Meanwhile, I spent a good part of my afternoon lapping with the little guys. Red Gerard, Brock Crouch, Gabe Ferguson, Cody Warble and cohorts were flying down the hill hitting every feature both in the public and Launch park while I was attempting to keep up. It didn’t work. These kids truly are the future of snowboarding. Stay tuned for the exclusive edit coming soon. I must say though, their youth rubbed off on me, and I had one of the best times ever lapping with these little guys.
Day three of The Launch 2012 Presented by Red Bull at Bear Mountain, California was the best yet…hands down. The morning started off with a similar crew from last night’s sunset session…Red Gerard, Stefan Krumm, Zach Normandin, Brock Crouch, and a handful of others were sessioning a high speed line into the pole jam…Basically, today was the day that The Launch got really “frickin’” gnarly.
rider: Red Gerard, photo: Huggy

Cobra Dogs, represent. photo: Cory Grove
Throwing double corks. Winning X Games Gold. Riding at every summer camp. Traveling around the world snowboarding. Sounds like the average life of any uber pro. Now imagine you get to do all that before you become a teenager. Welcome to the world of Redmond Gerard. His personality and skill have captured the attention of brands, Internet trolls and even us here at Yobeat. This pint size phenom has been taking the shred world by storm, but all he wants to do is be a kid.
How old are you these days?
I’m 11 years old.
How does it feel to be the biggest 11 year old in snowboarding right now?
Ummm, I don’t know. It’s pretty fricken awesome. I think it’s pretty cool because all the websites are putting my videos up and crap. Hardly anyone ever says anything bad, which is cool because people on websites can be mean.
You’re getting pretty close to landing the double cork. Why do you want to do one?
Because I would be the youngest kid to ever do one and it would be pretty cool to get one because I like flipping a lot.
You have three other brothers that snowboard — will you rub it in their face when you land it?
I’ll definitely rub it in Brendan’s face because we are kind of at the same level and I’m competitive and he’s not, so it’s funny. Sometimes I pick out an outfit for myself to wear snowboarding and I ask him if he thinks it’s cool and he freaks out on me. I like to annoy him and make him mad as a joke.
Brendan is an edgy Comune dude and you’re a brightly colored Burton kid. How did you end up so different?
I don’t know. Burton doesn’t make the kind of stuff that he is into. He’s into tight stuff and I don’t really dig it. Burton only makes the Shaun White stuff tight and I’m not into that whole look.
What do you think about Shaun White? He was where you were like 10 years ago.
I don’t really like his outfits, but I think it’s cool that he’s getting back into the slopestyle scene and not just being a pipe jock. He goes huge and has a lot of tricks.
Who would you rather end up like, Shaun or Brendan?
(Laughing) Brendan is gonna be pissed but definitely Shaun White because he gets paid so much.
Why don’t you want to end up like Brendan?
All I know is that I want get paid a lot of money. I don’t think Brendan has a lot.
Is that why you snowboard? To get paid a lot of money?
No, I snowboard to have fun and ride with my brothers and to learn new tricks.
I heard Sean Tedore from Capita recently tried to recruit you from Burton and you turned him down. What’s the deal with that?
Well first of all, Capita only makes one kids board and it doesn’t even have tips. Burton makes a ton of kids stuff that fits my image perfectly and they have people on the team that I love riding with?
What’s your image?
What does image mean. I think it means how you look?
Sure. What’s your image?
I don’t know why I said that. I don’t even know what it means.
Image means the type of snowboarder you are in regards to how people perceive you.
Oh, ummm, I just like the stuff Burton makes and they make a lot of stuff for kids and I’m a kid. Burton treats me really good. They send me so much stuff.
Most 11 year olds don’t have the opportunity to turn down major brands. Is Capita the only one you have turned down?
I haven’t turned down many companies but it’s definitely hard to turn down a sponsor when they just want to give you free stuff. I think if you have a company you really like you just have to stick with them, you can’t just leave a brand that helps you out because someone else likes you too.
Burton has a lot of cute chicks working for them. Kelly Stocklein works for Burton and every little boy likes her. Do you think she’s a babe?
Oh my god no.
Why?
I don’t know, jeez. This is the creepiest question I’ve ever answered.
Fine, who do you think is a babe?
Definitely not Britney Spears. I like skateboards not chicks.
Tell me the story about you pissing your pants today.
So we were on our way home from snowboarding today and I really had to go to the bathroom. Trevor (older brother) couldn’t get his seat to move and he kept slamming it into me and squishing me and I couldn’t hold it any longer and I peed a little bit.
So should you still be wearing diapers?
(Laughing) Shut up.

