Friday, November 18, 2011

My first medal! Woohoo!

"I was driving blind for the first three corners, and snow-plowing the rest of the way..." 
Australian pilot Heath Spence describing the track at Calgary on race-night



At -20 degrees celcius, you feel the cold air rip through your lungs as you breathe in. It takes just a few seconds for your ears to start stinging. 

A quick thought of beach-weather at home almost brought a tear to my eye... but then I rememebered that if I were to cry, I'd get ice in my eyes... not good for anyone I hear.

We'd scored one of the better sled spots though, so we did our work inside during the day, and did our warm up at the starthouse at the bottom of the hill.

Heath polishing runners..


During the warm-up I could sense this would be a day to remember...

Despite the conditions, this was a track heath was very comfortable with, and we'd been training hard all week.
I spent most of the two hours before the race psyching myself up, my headphones in...I spent 120 minutes concentrating on two five-second starts. 

It's strange to focus on such a small moment in time, and to put all the technique and work into it... there's more pressure on in that small window than you can imagine.

We spent what seemed like forever waiting for the starting call...

Finally the time arrived.. we ran out of the shed with our jackets and track-pants still on, hoping to hold on to the warmth for every second we could.

"Heath Spence to the line..." calls the announcer.

Calgary bob-track startline

With so much nervous energy, I ripped my jacket off early and paid the price... the cold hit me instantly. Despite all the adrenaline, and all my focus, it was hard not to feel the instant bite. 

The ice was -12 degrees, meaning the bobsled was actually freezing to the track almost instantly. I had to keep rocking it back and forth to make sure when we pushed it, the thing would actually move...

Here's our start (a 5.52 second start, around 5th fastest on the night), commentary courtesy of Lucas AKA Rodriguez...



I could feel instantly we were on a slippery slope, the ice was so solid that the runners were skidding across them and we were tapping the wall... it couldn't have helped that there was a snow cloud drifting across the run... Heath was driving blind.

Despite the bumps, we were entering every corner smoothly, and picking up speed.

We notched around 120kph and came through the finish line with a time around 57.8 seconds. It was nowhere near Heaths best, but in these conditions, it was competitive.

We sat in fifth place after the first heat. In bobsled, because times are so close, medals are awarded to the top six places in every competition except the Olympics.

As we waited around for a while, the boys who weren't racing got a little tired and cold, and decided to try out the hibernation thing in a spare bobsled...

Gareth feeling quite at home..
We were called a second time to the line... my heart was racing. A medal was ours for the taking... and for the first time in years, I got genuinely nervous. I could feel my gut sink... I knew how much Heath deserved his first two-man medal... and I knew how much I wanted one myself. The pressure was enormous.

For a fleeting moment, I imagined tripping over at the start, or missing the sled altogether with my load... I slapped my helmet in tribal fashion... knocking those thoughts out of my head.

'Think positive... ENJOY' I told myself.

Our Canadian support crew of Cassie and Madi called us up to the line for the final time... my heart was pounding.

We got to the line and launched again down the Calgary bobsled track.





We got a decent push... and sent the sled off the top around 5.57 seconds, a tad slower than the first run, but still a competitive time in the conditions.

Heath controlled the top beautifully, I barely noticed most of the corners.

Despite one of his best runs of the week... the downtime was around 58 seconds. The conditions weren't helping anyone.

But with one look at the finish clock on the brake-stretch, I saw all I needed to see....We'd secured a medal!!

It was Heath's first two man medal, and while he kept a lid on it, I could tell it meant a lot to him.

A crew member at the finish dock approached Heath...

"You just keep climbing don't ya?"

It's an odd thing to say... but Heath is definitely on the rise...in a sport where falling the fastest brings success.

"I guess I've got something to prove I bobsled now eh?" I chirped to Heath on the ride back to the top.
"Oh yeh" he responded, in typical fashion.

A part of him, I could tell, was already focussing on tomorrow... the second two man race. 

As for the medal ceremony, that's tomorrow after that race.

Gareth will be pushing for Heath tomorrow... here's hoping the boys can do even better!! I can't wait to cheer them on.

