What kid doesn't want to be an Olympian?
When I was in 7th grade, I became heavily involved in cross country and track. At the time, I was a tough farm girl who knew what it meant to work hard, and had some ( ok, they were little) muscles on my bones. Many of my fellow teammates were still coming on to their athleticism, which only meant I had a head start.
So, in 7th and 8th grade, I had my heart set on becoming a nationally-known runner. I was winning medals, and began decorating my room with quotes, and put my whole heart into the sport. The possibilities seemed to expand into the sky.
When I entered the varsity xc/track teams, I found myself among some very athletic (and, more mature than me) women. I was no longer winning the 100m hurdles, or taking the top spots in cross country invitationals. I still put up a fight for my competition, but the experience was humbling, and I suppose the dreams of becoming a nationally-ranked runner, waned.
I hit the peak of my performances as a sophomore, and spent my junior and senior years of high school, chasing the times I had put down earlier in my career. My love for playing violin became a distraction as well, and a few of my coaches correlated my decrease in athletic performance, to my increase in time devoted to the violin. I began to lose interest.
Upon entering college at Penn State Behrend, I joined the cross-country and track teams, but with a wavering heart. I had originally told the coach I would not run for them because my heart and mind were no longer in it. After several hours on a campus-tour with the coach, I realized I couldn't turn back on something that had been such a big part of my life.
My cross-country career never really took off, but my times on the track began to improve again, as I rekindled my love for spikes and the rubber-topped oval track. But, Olympics? Or becoming nationally-ranked? That was long past, and the fire that drove me to run faster times, was simply the fire that challenged me to always be at MY best. It wasn't to prove I was better than someone. (There are some high caliber athletes here at the OTC who just want to prove they're BETTER than you). It was to prove to myself, what I could do.
To be at MY best.
So, now, Here I am, at the opportunity of a lifetime, and with the possibility of competing in the Olympics is in the closest reach that it has EVER been. And I got here on ACCIDENT! How does this happen? And how will I ever measure up to an 'Olympian'? Most of the women here are jacked! Muscles abound, big round bums, and super quick feet... where do I fit in? HOW do I get to the point of fitting in?
well...
I've been going to Bible studies with Pastor Derek Spain from the Baptist church up here. He is a really great guy, and correlates the studies with our lives as elite athletes.
I've now gone to Derek's church twice, and to bible study twice, and both times I come away being more energized and with my mind more straight than it has been in weeks.
Last night, Bible study concentrated on the "Pursuit of Excellence"
http://ncministries.wordpress.com/2010/11/29/the-passionate-pursuit-of-excellence/
How do we get to our 'best'? In the work place, on the athletic field, in family life? Do you weigh yourself against others? Do you give in to temptations? Do you work hard, or try to take shortcuts? What conscious decisions do you make that will help you to improve in the areas you lack?
I recommend everyone to click on the link. He really breaks everything down well.
So, I came out of yesterdays study, feeling more confident about my own 'pursuit of excellence.' I'm excited to be here, and know that my effort to date is minimal yet. I will keep taking step after step to achieve my own 'Excellence.' To be at MY best. I'm not there yet, and I don't know that you can ever be at your VERY best. There are always ways to achieve an even higher level of excellence.
As my ninth grade teacher, Mr. Srock once said "It's not enough to be good, if you have the ability to be better."
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Friday, November 26, 2010
Turkey Day!
There are SO many advantages to gravity sports.
1) I sprint for 30m and then my athletic ability no longer matters... take me away, gravity.
2) I will get to the bottom of the mountain no matter what. There's no option for quitting.
3) The heavier I am, the FASTER I go!
...and heavier, I am.
Ok, maybe not THAT much heavier - but I deserve to be after this Thanksgiving!
I've been following a diet that includes low-carbs, and no (or few) sugars. Therefore, I don't eat desserts, and avoid sandwiches and unnecessary carbs. Now...don't get me wrong, I do cheat from time to time... but YESTERDAY...oh, my.
OTC Cooks!
Let me preface yesterday's meals, by filling you in on my last week of dining here at the OTC. It's been crazy! Normally, the OTC can occupy as many as 250 people. This past week, there has been less than 30 of us. It makes for a quiet week, but the cafeteria food is incredible! Six eager cooks whip up some fancy made-to-order menus. This week, I've been choosing from the following:
a) NY Strip Steak
b) Marinated Chicken
c) Shrimp Scampi
d) Marinated Swordfish
"Yes, may I have a medium NY Strip Steak?" ..."with some blue cheese?"
YUM. So, this week my stomach has slowly been expanding as I've been filling up on all the goodies being offered to us. I mean, next week, we'll be back to the normal big-batch-cooking-style. The cooks do a great job year-round, but wow they've really outdone themselves this week.
So, I knew that with only 10 of us coming to Thanksgiving meal, it was gonna be AWESOME. And, that it was.
I first went to OTC breakfast, where I dined on chocolate chip pancakes and a blueberry muffin... yes, CARB overload for me. Then, two and a half hours later we had to leave for Saranac Lake for the day, so we ate our Thanksgiving meal at the OTC only 2 hours after my very filling breakfast.
Everything your grandma makes for Thanksgiving, and then some. It was sooooo delicious. Plus, I had to have some pumpkin roll, and stuff down an extra slice of turkey for good measure. And cranberry sauce is really good for you, right? I hope so. I could have eaten buckets of it.
Kristina, Mike, and Greg being goofs at our Thanksgiving meal at the OTC
Six of us rolled out to the car and drove down to the Saranac Lake Adult Center to help serve a Thankgiving meal to elderly from the area. The other volunteers greeted us with "GREAT to have you! How bout you sit down and eat first?"
"Nooooo, thank you but no. Really, sorry. No. No, you don't understand. We just ate. JUST ate. like, A LOT."
The dinner ended up being a little slow, though it was obvious that we were genuinely helping a few people there to have a great Holiday. Just providing a meal, a smile, or offering some competitive spirit in a mean game of Chinese Checkers. In whatever capacity, it was great to get out there and volunteer. Bravo to Kristina Hull, the leader of our group of 6, who was the one who organized the trip.
Greg, Kristina, Mike, Tyler, Me (Matt had to leave early)
We left the Adult Center around 5, still unable to fit anything more into our stomachs... OK, OK, so... I did fit in a piece of pumpkin pie with a dollop of whipped cream... I couldn't resist!
We came back to the OTC for a light dinner and some fun terrorizing each other in the dorms with a few friendly pranks. Despite not being home around family, I had a great Thanksgiving!
And to top it allllllll off -
My Cousin, Annie, Had a Baby!!! Congrats to Annie & John on Baby Wyatt!
1) I sprint for 30m and then my athletic ability no longer matters... take me away, gravity.
2) I will get to the bottom of the mountain no matter what. There's no option for quitting.
3) The heavier I am, the FASTER I go!
...and heavier, I am.
Ok, maybe not THAT much heavier - but I deserve to be after this Thanksgiving!
I've been following a diet that includes low-carbs, and no (or few) sugars. Therefore, I don't eat desserts, and avoid sandwiches and unnecessary carbs. Now...don't get me wrong, I do cheat from time to time... but YESTERDAY...oh, my.
OTC Cooks!
