dresses up as their favorite rockstar or something. OR! I KNOW! I would love to get an around-the-world plane ticket and money to shred as many mountains as I could. That would be amazing!
SPENCER: Who's the Prime Minister of Canada?
JENNA MAE: Ha ha! My initial response to that question was "that John Crouton dude with the weird face" and then I realized how outdated I was. I am pretty sure it's Stephen Harper.