Gaz

 
Just a quick note... I want to sincerely thank EVERYONE for the amazing amount of support we've received over the last few weeks. It means the world to me and the team to have you all behind us. 

It's easy to imagine you all cheering us on from the start line... although you're probably best reading the blog... it's pretty cold out there.
Jason, Lucas and Gareth can share in tonight's success... their work on the sled, and at the start-line was invaluable in VERY trying conditions.

Till next time....

Keep feeling the rhythm




 

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Training in Calgary

"You guys are training for the world championships now, not just the America's Cup" 
Lascelles "King" Brown, Olympic bobsled medallist


The Calgary bobsled track has a bit of history attached to it. For those who have seen the Cool Runnings film, you'll know what I'm talking about... for those who haven't, I'm not really sure what to say to you...

The Jamaican bobsled team made it's Olympic debut here in Calgary in 1988. What many don't know, is that in that same year Australia also made it's Olympic bobsledding debut. 

It's hard to say what the difference is between two bobsled tracks, particularly when, as a brakeman all I see is the bottom of the sled. But even though you are nicely tucked in, you feel every corner. The pressure your body goes under crushes you into the floor... and here in Calgary there's a special kind of corner called a 'kreisel'.

It's a 270-degree turn, that sends a g-force of about 6 right through your body for over a second. It knocks the breath right out of you...

I've now been down the run about 6 times, and I'm starting to get used to it.

I even occasionally yell "Weeeeeeeee" as we go round to amuse the coaches who may be beside the track. You might as well have fun right?

Calgary is the second stop on the America's cup circuit... and we made our way up here following our races in Utah.

In park city, we enjoyed the final moments of hospitality in Jimmy Shea's mansion, and got a cheeky look at his gold medal....



We then hit the road for the 14-hour drive to Calgary.

This was a bit of a win for me, I'd always wanted to see more of the USA, and even though we didn't stop much, I got a good look at Idaho, and Montana.

Though there were vast expanses of very little to see, I found that in itself, interesting viewing. There's nothing quite so special as seeing something for the first time.

Roadtrip USA




When in Idaho... hold a potato


Lucas catching some Z's
Montana
I was clearly very happy we stopped for a minute...



We got to Calgary very late, and went straight to sleep in Heath's basement.

Now that we are on Heath's turf... the routine has completely changed. While there wasn't too much downtime in Utah, we've been put to work even more here in the true north.

On the way to training..

It's been non-stop gym sessions, sled work, four-man loading practice, and training runs at the track. It's a 14-hour day, every day, involving a heavy physical load.

Gareth preparing to lift the house down

My first run down the track was in Olympic gold-medallist Jimmy Shea's sled (he needed an extra man for the night).

He told me to give him a few yells during the run, and I was more than happy to oblige...

Before big corners, my mouth-guard muffled voice could be heard yelling "C'mon Jimmy, nail it.... NAIL IT!" Not often you get to yell that at 120 kilometres an hour!

That night the four man crew of myself, Heath, Gareth and Lucas got our first runs together at the new track, which involves a flatter push-off than Utah (better suited to us because we're fast).

The run went fine, but as we were getting our sled sorted at the bottom of the track, we heard "81 on the track, 81 on the track" over a nearby radio. This means a crash, and it was Jason who was on his way down. It's a terrible sound when a bobsled is flying down the track on it's side... though most crashes don't severely injure anyone... that sound still makes me think the worst.

We rushed to help Jason as his sled crashed over the finish line... it wasn't his body that had copped the biggest hit. He was ok, but I could tell with one look in his eyes, that something had changed.

As we got back to Heath's place that night, Jason pulled us aside and told us that he wasn't going to be racing for the rest of the season... the fire had gone out. There's a few personal reasons attached to his decision, and from the teams perspective, we hope he's back at it next year. he's an incredibly valuable member of the team, and not just because he's a pilot. We're all completely behind Jason's (aka Jessepi) decision.

A spare half hour in downtown Calgary...