Let me preface yesterday's meals, by filling you in on my last week of dining here at the OTC. It's been crazy! Normally, the OTC can occupy as many as 250 people. This past week, there has been less than 30 of us. It makes for a quiet week, but the cafeteria food is incredible! Six eager cooks whip up some fancy made-to-order menus. This week, I've been choosing from the following:
a) NY Strip Steak
b) Marinated Chicken
c) Shrimp Scampi
d) Marinated Swordfish
"Yes, may I have a medium NY Strip Steak?" ..."with some blue cheese?"
YUM. So, this week my stomach has slowly been expanding as I've been filling up on all the goodies being offered to us. I mean, next week, we'll be back to the normal big-batch-cooking-style. The cooks do a great job year-round, but wow they've really outdone themselves this week.
So, I knew that with only 10 of us coming to Thanksgiving meal, it was gonna be AWESOME. And, that it was.
I first went to OTC breakfast, where I dined on chocolate chip pancakes and a blueberry muffin... yes, CARB overload for me. Then, two and a half hours later we had to leave for Saranac Lake for the day, so we ate our Thanksgiving meal at the OTC only 2 hours after my very filling breakfast.
Everything your grandma makes for Thanksgiving, and then some. It was sooooo delicious. Plus, I had to have some pumpkin roll, and stuff down an extra slice of turkey for good measure. And cranberry sauce is really good for you, right? I hope so. I could have eaten buckets of it.
Kristina, Mike, and Greg being goofs at our Thanksgiving meal at the OTC
Six of us rolled out to the car and drove down to the Saranac Lake Adult Center to help serve a Thankgiving meal to elderly from the area. The other volunteers greeted us with "GREAT to have you! How bout you sit down and eat first?"
"Nooooo, thank you but no. Really, sorry. No. No, you don't understand. We just ate. JUST ate. like, A LOT."
The dinner ended up being a little slow, though it was obvious that we were genuinely helping a few people there to have a great Holiday. Just providing a meal, a smile, or offering some competitive spirit in a mean game of Chinese Checkers. In whatever capacity, it was great to get out there and volunteer. Bravo to Kristina Hull, the leader of our group of 6, who was the one who organized the trip.
Greg, Kristina, Mike, Tyler, Me (Matt had to leave early)
We left the Adult Center around 5, still unable to fit anything more into our stomachs... OK, OK, so... I did fit in a piece of pumpkin pie with a dollop of whipped cream... I couldn't resist!
We came back to the OTC for a light dinner and some fun terrorizing each other in the dorms with a few friendly pranks. Despite not being home around family, I had a great Thanksgiving!
And to top it allllllll off -
My Cousin, Annie, Had a Baby!!! Congrats to Annie & John on Baby Wyatt!
Monday, November 22, 2010
Monday November 22, 2010
Training with Coach Kash
AAAaahhh, a nice relaxing night at the OTC.
I needed a break from sliding. Last week, being the first week from the top, really rocked me. I'm having a hard time figuring out how much pressure my sled needs to steer, and what variables are keeping me from getting some fast times. The types of runners (those steel things that the sled slides on), the weight of the sled, how well balanced the sled is, and how good the driver is - allllll come into play when talking about speed. Granted, I get a beautiful run now and then, but I'm still not even sure HOW I do that!
Steering is one of my biggest problems (I know...probably should figure that one out pretty quick, huh?). Basically, It's like being 16 and driving a car for the first time. You learn how hard to spin the wheel to make a certain turn radius. In skeleton, all the driving comes from your shoulders, knees, and toes. Ideally, you should never drive with your toes - that means you're directly putting your toe on the ice (usually to keep from skidding) and therefore adding force against the natural speed of your sled. If you want to win - you don't drive by putting your toe down. If your new, and prefer not to die - you put your toe down.
The most preferred way of driving the sled is by using your shoulders. We lay belly-down on the sled, with our shoulders resting directly on the 'body' of the sled. If I wish to steer right, I push down on the sled with my left shoulder. If I wish to steer left, I push with my right shoulder. Our knees also are great for steering, as there are driving bars underneath them as well. If I wish to go left, I push down with my left knee, and vice versa.
That all sounds easy until you remember that we're 'driving' on ICE! Skidding sideways down straightaways is one of my specialties! And my 'panic' button is demonstrated by immediately dropping both my toes, legs wide apart, and holding on for dear life... Just like this video (courtesy of my hilarious and awesome teammate, Kristina Hull...I edited out all the laughing):
Me, skidding out of control between curve 2 and 3
So after runs like that all week, I erased any thoughts of doing skeleton on saturday, and took the whole day to chill, and get caught up on things like GETTING A JOB.
Wooohooo! Somewhat unsuccessful...but I at least got somewhere. I'm hoping to get on a babysitting list for Whiteface Lodge, where i'm promised to receive at least $60/sitting. It's a beautiful hotel, with many amenities, and usually quite wealthy guests. I also signed up on a website as a babysitter in the area, and have been contacted about babysitting in December already. We'll see... I'm guessing I'll need something more than babysitting once January hits.
So, today is Monday. I got back in the groove of sliding today. Got a great workout in, and spent some time babying my sled... I put on new runners (maybe my last runners were reason for my steering problem?), and wrote "Diesel" in orange duck tape on the pod of the sled, as well as tried to make the runners super smooth by sanding them with sandpaper. My sled looked pretty snazzy :)
The ice was slooooooow today. Really slow, due to frosty conditions. The weather up here has been warm, and rainy, and therefore all the moisture in the air collects on the ice, making it more sticky. But, it was nice to be able to hold my head up off the ice and see where I was going - normally you can't do that due to the G-Forces you experience on the curves. It was a nice confidence booster!
It will be a rather relaxing week, with only 2 runs down the mountain per day, and a workout every day. I'm excited about that, but already am missing being home with my family for the holiday.
Friday, November 19, 2010
Friday November 18, 2010
My start from the top of Mt. Van Hoevenberg bobsleigh & skeleton track.
"Great Job!"
"Ouch. What happened?"
"Lookin' Good"
"Thought you were flippin' on that one!"
The words of wisdom I've heard from Coach Don this week. One day I seem to have it all together, then next day I'm trying to flip myself in curves 4 and 12 on every run! It hasn't happened yet - but wow - there's nothing like being air-born at 70 miles an hour. I think every time I've had that feeling, my mind has flashed "Should I close my eyes or just take what's to come..."
...pretty sure I close my eyes and say a mini prayer...
So, I've really been rather bruise-and-scratch-free to this point. I have some bruising under my left arm, and some bruising on my right hip, and scraped my shin while practicing starts at the push track. Other than that, I've been pretty happy about my lack of pain.
Last night I had a doozie though. We had two runs down the mountain in the morning, and three runs in the late afternoon. My two morning runs felt pretty good... but the late afternoon ones - man oh man. My first run felt pretty smooth. The second one felt sloppier, but I still wasn't trying to flip myself like I had been the last two days...
The third and final run of the night though was rough. I didn't flip, but I was lacking control of my sled. Nothing new, but for whatever reason, I was ping-ponging a lot of the straightaways, which sets you up poorly for the next curve on the track. After holding my breath and closing my eyes on several curves (which, by the way, is a terrible way to approach things when you're 70 mph on a sled thats responsive to your every twitch), I crossed the finish line.
At the finish line you're still probably going 50mph. I immediately shook my head and stared down at the ice, in dismay at a terrible run.