Living the life. Photo: Cory Grove
Last summer you got to spend the whole summer at Mt Hood. Tell me about that.
It was my first time ever spending the whole summer there and it was really fun because I got to meet so many people and make so many friends. I got to ride at both Windells and HCSC whenever I wanted and they were both so much fun. I love skating and Windells has the most amazing skate parks.
People twice your age try so hard to just ride one of those parks and you get to ride either whenever you want. Do you know how good you have it?
I know that I am really lucky, but I work really hard and I think that the right people notice. I’m really lucky to have such great sponsors that hook me up so well and get me into wherever I want to be. I think it’s awesome to do whatever I want.
Why do you think people like you more than all the other little kids?
Because I’m nice and I always say thank you and I’m very polite. My mom taught me to be graceful and thankful and I think sponsors appreciate it.
You recently won a gold medal at X Games. What was that for?
They had a team challenge that my shop sponsor 720 Boardshop got into. We did the contest at night and there was so many people there watching and it was awesome to win a gold medal the first time I was there. I have always seen X Games on TV and I never knew that there were THAT many people there.
Where is that medal right now?
The medal is at the shop.
Do you get to take it home?
No it sits in the shop. I wish I could take it home.
If you could take it home, what would you do with it? Would you wear it everywhere?
Well I only have to go to school for three hours a day so I wouldn’t have time to show it off. I’d want to show all my friends, but I never really see them so I’d probably just hang it up on my wall.
You’re only at school for 3 hours a day? Does that mean all the normal kids are smarter than you?
Yeah. Definitely. I’m kind of retarded.
Are you banking on making it as a pro snowboarder so you don’t have to be smart?
That’s what my goal is because I miss a lot of school, so I really hope it works out. I hate being at school because it’s not that fun. I’d rather be riding my snowboard or skateboard.
Who influences you as a snowboarder and why?
I mostly look up to my brothers because they all rip and I just want to live the dream like them.
When you are a huge pro will you let them follow you around as your entourage?
Duh, they will be living in my mansion. My older brother says he’s gonna live off of me when I get older and I have to buy him a super nice car. My house is gonna have a lot of rooms and they can all stay with me. I wouldn’t be where I am if it wasn’t for them.
I filmed you a few times this past summer and you would get pretty pissed off when you couldn’t land something. Snowboarding is supposed to be fun especially at your age.
Well I get really mad sometimes. Mostly because I get tired of hiking and I get sick of not landing something when I know I can do it.
Don’t you think you should be able to enjoy snowboarding as a kid, rather than a job?
I definitely think that’s true. I feel like when you get older it’s kind of a job because you have to get shots and win contests to stay important. Money doesn’t just grow on trees.
Do you ever feel pressured by anyone to snowboard?
Sometimes when I meet new sponsors I feel like I really have to try hard, but as soon as I snowboard it all just goes away.
Who do you think your main competition is as a kid?
Some of the other kids that are killing it are Brock Crouch, Gabe Fergusson, and Toby Miller.
Are those kids your friends or do you not get along because you’re all trying to be the next big thing.
If you ever watched the summer edits Yobeat did, we all just board together and its all just fun and games. We don’t really feel like we are competing against each other and we love riding with each other.
What advice would you give to other young kids trying to make it?
Do it for fun, don’t push yourself too hard. Learn tricks one by one. It’s not worth getting hurt. It’s just snowboarding. It’s just supposed to be fun.
What do you like to do besides snowboarding?
Skateboard, trampoline, and get new gear.
Get new gear? Do you mean get new product from your sponsors?
Yeah.
I said besides snowboarding.
Getting new gear isn’t snowboarding. I don’t have to be on the snow to get it.