Today the four man crew were back at it on the top, and with a good launch from the top, Heath drove 'Bruce' beautifully to set his own PB on the track of 56.52. We will be very competitive when the vour man races kick-off on Sunday.


Tomorrow, it's two man training, and from what I gather, a lighter training during the day, much to the relief of our bruised and battered bodies.

Two man races begin Friday. With one less sled for Australia, that makes competition for that one brakeman spot much more intense.

It's also going to be bloody cold... not the best in our skin-tight race-suits...

Not a fun forecast....

Time to get the game face on.

Keep feeling the rhythm.

Saturday, November 12, 2011

Four-man racing for Australia

"Ding Ding Ding.. Let's get going, it's Bobbin time!" 
- An official announcing the start of the Bobsled session

The Australian four-man crew

When your alarm goes off at six in the morning, you're rarely thrilled.

In the bobsled world, that's every day though, so you get used to making the dash to the warm shower before the sun has even risen.


On this particular day, the 11th of the 11th of 2011... I was turning 23, and what's more, having the honour of representing my country in a four-man bobsled race.

It's hard to find a more thrilling way to spend a birthday. That being the case I was up nice and early, and feeling fresh.


We listened our team tune "Cost of livin" by Ronnie Dunn as we prepared to go, needless to say... it was inspiring. Some of the carefully crafted and truly motivational lyrics include, "I've got a strong back, steel toe, and I rarely call in sick" or our new favourite, "I work weekends, if I have to, and I'm handy with a wrench."

As the four man is only a male discipline, we were starting earlier in the day, which meant we were out at the track by 8:30 putting the final polishing on in our runners, tightening bolts, and ensuring everything in the sled was in shape.

After making sure everything was OK, we had a full-on warm up. I'd tightened my hamstring in one of the two-man races with Heath so I spent about an hour stretching one leg, and getting some physio treatment on it.

It's a unique style of running when you are pushing a sled, it's almost like you perform the different stages of a hundred metre race in reverse, really digging in with the hamstrings early in the drive before opening up with the speed later.

I dropped two red bulls before the race, and spent most of my time psyching up to some great music.

Jason and Ryan were joining me and Heath in the four man.

Heath was piloting. Ryan was in position two, reassuringly referred to as 'cannonball' because of the awkward sitting position, and the increased likely-hood of bludgeoning your own head in a crash. Jason was going in three. And I, as had been the case all week, was slotting in at the back.

We were called to the line, and in a brief moment, I realised the fortune I'd stumbled across.

There I was, at the top of a hill, knowing I'd be at the bottom in under a minute, representing my country, with a good bunch of guys, on my birthday. It doesn't get much better than that.

I slapped my helmet, to make sure I brought myself back into the zone.


Heath had pretty good runs, but we had a few small bumps along the road that set us back to 8th in the finish.

What's important to remember is that Heath was driving a sled worth about a tenth the cost of some of the other sleds. Also, we work without a coach. Much of the work done here is done by the athletes.




Considering the support the other teams get, we are placing well, and have shown the athletic ability to really turn heads in the coming years.

After the race we enjoyed a pretty decent view from the deck of Jimmy Shea's place... I'm no buddhist but I was about ready to start meditating up there.


 There was also a spa there, so we chilled up there for a while. In the words of American bobsledder Travis Thompson, "it doesn't suck".

After dropping ridiculous amounts of money at the outlet malls buying more hoodies and hats, we rested up for another day of racing.

Today though, we experienced some incredibly tough conditions.

A massive blizzard hit the mountain top, with heavy wind and snow. Lucas and Gareth were having snowball fights in their first snow experience. In those conditions sled work was not fun...



With heavy snow build up on the track today, the first run threw up some weird times.. with some teams a few full seconds ahead of others. That being the case they scrapped the first heat altogether and made it a one-heat race.


Me, Lucas and Gareth were pushing for Heath... this is the four-man squad we all hope can push us toward Sochi 2014. It was our first official race together. We set a 5.08 second start time, faster than any other sled.