There's a gate towards the end of the track that bobsleds are shuttled on and off the track through. A tiny portion of that metal gate sticks out into the ending portion of the skeleton run. At about 20 mph, with my head hung in shame, my helmet clobbered the gate. DONE. Done done done done done. Get me off of this thing. I need a break. And an Advil please.
About 30 minutes later my headache had ceased, and my mind was back into belief that this skeleton thing is fun, and I wanna do it again. Trust me, with all the bumps and bruises, this sport is worth doing again and again and again...just maybe with some breaks in between!
So today is Friday. It's 8:40 now. At 9:00 we have a light workout with a volunteer coach from Chicago, Kash. At 10:45 we meet at Mt. Van Hoevenberg (the ice track) and slide for 2-3 hours. Then lunch. Then back to the ice track from 4:30-6:30. Then dinner, and then a core workout with Kash. Busy busy days this week. I'm excited to have this weekend off for some relaxation, recovery, and time to study my notes that I've been taking the past 2 weeks.
I'm missing "turkey killing weekend" at home this weekend. As morbid as it sounds, I'm really going to miss it.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Tuesday November 16, 2010
Curve 10 - "Shady" - biggest curve on the Lake Placid Track
Phew!
Feelin' pritty beat today.
The energy needed to write an exciting blog post is really just not in me.
We're really upping our game this week. Woke up, sore from yesterday's workout, and headed to the push track at 9am. Spent 45 minutes and 3 good pushes at the track, and then headed over to the ice track... but today was not just another day - we went from the...
TOP!!!! YEAH!! I had around 80 runs from the top of the mountain last year, and so to be back at the top again is a great feeling.
Yet, starting at the top not only means top speeds, but it also means you must fully warm-up because you push and mount the sled before the 'ride.' It's a bit more exhausting than just starting from curve 4. After three runs, we drove back to the OTC, grabbed a quick lunch, and then headed back to the track at 3:00, for another 3 sprinting runs from the top.
Mike & I headed to the cafeteria straight from the track to grab some grub around 6:45, and by 7:30 our entire crew had met in the gymnasium to do a balance & core-based workout with Kash, a volunteer coach from Chicago. A lot of planks, med balls, dumbbells, and balance disks... I'm going to be a bit sore tomorrow from the workout, and we meet with Kash at 9am tomorrow for a more 'intense' workout, we're told.
Though i'm tired, I really do love the feeling of all this hard work. I finish the day, like right now, satisfied with my effort. There's always more to do, and things to improve on, but the steps I'm taking right now are headed in the right direction. Patience, commitment, & hard work. That's what I need, and that's what I'm striving to do.
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Sunday November 14, 2010
Oh my gosh! I have access to wooden furniture with small storage units inside… I think they call it…dressers?! Oh yes, today I ended my week-long life of a nomad, and established my home at the OTC.
For the first time in 8 days, I can actually set my toothbrush on the sink, without worry that I’ll forget it before my next relocation. I even have a room all to myself tonight… seriously…that NEVER happens at the OTC. But, I think God knows that I could really use a night to myself after jumping from couch-to-bed-to-bed-to-futon-to-bed-to-OTC this past week. It’s great.
This was a really awesome weekend. Saturday I watched goalball with many of my skeleton mates. All the men on the team are, in some capacity, legally blind. Every athlete wears a blindfold, and the entire game is played based on hearing and touch. Each athlete must have trust and faith in their teammates that they will A) avoid running into you B) stop any balls flying in their direction and C) have their trust and faith in you as well. It's really cool- and very inspirational.
U.S.A. goalball scrimmage
I alllllllso got a new helmet today!!! Well...new to me. The helmet is a very well respected brand in the skeleton world (UVEX), and is being sold to me by Katie Uhlaender, 2010 Olympian, at just over 1/2 price. Katie had stripped the padding out of the cheek pads (her personal preference) - so my friend, Greg West, had a field day padding up the helmet for me. It looks AWESOME now!
We went to the push track for a few runs today. I brought the new helmet to give-it-a-go. In my old helmet, I had to breathe very shallow before sliding, so as not to fog up the shield. I let out a couple big puffs of air in the UVEX, and NO FOG!!! I can see! I can see! Jokes about me needing a windshield wiper may begin to cease now... psssh
Video of my push at the push track today
Tomorrow another group of new sliding school athletes will be arriving. It's great to meet so many people from many different backgrounds - including a wide range of athletes with really impressive stats. National track athletes, professional soccer players, weight room trainers, football players, etc. ... My claim-to-fame of being a middle-distance runner doesn't fit-in with the background of most of the crowd...but that's ok, i'm still majorly pumped to be here :)
For the first time in 8 days, I can actually set my toothbrush on the sink, without worry that I’ll forget it before my next relocation. I even have a room all to myself tonight… seriously…that NEVER happens at the OTC. But, I think God knows that I could really use a night to myself after jumping from couch-to-bed-to-bed-to-futon-to-bed-to-OTC this past week. It’s great.
This was a really awesome weekend. Saturday I watched goalball with many of my skeleton mates. All the men on the team are, in some capacity, legally blind. Every athlete wears a blindfold, and the entire game is played based on hearing and touch. Each athlete must have trust and faith in their teammates that they will A) avoid running into you B) stop any balls flying in their direction and C) have their trust and faith in you as well. It's really cool- and very inspirational.
U.S.A. goalball scrimmage
I alllllllso got a new helmet today!!! Well...new to me. The helmet is a very well respected brand in the skeleton world (UVEX), and is being sold to me by Katie Uhlaender, 2010 Olympian, at just over 1/2 price. Katie had stripped the padding out of the cheek pads (her personal preference) - so my friend, Greg West, had a field day padding up the helmet for me. It looks AWESOME now!
We went to the push track for a few runs today. I brought the new helmet to give-it-a-go. In my old helmet, I had to breathe very shallow before sliding, so as not to fog up the shield. I let out a couple big puffs of air in the UVEX, and NO FOG!!! I can see! I can see! Jokes about me needing a windshield wiper may begin to cease now... psssh
Video of my push at the push track today
Tomorrow another group of new sliding school athletes will be arriving. It's great to meet so many people from many different backgrounds - including a wide range of athletes with really impressive stats. National track athletes, professional soccer players, weight room trainers, football players, etc. ... My claim-to-fame of being a middle-distance runner doesn't fit-in with the background of most of the crowd...but that's ok, i'm still majorly pumped to be here :)
Friday, November 12, 2010
Friday Nov. 12, 2010
Put everything away. Take it back out. Repeat. Find this here. Lose that there. Repeat.
That's sorta how I've felt this past week. Here's my 'living' schedule/situation:
Saturday Nov. 6: Leave Butler @ 2am for Rochester. Leave Rochester @11am for Albany (to see Katie Springer!!).
Sunday Nov. 6: Leave Albany @ 10am for Schenectady (to see Heather Furman!!).
Monday Nov. 7: Leave Schenectady @ 6:15am for Leah's friend's apartment in Lake Placid.
Thursday Nov. 11: Leave Leah's friend's apartment and enter Amy Will's apartment.
Saturday Nov. 13: Leave Amy Will's apartment and enter Leah's apartment.
Sunday Nov. 14: Leave Leah's apartment and enter Olympic Training Center (OTC)
It hasn't really been all that incredibly crazy except that I'm a naturally unorganized person.