He got that gear for free! Photo: Malachi Gerard
Fair enough. Who is your favorite brother to annoy and what the easiest way to do it?
Brendan is by far my favorite to annoy. The easiest way is to stress him out. He gets stressed out really easy and I know all the best ways to get him stressed out. My favorite is doing crazy things like going over a huge jump and spinning as much as possible.
Why do you think it stresses him out?
It probably scares him to know that I could get hurt at any moment and he doesn’t want his little brother to get hurt.
What else stresses him out?
He has a crazy girlfriend Danyale that definitely stresses him out. Sometimes she even stresses me out with her high-pitched voice. (Red does a high pitched impersonation) Breeeennnndaannnnnn carry my board. Brendannnnnnnnn these boots wont stay tight. Brendaaaaannnnnn watch me.
Are you into chicks yet?
I’m only 11 so I don’t want the trouble.
What do you think is the worst thing happening in snowboarding right now?
The triple corks because I don’t think I’ll ever be able to do them.
So you think they are bad because you cant do them?
Yes.

1/3 of a triple cork. Photo: Malachi Gerard
What are your plans for the rest of the season?
I don’t know. I’m pretty excited to go back to summer camp and to land the double cork.
In that last web edit you crashed pretty hard. Are you too young for it to hurt?
It still definitely hurts but it doesn’t hurt like a grown man because I have rubber bones. I don’t think they are really rubber but that’s what people say. I’m pretty tough.
Is there anyone you want to thank?
I want to thank all of my brothers for taking care of me and teaching me tricks and my mom for setting up contests and paying for me to go everywhere. I want to thank my dad for teaching me how to snowboard and for teaching me to never be cocky. I also want to thank all my sponsors for giving me cool free stuff. As a little kid to get free stuff like I do is like Christmas every day. I get boxes pretty much every day from Burton, Arnette, Skullcandy and Celtek.
Taken directly from Woodward at Copper‘s site:
Taken directly from Method Mag:
This post was taken directly from Yobeat
Posted by Morrison Hsieh on December 23, 2011 on the Woodward at Copper site: http://woodwardatcopper.com/site/word/authors/morrison/high-five-with-red-gerard
This post was taken directly from SNOWBOARDER Mags website:
http://www.snowboardermag.com/exclusives/dispatches-tucker-andrews-early-season-at-a-basin/

Red Gerard made it in time for some runs, had to ditch class of course. Group shot left to right- Tucker, Trevor, Jackson, Nick, Brendan, and Redmond G
Red was talkin trash in the liftline…so we had to stomp on a child.



Red is so excited to be a part of the Arnette National team, alongside such great riders as Devun Walsh, Zac Marben, Dustin Craven and Sage Kotsenburg. Check out the goods at: http://www.arnette.com/

Song: With a Little Help from My Friends
Artist: Joe Cocker
Best Summer Ever is proudly supported by Banshee Bungee and Timberline
Red and Toby, serving up some Cobra Dogs. No child labor laws at this elevation!Cobra Dogs is going to have their own website coming soon at http://cobradogs.com/ Until then, check out their Facebook page at:
Would a roast beef grab be considered a lunchable? r: Redmond Gerard p: Sean K SullivanTHE LAUNCH 2011 DAY 3 PHOTOS & RECAP
*These photo’s and excerpts were taken from Snowboarder Magazine’s website:
http://fresh.snowboardermag.com/feature/the-launch-2011-day-3-photos-recap/
Words: T Bird
The Redbull Buttercup was held at Buttermilk today in Aspen, but soon after the guys set up a storm blew in of mega proportions. Everything got blown down (or away), one guy with a big umbrella even got carried away (20 feet or so). Even the X-Games sign blew down, thankfully no one was under it. So much for a sun shining, bands playing, t-shirts and goggle tans kind of closing day! The result was an all groups combined quickie version, but no one seemed to mind. Redmond made it to the top 5 for finals, but did not podium, maybe next year.
By Josh Parker • Mar 3rd, 2011 • Category: Features, Latest, People’s Court, Videos
This week the People’s Court features a battle of opposites. East versus West, Tall versus Short, Old versus Young, Good versus Evil. You get the point. Vote for your favorite edit and the winner will receive prizes from the YoBeat store and a chance at a free Banshee Bungee.
Vote here: http://www.yobeat.com/2011/03/03/peoples-court-red-gerard-vs-jeff-deforge/
Redmond Gerard was killing the course and took home the grom award.
Words: Jason “Hondo” Newman
Taken from Transworld Snowboarding’s site: http://snowboarding.transworld.net/1000146224/featuresobf/2011-transworld-transam-park-city-utah/?pid=41327#ngtop