Heath had a great run until corner 13 where we jolted a little, but the conditions again threw up some varying times throughout the heat and we finished 9th. It was a disappointing result, but there was enough in the overall performance to really feel like we had something there. This feels like a team that can make a difference and really turn heads on the world stage. There is a lot of work to be done in the meantime, but we are all willing and able to do it. 

After the race, Heath, Ryan, and Gareth left for Calgary (not before doing some important mansion maintenance) while Jason, Lucas and I decided to spend another night in Park City.

Heath braving the height and the cold to ensure Jimmy had his Christmas decorations just right

It was a great night, with an enjoyable dinner and really good company. In fact, we even witnessed minor surgery as USA bobsledder Travis, a doctor, decided Jimmy Shea's mother-in-law needed a tooth removed.

He promptly removed the tooth at the kitchen bench before thoroughly washing his hands then carrying on cooking us food, and talking on the phone at the same time. Men can multitask, and this was proof. 

He lives in Florida and owns a boat... we can use his own expression to summarize his life... "it doesn't suck".

Tomorrow morning Jason, Lucas and I are off to Calgary, crossing some American states on a 16 hour road-trip. Considering the weather, we'll need some luck. Off to Calgary, more training, more thrills, and more races.

I'll leave you with another shot of Park City, one of the better places going round.


Keep feeling the rhythm.

Thursday, November 10, 2011

My second race

"A well spent day means a happy sleep"  - Leonardo Da Vinci

Standing on top of the world..


Just a quick blog today, it's late, and we have an early start tomorrow for the first of two Four-man races. There will be plenty more videos and pictures up in the next post I promise.

Today was Gareth's first ever hit of the bobsled, and he took off like a rocket, getting Jason a 5.28 second start.. that's one hundredth of a second faster than Lucas yesterday.

Listen closely as Heath begins to get jumpy that Gareth may not actually get into the sled...




We found out form Jason afterwards that Gareth was so pumped for his first run that he began cheering around each corner... but as he was not used to g-forces, was unable to get a complete cheer out through a corner... "Yeee.............(air squeezed out during corner).....................haaaaaa"

This cowboy from the west was loving it, and he'll be expected to put his strong back and steel toes to good use in the four man race.

With an extra week of sliding under my belt, I took off with Heath again, and we got a 5.12 in the first run, equal with my best push. I was dissapointed, knowing I could improve so much but unable to deliver out on the ice.

In the long preparation for our next run, I went through another full warm up with Heath. In our best initial push yet, we got a 5.10 seconds, a personal best for me, and just a few tenths off the best.

We finished 8th overall, and while Heath was disappointed with the finish to his second run, we both know that the final step to the top isn't all that far away.

I keep improving and I'm stoked about it. It's been a hectic ten days, and my hamstring has tweaked a little, I'm hoping it holds up tomorrow for the four-man event.

The boys spent the rest of the day chilling out, watching some skeleton, and constantly repeating the main line of what appears to have become our team song... "Cost of livin" by Ronnie Dunn... it's an absolutely atrocious song, and it's become the source of many early morning laughs in the freezing cold.



If you've been reading my posts up till now, you'll know my favourite Aussie rules team came to watch my first ever race. They have done a story (with great video and some pictures) for their website..

North Melbourne article: Roos repay favour


The four man awaits.... it's the blue-ribbon event, we're all pumped.

Time to dig in and give it!

Keep feeling the rhythm

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

My first race!

"What are your legs? Steel springs" - Gallipoli (1981)

The Australian bobsled team

I've been down a bobsled run about 15 times now and experienced a crash... so I'm basically an expert on the sport..

I'm actually totally full of it..today was our first race, my first race, and the feel was totally different to any training run.

We rocked up in our fantastic new team snow pants (see above), which turned heads at the start-house. The Panamanians, Canadians, and New Zealanders all loved them, while many of the others were obviously so jealous they refused to comment.

Psychedelic 80's pants aside, we had business to get to.

It's not every day you represent your country, in fact for me, this was a first. It was a tremendous honour. 