I mean, I haven't even brushed my teeth today because I couldn't find my toothbrush. I should probably go do that now though...when I was at the top of the mountain a few hours ago, I found it in my skeleton bag...how It got there, Lord only knows. I just made sure not to breathe on anybody, and chewed a lot of gum.
So, in between my moving around... I've been doing a lot of sliding on the ice track, and also have spent a few days at the push track.
Practicing at the 'push track'
In sliding sports, there is no way to practice only one curve on the course. It's sort of an all-or-nothing type deal. The push at the beginning of the race is extremely important, and the "push track" has been rigged up so that athletes can practice the sprint without having to actually slide down the mountain.
We've spent 2 days now doing sprint pushes at the 'push track.' I've been feeling pretty good about my pushes, and am excited to actually get to run a few times from the top on "real" ice next week.
Every day since Monday we've had between 3-4 runs down the bobsleigh/skeleton track. I can't always see improvement in myself, but Coach seems to have faith that I am improving, and that patience is key.
Today, for the very first time, I felt like I WAS my sled. It was a very strange, very wonderful feeling. Usually I feel as though I'm just a passenger, being jostled around, a bit at the mercy of my sled's own thoughts. But not today! I can't even begin to explain it...but for about 30 seconds, I actually felt like I was totally in control, as if the metal runners were directly attached to my thighs. It was AWESOME!
View from Curve 4 (there are 20 curves in total)
Needless to say I'm having a blast :) Two beautiful bruises on my right leg are all i've racked up so far...many more to come i'm sure!
That's sorta how I've felt this past week. Here's my 'living' schedule/situation:
Saturday Nov. 6: Leave Butler @ 2am for Rochester. Leave Rochester @11am for Albany (to see Katie Springer!!).
Sunday Nov. 6: Leave Albany @ 10am for Schenectady (to see Heather Furman!!).
Monday Nov. 7: Leave Schenectady @ 6:15am for Leah's friend's apartment in Lake Placid.
Thursday Nov. 11: Leave Leah's friend's apartment and enter Amy Will's apartment.
Saturday Nov. 13: Leave Amy Will's apartment and enter Leah's apartment.
Sunday Nov. 14: Leave Leah's apartment and enter Olympic Training Center (OTC)
It hasn't really been all that incredibly crazy except that I'm a naturally unorganized person.
I mean, I haven't even brushed my teeth today because I couldn't find my toothbrush. I should probably go do that now though...when I was at the top of the mountain a few hours ago, I found it in my skeleton bag...how It got there, Lord only knows. I just made sure not to breathe on anybody, and chewed a lot of gum.
So, in between my moving around... I've been doing a lot of sliding on the ice track, and also have spent a few days at the push track.
Practicing at the 'push track'
In sliding sports, there is no way to practice only one curve on the course. It's sort of an all-or-nothing type deal. The push at the beginning of the race is extremely important, and the "push track" has been rigged up so that athletes can practice the sprint without having to actually slide down the mountain.
We've spent 2 days now doing sprint pushes at the 'push track.' I've been feeling pretty good about my pushes, and am excited to actually get to run a few times from the top on "real" ice next week.
Every day since Monday we've had between 3-4 runs down the bobsleigh/skeleton track. I can't always see improvement in myself, but Coach seems to have faith that I am improving, and that patience is key.
Today, for the very first time, I felt like I WAS my sled. It was a very strange, very wonderful feeling. Usually I feel as though I'm just a passenger, being jostled around, a bit at the mercy of my sled's own thoughts. But not today! I can't even begin to explain it...but for about 30 seconds, I actually felt like I was totally in control, as if the metal runners were directly attached to my thighs. It was AWESOME!
View from Curve 4 (there are 20 curves in total)
Needless to say I'm having a blast :) Two beautiful bruises on my right leg are all i've racked up so far...many more to come i'm sure!
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Thursday November 11, 2010
Breathe... Breeeaaathheee... breeeaatheee...
I woke up this morning with butterflies in my stomach. They say that it's a good sign if you get butterflies, means you really 'care' about what is coming, and that you're going to put full effort in. They also say that if you want to have your BEST day though... you need the butterflies to fly in formation. That's where I run in to trouble. If any of you know me, you know that my entire life is typically a scattered mess. But, I think today, maybe for once...I got things to fly in formation.
The combine was to start at 9:30am at the Lake Placid High School track. Basically the combine is a series of 8 tests, all of which are ranked on a points system. Get 600 points, and you get to live and eat at the Olympic training center for free. It was chilly this morning, but sunny, and low wind. I had shown up to the track first, which unbeknownst to me meant I would be the first to attempt each of the 8 series of tests for the remainder of the day. Dang it.
We were allotted three attempts for each test, and started the morning with sprints. Coach Don Hass had set up a 'starting' timing eye, and then a series of 3 other timing eyes at distances of 15m, 30m, and 45m.
Timing eyes set up on the track. Notice the 1980 olympic torch in the background!
My first 2 sprints...well, they were ok. Each were rather consistent with each other, and I had checked the "points chart" to see how I was scoring with those times... nothing too spectacular. Only a few of us had decided we were going to use all 3 attempts, and so we gave each other a longer-than-normal recovery time. In those 4-5 minutes of 'down time' waiting for the last attempt, Don informed me that I would have to pay $8 to complete the combine test because I would be using the Olympic Training Center's weight room for the squat and powerclean.
WHAT?! have to pay to take this test??? Everyone else around me was taking a beginner skeleton school (which I did last year), and therefore living at the center anyways, and did not need to pay. It made me mad. No wonder the U.S.A. has a hard time finding qualified athletes to compete in skeleton... they surely don't make it easy (or cheap) for potential athletes (this being only one of many examples).
So I got mad. And I don't really get mad too often. It's good for me though, and it really showed in my sprints, as I improved my score in those 4 distances by about 15 points. BOOYAH! Take THAT, $8 fee! Now i'm back in the game.
We moved the test to a pole vault runway outside the OTC. We tested our standing broad jump, and the underhand shot toss. Hops are something I just don't got, but I still jumped a personal best. Jerame Tuman, my trainer at RAW training in PA, always made me GRUNT while practicing the shot toss. One guy was throwing the shot and landing flat on his stomach, belly-smacking each attempt... Oh yes, a grunt totally fit-in with the atmosphere. My great Grunt led to a great toss, and I picked up 90 points in the event. Hmmmm... I knew it was going to be close.
The last 2 events were the power clean, and the back squat. Before working out at RAW training with Jerame, I would have really bombed this portion of the test. Before September of this year, I didn't know the correct mechanics for a power clean, and I certainly was not doing any back squats during my bike tour.
I knew going into the test what my personal bests had been during my training at home. I wasn't going to hit the 600 mark if I matched those marks. I needed to up my game.
The power clean went well. I'm still pretty sloppy at the movement, but have really improved in the past 2 months, and I increased my personal best by approximately 8 lbs (everything is in kg here). That still meant that I would have to squat at least 15 lbs more than I have in the past. Yikes.
Lauren, Maeve, and myself all spotted each other as we each pressed all we could. I saw my personal best go by as I continued to add weights...knowing that I was lifting more than I had before, but trying to refrain from doing the exact kg to lb conversion so as not to psyche myself out.