As we warmed up I found myself unnervingly calm... I knew I could run fast, it's something I can always do, and ultimately, that's all I'm there for. Outside the start house all of the Aussie boys went through the warm-ups. Lucas was jumping in for his first ever bobsled run with Jason, while I was braking for Heath... Gareth simply wanted to stretch his abnormally long legs after his long flight.

We had a single interruption, but for me, it couldn't have been a better one. My favourite Aussie Rules team, North Melbourne had been doing altitude training coincidentally in the same small town in Utah while we've been here. After my Dad let them know I was up here, we'd made contact, and I had hoped a few of the boys might come along...

The entire team showed up. I was stoked. I have been cheering the team on since I was a very young boy, and to have my team come and cheer me on, was something I couldn't have been happier about.



Despite them being there though, the race was priority number one. So after a quick meet and greet, it was back to preparation.

Heath prepares with boisterous grunts, jokes, and shouts....



Jason on the other hand is in his own zone... you could find two more opposite pre-race pilots.

 

As I sat in the start-house minutes before the race, I thought about how fortunate I was to be in this position. 

It only very rarely dawns on you how lucky you can be sometimes... but if you spend to long thinking about it you can miss what is in front of you. 

So I snapped out of it, slammed down a Red Bull and made my way to the sled to get us set up.

"Heath Spence and Ben Lisson to the line please..."

My head was amazingly empty... despite the noise from all the North Melbourne boys, and the crowd alongside the start-line. I was nervous, but I was ready...
Heath and I high-fived... we got in position, and as I called "YES", we both lunged into the sled...


In the video above, the North boys are on the left, ringing cowbells, and cheering us on..


With so much nervous energy it's not hard to run fast... and we gave it a good nudge, our loading was great too.

The start though had nothing on Heath's run... he nailed it. 

There were times in that sled I felt I could have been sitting on a stationary park bench reading a novel... he smoked it. 

We got down to the bottom, and were in 8th position after the first heat. I found out we pushed a 5.14 off the top, a good tenth of a second off what we'd done in our first go the day before.

There were 22 sleds, and many boasted Olympic-standard brakeman, considering all this, I was stoked.

Next up was Jason, and Lucas (on his first ever bobsled run).



They gave it a fair hit at the top, and took it through the starting timer at 5.41... before coming down at the bottom inside the top 20, meaning they were into the second heat (and most importantly ahead of New Zealand).

I caught up with Drew Petrie of North Melbourne in between the first and second heat, again another thrill for me on a day of highs.

Me and Heath were soon lining up again... and I was determined to improve again... somewhere in there the mentality of a caged animal was firing me up...

Me and Heath (we don't have uniforms so we borrow Canadian stuff)

We took off again... and I drove through every step, searching for more and more with every push... we launched in and we were off again. The run though wasn't as good as the first... we slid between turn three and four, crucially losing speed in one of the fastest sections of the track. Heath nailed the rest of the run, but couldn't salvage the speed we lost. We finished up in 9th place. Our start time though, was 5.12, another improvement. 

It was nothing on the Canadians though, who set a track record start time of 4.77, a record that has lasted 11 years (previously held by the Jamaicans).

Jason improved again in his run, he knows he's got plenty for in him.

For Gareth, today was frustrating... as he watched his mate Lucas get his first crack in a sled. It'll be the big man's turn tomorrow. Meanwhile Ryan was on sled-lifting duty today.

And as we watched on at the women's skeleton event to cheer on eventual winner Cassie Hawrysh of Canada... she dominated the event and won gold... no doubt she'll be looking for a repeat tomorrow.

Cassie at the start line...
Gareth decided jetlag had gotten the better of him...




The rest of us, on the other hand, decided we'd never EVER give skeleton a go...





Time for bed, there is another day of racing tomorrow in the two-man... another day of representing Australia, and another day of hurtling down a bloody great mountain at 130 kilometers per hour. Wouldn't have it any other way.


Thank you again to everyone supporting all of us along the way, it means so much to all of us. We'll keep trying to do you proud.

Keep feeling the rhythm.