I finished a set that I knew was just about my max. Just before adding a last 2.5 kilos I thought I could complete, coach Don walked over to me with a pen & paper. He had scribbled out a bunch of numbers that all added up to 600. Exactly 600. I had counted wrong, and had reached my goal without even realizing it! I was happy... sooooo sooooo happy. AM happy!!! I ended up adding those extra 2.5 kilos, finished the 3 reps, and managed to get 601 points for the test.
I move into the Olympic Training Center next week some time. I really stink at cooking so I am looking forward to not having to eat my own blackened, bland food. Not to mention living in the same building as some friends, and saving a lot of money by not having to pay for food or housing.
Thanks to everyone who has helped me out along the way. I really appreciate it! This was my very first goal on this journey- bring on the next. :)
I woke up this morning with butterflies in my stomach. They say that it's a good sign if you get butterflies, means you really 'care' about what is coming, and that you're going to put full effort in. They also say that if you want to have your BEST day though... you need the butterflies to fly in formation. That's where I run in to trouble. If any of you know me, you know that my entire life is typically a scattered mess. But, I think today, maybe for once...I got things to fly in formation.
The combine was to start at 9:30am at the Lake Placid High School track. Basically the combine is a series of 8 tests, all of which are ranked on a points system. Get 600 points, and you get to live and eat at the Olympic training center for free. It was chilly this morning, but sunny, and low wind. I had shown up to the track first, which unbeknownst to me meant I would be the first to attempt each of the 8 series of tests for the remainder of the day. Dang it.
We were allotted three attempts for each test, and started the morning with sprints. Coach Don Hass had set up a 'starting' timing eye, and then a series of 3 other timing eyes at distances of 15m, 30m, and 45m.
Timing eyes set up on the track. Notice the 1980 olympic torch in the background!
My first 2 sprints...well, they were ok. Each were rather consistent with each other, and I had checked the "points chart" to see how I was scoring with those times... nothing too spectacular. Only a few of us had decided we were going to use all 3 attempts, and so we gave each other a longer-than-normal recovery time. In those 4-5 minutes of 'down time' waiting for the last attempt, Don informed me that I would have to pay $8 to complete the combine test because I would be using the Olympic Training Center's weight room for the squat and powerclean.
WHAT?! have to pay to take this test??? Everyone else around me was taking a beginner skeleton school (which I did last year), and therefore living at the center anyways, and did not need to pay. It made me mad. No wonder the U.S.A. has a hard time finding qualified athletes to compete in skeleton... they surely don't make it easy (or cheap) for potential athletes (this being only one of many examples).
So I got mad. And I don't really get mad too often. It's good for me though, and it really showed in my sprints, as I improved my score in those 4 distances by about 15 points. BOOYAH! Take THAT, $8 fee! Now i'm back in the game.
We moved the test to a pole vault runway outside the OTC. We tested our standing broad jump, and the underhand shot toss. Hops are something I just don't got, but I still jumped a personal best. Jerame Tuman, my trainer at RAW training in PA, always made me GRUNT while practicing the shot toss. One guy was throwing the shot and landing flat on his stomach, belly-smacking each attempt... Oh yes, a grunt totally fit-in with the atmosphere. My great Grunt led to a great toss, and I picked up 90 points in the event. Hmmmm... I knew it was going to be close.
The last 2 events were the power clean, and the back squat. Before working out at RAW training with Jerame, I would have really bombed this portion of the test. Before September of this year, I didn't know the correct mechanics for a power clean, and I certainly was not doing any back squats during my bike tour.
I knew going into the test what my personal bests had been during my training at home. I wasn't going to hit the 600 mark if I matched those marks. I needed to up my game.
The power clean went well. I'm still pretty sloppy at the movement, but have really improved in the past 2 months, and I increased my personal best by approximately 8 lbs (everything is in kg here). That still meant that I would have to squat at least 15 lbs more than I have in the past. Yikes.
Lauren, Maeve, and myself all spotted each other as we each pressed all we could. I saw my personal best go by as I continued to add weights...knowing that I was lifting more than I had before, but trying to refrain from doing the exact kg to lb conversion so as not to psyche myself out.
I finished a set that I knew was just about my max. Just before adding a last 2.5 kilos I thought I could complete, coach Don walked over to me with a pen & paper. He had scribbled out a bunch of numbers that all added up to 600. Exactly 600. I had counted wrong, and had reached my goal without even realizing it! I was happy... sooooo sooooo happy. AM happy!!! I ended up adding those extra 2.5 kilos, finished the 3 reps, and managed to get 601 points for the test.
I move into the Olympic Training Center next week some time. I really stink at cooking so I am looking forward to not having to eat my own blackened, bland food. Not to mention living in the same building as some friends, and saving a lot of money by not having to pay for food or housing.
Thanks to everyone who has helped me out along the way. I really appreciate it! This was my very first goal on this journey- bring on the next. :)
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Tuesday November 9, 2010
My coach, Don Hass, said that bicycling across the country would be a major hindrance on my combine test performance and my sprint speed. He said that back in March, when I was still trying to decide whether to pursue the sport of skeleton.
The decision to come back here, to Lake Placid, was not an easy one. For one, I had committed myself (back in October of 2009) to bicycling across the country with Bike & Build for the summer of 2010. At that point in time, the thought of bobsledding or skeleton sliding would have been a complete joke. By the time March of 2010 rolled around though, I realized that I possibly had a future in the sport of skeleton – but all the while was anxiously awaiting my journey across the country on a bicycle, and had already raised nearly $4000 in donations. There was no way that I could back out on Bike & Build. Nor did I want to.
Bike & Build wasn’t the only thing that was causing me to hesitate with the decision to pursue skeleton. There’s also the time-frame factor. Anyone pursuing this sport is of course looking to one day compete in the Olympics. In fact, that is my #1 goal. However, there are hundreds of tiny stepping stones to get to that point – and the fact of the matter is, that if this is something I really want to pursue, I must realize that it will be at least four years of commitment to the sport – if not eight. Sure, I can call it quits at any given moment, but why invest the time and money if you don’t want to go all the way?
Which leads me to my third point: money. Money was the biggest reason for my hesitation to come back. If you’re on the World Cup (top 2 sliders in the country), then money isn’t going to be quite as much of an issue. I’m not there, so let’s just be frank. Remember the combine test that Don said I would struggle with if I bicycled across the country? Well, you pass that baby, and you get your food and housing paid for at the Olympic Training Center. You don’t, and you’re on your own; food, housing… not to mention I bought a $3,000 sled, paid $250 for the year to slide the track, will be buying a $150 helmet, $150 pair of spiked shoes, and any other random equipment needs that pop up. Today, I’ll be buying a set of hex keys to change the ‘bend’ (we call it rock) in the runners on my sled.
The thing about the combine test, is that it doesn’t directly correlate to how well a slider competes on the ice. Let’s break down the test. There are four sprints, all of which are 45m or less. Then there’s an underhand shot-toss, a standing broad jump, a 1 rep max power clean, and a 3 rep max back squat. They all measure power, explosion, and speed. The sprint at the start of the track for skeleton must be very quick and powerful, and therefore athletes who test well in the combine will be best suited for the sprinting portion of the sport. But, the number ONE key ingredient to skeleton success (according to Coach Don Hass) is commitment – it takes hundreds and hundreds of runs down the chute of ice before one finally begins to become a respected and successful slider. My one friend, Lauri Bausch, is an AWESOME skeleton slider. In only her second season she is competing on Europa Cup. But, as Lauri will tell you, she is usually slower at the sprinting start than any other woman on team USA. But her commitment to the sport is admirable, her driving skills are incredible, and those things have proven to take her a long way. And she's still working hard to drop those sprint times.