Tuesday, November 8, 2011

My first four-man run

"The difference between a two-man and a four man is like the difference between a toy car and a bus" - Jason Oliveri

The Park City Olympic bobsled run all lit up from the bottom

The four-man bobsled is the blue-ribbon event of Winter sport. It's high risk, high speed, and incredible g-forces. This was the event I was most excited for, and our first training run was looming.

The morning had started decently enough, I braked in a to-man sled for Jason on the first run of the morning, but there was a major delay on the track after that.

Both Australian two-man sleds were unlucky enough to run straight over an unfortunately large patch of concrete on the track, sending up sparks.

There was a two hour delay on the track as we waited for repairs. This was time enough to head to the local Starbucks, which was becoming the site of many team meetings. It had wi-fi and caffeine, all we needed, and the convenience of just one location.

When we returned, it was time for the four man... and we lined up our four man sled, 'Bruce'.

The Aussie 4-man sled

"Bobsled start through the run out, bobsled start through the run out" called the announcer.. "Spence to the line".

Our pilot, Heath, walked over and we put our hands in together... "Lets just have fun out there OK guys? Aussie on three... one, two, three... AUSSIE"

All four of us got in position.. As brakeman, the start was on me...

"On my call guys.... Ready and GO!"

We gave it a push and commenced loading all four in the sled.

Ryan, on just his third bobsled run was in second after Heath, Jason third.

Ryan and Jason are meant to hover while I jump in last and get my legs underneath, call 'Down' and then get the push-bars in. It's a very tricky move.

A two man sled is small enough, you're certainly cosy in those. The four man sled, is all of 50 centimeters longer, and you're cramming two more in there. The consequences of a bad position in the sled can be crucial, even if there isn't a crash.

There is considerably more pressure, and if someone is sitting on someones foot, leg or hands, it can result in some very painful bruising, and even broken bones.

With all this running through my head as we jogged down the ice track, I'll admit I got a little nervous.

We loaded fine in the end and I braced hard...


The run was so much heavier than anything in two-man, I was getting rattled like a rag-doll, the slightest movement on each corner smacked my helmet against the side...

As we approached the most technical part of the track, we got bumped hard... My shoulder dug straight into a metal corner... we rounded 14 and 15, and I jammed on the brakes.

"Let's do that again!" I yelled.


And so we did, smoother and faster...

With the two-man sleds damaged from the concrete, it was a long night, with a gym session, and plenty of sanding and aligning to do back in the garage.

Garage work to the tune of country music in the heart of Utah

Today, was our final training day, and it was a busy one for me. Three two man runs, and one four-man run.

Me and Jason took the first one easy, and gave the second one a decent nudge. I took a cheeky peek at the timer as we went into corner one, 5.31, equal with what I pushed with Jake (the American) on my first night.

We did another four-man run, which had a great load with all four of us. It was a nice clean run too, but I'll admit I was getting tired after three pushes.


Me and Heath were then set to link for the first time. He's Australia's number one pilot, and we were eager to see what start time we could get ahead of tomorrows first races.

The inspiring quote from the brakeman's position





Our initial hit was terrible, poorly timed, and I was technically quite bad in terms of positioning. But, once we got it moving, we really took off. I was sprinting own ice pushing the sled hard... 5.23. It was quick for a training run. Heath drove it well.

At the bottom, the Panama team (who have one of the worlds fastest 200m runners, he's beaten Usain Bolt I'm told) were impressed with the start. Them and the Koreans are the coolest teams here for sure.

The Panamanians (is that right?) spend quite a lot of the time dancing... while the Koreans make up for their lack of English with plentiful smiles, fist-pumps and the occasional shadow box.

In Korea, Heath must be a big celebrity, they love him here. After loading all the sleds and getting them back to the mansion...

A big and tiring part of any day, loading and unloading sleds

Lucas and Gareth arrived in the afternoon.. and on our journey to the outlet stores purchased Oakley pants that would become our team uniform. It's definitely in the realm of the Jamaican vibe, and you'll see some pictures soon.

The two new boys, both ludicrously quick, have given a new feel to the group, we're a full squad now... and they were given no relief after their 30-hour journey.