In all honesty, today I’m feeling a little deflated. Coach Don didn't want me to get too hyped-up about passing the combine. He'd be "happily surprised" if I passed, he said. He reiterated the fact that bicycling across the country probably slowed down my muscles quite a bit. And he’s right, I agree. But, I spent 8 weeks (directly after my bicycling trip) training hard at R.A.W. training gym with Jerame Tuman, past Pittsburgh Steeler. Jerame set up a complete training regimen for me, and I continued to improve every week that I was under his instruction. If I don’t pass this thing this week, I'll train hard and then I’ll try again. And I’ll try again. And again. And again.
But, then again, maybe Thursday I’ll really kick this test’s @$*.
Monday November 8, 2010
Coach Don Hass working on my sled in Rochester, NY 11/6/10
What a rush. There’s truly no other feeling in the world like sliding face-first at impeccable speeds down a mile-long slope on nothing but a pair of steel cylinders and a sheet of ice. The closest thing it might possibly compare to, is skydiving. Once you jump, there’s no going back. You push yourself off the top of the mountain and I promise you that it will be one mile before you can even begin to THINK about stopping again.
So when after you’ve gone on a seven-month hiatus from the sport, and take that very first run down the ice chute again… well, I’ll tell ya, it is unlike any other feeling in the world.
The first five seconds all you hear is the thick throb of your heart, followed by around ten seconds of trying to remember proper form, followed by ten more seconds of ‘holy crap’, another thirty seconds of sheer joy, and the remaining five-or-so seconds of wondering how you ever could have contemplated NOT coming back to the sport. It’s a no-brainer. And yes, perhaps only those who are missing a few components in the noggin’ are the ones who even attempt to pursue the sport.
Finally getting in my first run down the track was not the only reason for such an exciting night. I also got to slide on my own sled. MY sled. I knew that tonight would be its unveiling, but I didn’t realize how much I was looking forward to it – until I saw it leaning against the wooden steps of the sled-shed, all wrapped up in a bed sheet. Like a Christmas present, waiting to be opened on Christmas morning.
I carefully pulled away all the duck-tape that kept the sheet snug against the sled. Red. A beautiful red, and with a thick, soft, cushiony layer of foam laying over the body. Don and I had made all the fittings for the sled last Saturday in Rochester, so I had seen the sled in pieces, but not the completed project. Everyone around me was being assigned a ‘school sled’ for the week. I just smirked to myself. Gosh, I’m lucky.
The sled slid wonderfully, though my times were slow and I was a bit “squirrely” down the track. Getting back into the “groove” of sliding takes a few days, so tonight I wanted to focus on remaining as still as possible on the ride down, and concentrate on keeping my shoulders rested on the body of the sled. A majority of driving comes from putting pressure down on the sled with your shoulders – so if I remain too tense, and my shoulders are up off the sled, my driving mechanics will suffer.
Tomorrow is supposed to be warmer, which will probably only slow the ice down, but I look forward to continuing to perfect my skills, while still loving every second of my journey towards becoming an Olympian.
February 4, 2010
An old Facebook 'Note' I wrote from last February, when I was only just beginning to get into the sport.
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nooooo, I'm not going to the Olympics... but I'm having a B-Last while I'm training for skeleton, and we'll see where this whole shibbang goes... Maybe i'll hang up the towel after the first week in March...or, maybe I'll be back in the Fall...whooooo knowwwsss!
I try to be flexible - to take each day as it comes. I would love to have a job I'm passionate about, to meet the man of my dreams and get married, and to enjoy the comfort of having my own apartment or house... but, I don't know what I want to be "when I grow up", and I haven't met the man of my dreams, and I thank AmeriCorps NCCC for helping me to realize that...dang it Leisl, that is OKAY!!!
Which is sort of how I discovered my love for ice. I spent 3-4 awesome months working for my family after AmeriCorps NCCC - it was a great time to reconnect with my friends, my family, and get re-stabilized for a bit. I love home, the farm, and all that comes with it - but I was ready for an adventure. After our fall season was over, (despite the much anticipated turkey killing weekend), the farm life begins to slow down... which was perfectly timed for my life to take a little twist... when one of good friends, Katie, called me up....
Katie: "sooo...I have a friend on the US bobsled team...she needs someone to ride in the back of the bobsled with her in some competitions in Park City, Utah...In 2 weeks...wanna go?"
Leisl: faints.
Leisl: "uhhh... YEAAHHH!!! But I know nothing about bobsledding! (besides kiss the lucky egg)"
And so it began... one of the absolute most random opportunities of my life, has now grown into something like an addiction. I became a temporary brakeman for Jazmine Fenlator, upcoming Russia 2014 Olympic hopeful, and soaked up as much knowledge as I could from her about the sports of both bobsled and skeleton. Jazmine, whats this? Why's that? Oh crap sorry I know I was supposed to do this. This fast or that fast? Oh crap sorry I know I was supposed to do this...oh crap...Yep- brakes? Now? Like...now now? OK!
And so it was - poor Jazmine was stuck with someone who had never seen a bobsled track, or a bobsled, and her only knowledge was from studying "Cool Runnings." If I were her, I would have been really second guessing my brakeman selection... but not Jaz. Like a mother hen to her chick, she showed me the ropes with a LOT of patience...and a lot of faith. I soon became as good-as-a-2-week-old-brakeman could be.
Our first couple runs down the track were really crazy! Without knowing what to really expect, my head was often ping-ponged around the inside of the steel sled, and my knees and elbows were dotted with bruises. But when you're adrenaline is rushing like crazy- you tend to not even realize the bruises til you're in the shower and notice an elbow that's now twice the size of what it was the day before. But to feel the pressure on the curves, and feel the speed under your butt, and get the occasional chance to see yourself on video makes it all so so worth it... its like "wow! we did THAT?! sweet!" Such a cool cool cool experience :)
We finished off the America's Cup Races in Park City (the only US women sled) against Canada, Japan, Australia & Brazil in 5th, 6th, and 7th places. Not too shabby for Jazmine being a new driver, and me having only ever seen a bobsled in real life 2 weeks prior!
I really hadn't had enough of the sport, and Jazmine welcomed me into braking for her in the America's Cup races to be set in Lake Placid, NY. I had been warned by many - "Lake Placid's track is nothing like Park City's." Park city was quick - I mean QUICK - hitting up to 4G's on a turn would send my head between my knees, put my stomach in a knot, and I walked away many days with a few stars and a little headache...I mean, come on, how "different" can a track be?
HA! I soon found out - VERY different. While Lake Placid's track is not as quick as Park City's...it is ROUGH. Park City's track would be: Riiiiiiiiggghhhtt, Leeeeefffftttt, riiiiiiiighhhhtttt, leffffttt....(weeeeee!!!!) where as Lake Placids track is more like: RIGHT. LEFT. LEFT. LEFT (ouch). RIGHT. (bang bang bang...stars stars stars). LEFT. (crap when are we done).RIGHT...... you get the picture?
It took a few days but my body settled in nicely to the bumps & hiccups along the track. After about 12 clean & clear runs, Lake Placid was hit by a frigid blast. Temperatures dropped to negatives, and windchill could slice through your warmups (brrr!)... and the ice...it got FAST. Like...record-breaking FAST.