Lucas getting a feel for the sled


Gareth doing some polishing

Tomorrow is our first official race day... I'm psyched. The chance to represent my country has arrived. I can't wait to feel what a race is like, the pressure, the nerves, and the speed.

Heath will pilot Australia 1, and I'll be his brakeman. Jason will pilot Australia 2, with Lucas pushing from the back...

Wish us all luck as we Bobsled for Australia.

Keep feeling the rhythm.

Saturday, November 5, 2011

My realisation

 "It's the kind of sport that rewards you over many years... not instantly" 
Cassie Hawrysh


When people think of bobsled they think of speed, adrenaline, danger, excitement, and of course... Jamaica.

I hate to be the one to bust the myth, but much of it is very little of the above.


My first ever bobsled run, just a few short days ago..
For about five minutes of the day, it is exhilerating, thrilling and downright scary. But for the rest, it's tough work, many hours of negotiating, doing favours, asking for favours, doing "track-walks", and sled-work.

People have the belief Bobsled is a glamour sport, and of course for nations like Germany, the United States and Russia, it is exactly that.

For countries like Australia, you don't get much help. Just about everything comes out of your own pocket, and your own time.

This, of course, makes every run so much more rewarding, and for the pilots, makes them certainly take care of their sleds like they are their own children.

There are so many little moments in this sport that before I came, I never envisaged.

For example the simple act of moving a sled back to the top of the hill for the next run. I have gathered lately that sleds do not actually fly.... and so after an adrenaline-filled, heart-thumping, and downright painful run down... you organise your sleds transport back to the top of the hill, which involves lifting the buggers onto trucks.

After the final run, when your exhausted, and can only think about sleep, you spend a good hour maintaining the sled, preserving the runners. None of these tasks are particularly taxing or physically demanding on their own.

But as a brakeman, you've just been hurtled down a bloody great hill at well over 100kph, feeling around 6 g-force on the bigger corners, and the LAST thing you want to do, is pick up the damn sled that got you there and work on it in the snow.

Doing some sled work...

It's a sport like no other, in that you do so much work, for so little time on track.

This just adds to the reward, a smooth run, even as a brakeman when you can see nothing, is one of the better feelings in life. 

After completing the Bob and Skeleton School the other day, Jason and I were to be joined by the rest of the Aussie team, Heath and Ryan, last night at a local McDonalds at 7:00pm (yes the Aussie team DOES eat healthy).

Unfortunately due to a blizzard, we spent a good four hours waiting there for the two to arrive. I've never spent so long in a McDonalds in one go, although my work colleagues might argue otherwise...

The prolonged stay got me seriously reconsidering the need/place for the fast food chain in my life. One quarter-pounder quickly cast aside those doubts, and I was firmly back in the pro-Mcdonald's camp again.

Heath and Ryan did finally arrive, and that night we moved into the house/amazingly-huge-mansion of Olympic Gold medalist Jimmy Shea.

The house is a tad ridiculous, and as Jason has quoted a few times now, "this is honestly the BEST house I have ever been in.... ever".

There are at least 5 bedrooms, two floors, a pool, a ceiling high enough for several giraffes (who would be very comfortable, albeit confused), and as me and Ryan discussed, the mansion is big enough to house even the faintest hope that there could be an oopma-loompa lurking somewhere...

The living room... 

The semi-huge kitchen... Heath and Ryan look small

We are staying here for a week... I'm not sure I'll be able to stay on Heath's couch in Calgary next week after this experience.

Today was our only day off from the track in the last week... we spent it making two trips to Walmart, a trip to home depot, moving some sleds around, moving some of the many TV's around the Shea household, and dropping rental car back in Salt Lake City post-blizzard.

Some pretty cool roadsigns...









Tomorrow we hit the track for the first of four official training days ahead of the Americas Cup races.... 9 nations, over 50 sleds, this is it. Time get serious.

Without a uniform, it's tough.... and so we've been scouting out the local shops...

Below is a decent option... the pilots visibility could be a little diminished though.


Keep feeling the rhythm.