Well, imagine learning the mile-long course and it taking...ohh 1:04 to finish... the next day 1:03...next day 1:02...next 1:01.... well... in the course of 4 days, to drop 4 seconds - that's a BIG DEAL - and there's a lot of driving that has to be changed in order to not only keep up with a course that is suddenly coming 4 seconds faster at you - but also the lines of pressure on the curves changes to some extent - so, those 14 runs you did before are now suddenly a good bit different than the runs you're about to complete (er...not complete).
And what day did the ice peak in quickness? RACE day... which would be a PERFECT day for the veteran bobsled team... ehhh, not so much for us.
We pushed a decent push Race Day #1, but I could tell (despite only ever seeing the floor of the sled during the entire trip) that we were CA-RUUUISING by turn 4... which zips you right into the "Devils Highway"...a perfect...much toooo perfect name for a series of 4-5 corners which severly whiplash you RIGHT. LEFT. RIGHT. LEFTT(moment of silence because we're suddenly on 2 runners) --------KRRRRASHHIGHHHHGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGSHITGGGGG!!!!x 1/2 mile of upside-down bouncing around topsy turvey bruising what-the-hell-is-going-on chaotic scrambling messssss!!! I mean, we had a little crash in Park City where we ended up on our side...but now we were on our HEADS!!! I didn't even know this could really happen! Mind you, a night or two before we had secured new handles (which technically were cabinet handles) for me to hold onto while in the sled... which sounds reassuring until you are suddenly hanging from them with a 500-lb sled on top of you, your back and shoulder getting a burning sensation, and your helmet making the most disgusting noise you've ever heard...and remembering that you had DUCT TAPED the handles in... Dear Lord, please don't let my handles or my hands fall off....
There's no stopping a crashed sled til you've ended the course... and the finish is uphill... so as soon as you FINALLY stop sliding (on your head), you get the lovely pleasure of getting the whole experience again - but in the opposite direction!!! Its much like the old pendulum clocks, as you pendulum between the last 4-5 curves on the track until the track workers catch you and you're able to pull yourself from the wreckage (which, really its not wreckage but maybe just a messed up paint job).
Without too much elaboration at this point, Jazmine and I were DQ'ed from the second run because we didn't finish the race upright... which left the following, and final, day of competition. Jaz's mom had finally worked up the courage to come see Jaz slide...and decided to surprise us on this final day of competition... which probably wasn't the best day to see your daughter hurl herself down a chute at 70+ mph... *PLEASE see previous 2 paragraphs and add + mom running down over the hill + tears + "Jazmine, GET IN THE CAR RIGHT NOW we are GOING HOME!"* ....Needless to say we didn't necessarily end on a 'good' note, but I think Jazmine learned a lot from the experiences, and I had 30+ awesome runs in a bobsled and a crazy experience to tell my grandchildren about.
But, the problem was..and is... that I also got to see skeleton athletes competing while Jaz and I were training and racing bobsled. Now, skeleton is a sport in which a single slider sprints from the top of the bobsled track, hurles himself onto a flat rectangular 70 lb sled, and procedes down the icy chute head-first on his stomach. Tell me that doesn't sound cool right? Ok, you're right...it sounds crazy. But, if you have gone through any physics course, the sled is going to make it down (most likely right-side-up) no matter what - and the chances of hitting a curve head-first are..well...pretty dang slim...maybe impossible? I don't know..I haven't really gotten that answer straight-forward from anyone yet.
So, Jaz introduced me to Don Hass, the skeleton development coach. Don has been at the sport for 25+ years as an athlete, a coach, and builder of 100's of skeleton and bobsleds. He has helped several Olympians become...well, Olympians! A few of his athletes had become my friends in the weeks time, and their enthusiasm for the sport only fueled my interest. I soon signed up to attend one of his "beginner skeleton schools."
What a BLAST! There's no words to really describe what it is like to experience 60+ mph speeds head-first when your chin is just inches (I had chin bruises to prove it) away from the ice. It's almost like skydiving... especially the first 10-15 times... you feel as though you have no control, once you're pushed down the chute there is NO turning back, and the only instructions was to lay flat and in an aerodynamic position... with a little shove and a "good luck" you're suddenly hurled into one of the most intense and extreme experiences of your life. Ha! And all the veterans say that we're not going fast enough to "feel this happen, or that happen..." are you kidding me!!! I'm going 60 mph and they are calling that SLOW! hahaha It still cracks me up...but they are right - I am getting faster...and what seemed extremely fast day 1 of skeleton school, would now seem very slow to me.
So now I've finished the school, and have slid 2 days back in Lake Placid. I hope to get a solid 2 weeks of training in, then go home for a week, and then come back for "club races" and "eastern regionals" which will give me a national ranking (which sounds cool enough, right?). Who knows where this crazy experience will take me... for now, I'm just living the dream, loving the sport, and taking each day as it comes. Will I continue with the sport? I'm not sure- depends on how well I do this next month, and also depends on whether or not I feel that this is something worth "putting my life on hold" for and pursuing...but, I haven't even gotten to that point yet... in any scenario, this experience has rocked my socks off :)
Jazmine Fenlator as driver and Leisl Soergel as brakeman. Park City, Utah Americas Cup Races
**********************************************************************************************************************************
nooooo, I'm not going to the Olympics... but I'm having a B-Last while I'm training for skeleton, and we'll see where this whole shibbang goes... Maybe i'll hang up the towel after the first week in March...or, maybe I'll be back in the Fall...whooooo knowwwsss!
I try to be flexible - to take each day as it comes. I would love to have a job I'm passionate about, to meet the man of my dreams and get married, and to enjoy the comfort of having my own apartment or house... but, I don't know what I want to be "when I grow up", and I haven't met the man of my dreams, and I thank AmeriCorps NCCC for helping me to realize that...dang it Leisl, that is OKAY!!!
Which is sort of how I discovered my love for ice. I spent 3-4 awesome months working for my family after AmeriCorps NCCC - it was a great time to reconnect with my friends, my family, and get re-stabilized for a bit. I love home, the farm, and all that comes with it - but I was ready for an adventure. After our fall season was over, (despite the much anticipated turkey killing weekend), the farm life begins to slow down... which was perfectly timed for my life to take a little twist... when one of good friends, Katie, called me up....
Katie: "sooo...I have a friend on the US bobsled team...she needs someone to ride in the back of the bobsled with her in some competitions in Park City, Utah...In 2 weeks...wanna go?"
Leisl: faints.
Leisl: "uhhh... YEAAHHH!!! But I know nothing about bobsledding! (besides kiss the lucky egg)"
And so it began... one of the absolute most random opportunities of my life, has now grown into something like an addiction. I became a temporary brakeman for Jazmine Fenlator, upcoming Russia 2014 Olympic hopeful, and soaked up as much knowledge as I could from her about the sports of both bobsled and skeleton. Jazmine, whats this? Why's that? Oh crap sorry I know I was supposed to do this. This fast or that fast? Oh crap sorry I know I was supposed to do this...oh crap...Yep- brakes? Now? Like...now now? OK!
And so it was - poor Jazmine was stuck with someone who had never seen a bobsled track, or a bobsled, and her only knowledge was from studying "Cool Runnings." If I were her, I would have been really second guessing my brakeman selection... but not Jaz. Like a mother hen to her chick, she showed me the ropes with a LOT of patience...and a lot of faith. I soon became as good-as-a-2-week-old-brakeman could be.
Our first couple runs down the track were really crazy! Without knowing what to really expect, my head was often ping-ponged around the inside of the steel sled, and my knees and elbows were dotted with bruises. But when you're adrenaline is rushing like crazy- you tend to not even realize the bruises til you're in the shower and notice an elbow that's now twice the size of what it was the day before. But to feel the pressure on the curves, and feel the speed under your butt, and get the occasional chance to see yourself on video makes it all so so worth it... its like "wow! we did THAT?! sweet!" Such a cool cool cool experience :)
We finished off the America's Cup Races in Park City (the only US women sled) against Canada, Japan, Australia & Brazil in 5th, 6th, and 7th places. Not too shabby for Jazmine being a new driver, and me having only ever seen a bobsled in real life 2 weeks prior!
I really hadn't had enough of the sport, and Jazmine welcomed me into braking for her in the America's Cup races to be set in Lake Placid, NY. I had been warned by many - "Lake Placid's track is nothing like Park City's." Park city was quick - I mean QUICK - hitting up to 4G's on a turn would send my head between my knees, put my stomach in a knot, and I walked away many days with a few stars and a little headache...I mean, come on, how "different" can a track be?
HA! I soon found out - VERY different. While Lake Placid's track is not as quick as Park City's...it is ROUGH. Park City's track would be: Riiiiiiiiggghhhtt, Leeeeefffftttt, riiiiiiiighhhhtttt, leffffttt....(weeeeee!!!!) where as Lake Placids track is more like: RIGHT. LEFT. LEFT. LEFT (ouch). RIGHT. (bang bang bang...stars stars stars). LEFT. (crap when are we done).RIGHT...... you get the picture?
It took a few days but my body settled in nicely to the bumps & hiccups along the track. After about 12 clean & clear runs, Lake Placid was hit by a frigid blast. Temperatures dropped to negatives, and windchill could slice through your warmups (brrr!)... and the ice...it got FAST. Like...record-breaking FAST.
Well, imagine learning the mile-long course and it taking...ohh 1:04 to finish... the next day 1:03...next day 1:02...next 1:01.... well... in the course of 4 days, to drop 4 seconds - that's a BIG DEAL - and there's a lot of driving that has to be changed in order to not only keep up with a course that is suddenly coming 4 seconds faster at you - but also the lines of pressure on the curves changes to some extent - so, those 14 runs you did before are now suddenly a good bit different than the runs you're about to complete (er...not complete).
And what day did the ice peak in quickness? RACE day... which would be a PERFECT day for the veteran bobsled team... ehhh, not so much for us.
We pushed a decent push Race Day #1, but I could tell (despite only ever seeing the floor of the sled during the entire trip) that we were CA-RUUUISING by turn 4... which zips you right into the "Devils Highway"...a perfect...much toooo perfect name for a series of 4-5 corners which severly whiplash you RIGHT. LEFT. RIGHT. LEFTT(moment of silence because we're suddenly on 2 runners) --------KRRRRASHHIGHHHHGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGSHITGGGGG!!!!x 1/2 mile of upside-down bouncing around topsy turvey bruising what-the-hell-is-going-on chaotic scrambling messssss!!! I mean, we had a little crash in Park City where we ended up on our side...but now we were on our HEADS!!! I didn't even know this could really happen! Mind you, a night or two before we had secured new handles (which technically were cabinet handles) for me to hold onto while in the sled... which sounds reassuring until you are suddenly hanging from them with a 500-lb sled on top of you, your back and shoulder getting a burning sensation, and your helmet making the most disgusting noise you've ever heard...and remembering that you had DUCT TAPED the handles in... Dear Lord, please don't let my handles or my hands fall off....
There's no stopping a crashed sled til you've ended the course... and the finish is uphill... so as soon as you FINALLY stop sliding (on your head), you get the lovely pleasure of getting the whole experience again - but in the opposite direction!!! Its much like the old pendulum clocks, as you pendulum between the last 4-5 curves on the track until the track workers catch you and you're able to pull yourself from the wreckage (which, really its not wreckage but maybe just a messed up paint job).
Without too much elaboration at this point, Jazmine and I were DQ'ed from the second run because we didn't finish the race upright... which left the following, and final, day of competition. Jaz's mom had finally worked up the courage to come see Jaz slide...and decided to surprise us on this final day of competition... which probably wasn't the best day to see your daughter hurl herself down a chute at 70+ mph... *PLEASE see previous 2 paragraphs and add + mom running down over the hill + tears + "Jazmine, GET IN THE CAR RIGHT NOW we are GOING HOME!"* ....Needless to say we didn't necessarily end on a 'good' note, but I think Jazmine learned a lot from the experiences, and I had 30+ awesome runs in a bobsled and a crazy experience to tell my grandchildren about.
But, the problem was..and is... that I also got to see skeleton athletes competing while Jaz and I were training and racing bobsled. Now, skeleton is a sport in which a single slider sprints from the top of the bobsled track, hurles himself onto a flat rectangular 70 lb sled, and procedes down the icy chute head-first on his stomach. Tell me that doesn't sound cool right? Ok, you're right...it sounds crazy. But, if you have gone through any physics course, the sled is going to make it down (most likely right-side-up) no matter what - and the chances of hitting a curve head-first are..well...pretty dang slim...maybe impossible? I don't know..I haven't really gotten that answer straight-forward from anyone yet.
So, Jaz introduced me to Don Hass, the skeleton development coach. Don has been at the sport for 25+ years as an athlete, a coach, and builder of 100's of skeleton and bobsleds. He has helped several Olympians become...well, Olympians! A few of his athletes had become my friends in the weeks time, and their enthusiasm for the sport only fueled my interest. I soon signed up to attend one of his "beginner skeleton schools."
What a BLAST! There's no words to really describe what it is like to experience 60+ mph speeds head-first when your chin is just inches (I had chin bruises to prove it) away from the ice. It's almost like skydiving... especially the first 10-15 times... you feel as though you have no control, once you're pushed down the chute there is NO turning back, and the only instructions was to lay flat and in an aerodynamic position... with a little shove and a "good luck" you're suddenly hurled into one of the most intense and extreme experiences of your life. Ha! And all the veterans say that we're not going fast enough to "feel this happen, or that happen..." are you kidding me!!! I'm going 60 mph and they are calling that SLOW! hahaha It still cracks me up...but they are right - I am getting faster...and what seemed extremely fast day 1 of skeleton school, would now seem very slow to me.
So now I've finished the school, and have slid 2 days back in Lake Placid. I hope to get a solid 2 weeks of training in, then go home for a week, and then come back for "club races" and "eastern regionals" which will give me a national ranking (which sounds cool enough, right?). Who knows where this crazy experience will take me... for now, I'm just living the dream, loving the sport, and taking each day as it comes. Will I continue with the sport? I'm not sure- depends on how well I do this next month, and also depends on whether or not I feel that this is something worth "putting my life on hold" for and pursuing...but, I haven't even gotten to that point yet... in any scenario, this experience has rocked my socks off :)
Jazmine Fenlator as driver and Leisl Soergel as brakeman. Park City, Utah Americas Cup Races
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