She Smashed It!
Ms. Britt Reinbolt took it like a champ tonight. She's my roomie and fellow rookie, and she got to take the third run with Elana Meyers. She smashed it off the start line with a time of 5.74 seconds. I'll just let you know that's really fast for us girls. The fastest run so far is 5.70 seconds, so she's a solid second right now. We were all pumped for her at the start line. She got a shot and made the most of it. So, they were flying off the start. Elana took it hard on curve 4 and flipped it. Britt didn't even realize they crashed for a second. Apparently she was hanging out of the sled for awhile because she couldn't pull herself back in. So, she slid on her shoulder from curve 4 to curve 18. That's about 3/4 of a mile down the mountain, and it took about a minute. Elana turned around and grabbed her by the ankle to hold her in. Once the sled came to a stop, the track workers came and grabbed the sled. They pulled Britt out by her arms and her first words were, "What was my start time?" They were kind of worried she had a concussion, so they weren't really concerned about her start time. She had them radio up to find out that she had smashed it off the start. She was so pumped, she didn't even feel the pain.
Her burn vest and helmet definitely kept her safe. That's why we laid down the big bucks for all this equipment. It keeps us safe. But she had to learn the hard way about how ice burns work. She had an Under Armour cold mock on under her burn vest. Ice burns are all about heat buildup next to your skin. Under Armour materials help to generate more heat, and she got a pretty deep burn on her shoulder. Her suit and burn vest look fine, but all that heat did some damage. She has to go back to the doctor here in the morning to check it out again. She's not concussed, so that's great! Just another crazy story to add to her repertoire. If you don't remember Britt, check out the video on Day 3 at the OTC. Today's crash was nothing compared to that. I thought she was going to sleep in her sliding suit. Like a little kid who is so proud of their ripped shirt and band-aids, they refuse to take it off. She was taking it really well, and talking to everyone on her way back to the room. She's fine now, after some ice and Advil. We've been talking for the past two hours, so I feel alright letting her sleep through the night.
She was screaming like Sanka after the first few turns. She said she was fine at first, but going down basically the entire track on her head got old fast. I got her to watch this video right now, and she is cracking up. Says she sounded just like this. You have to watch all way to the end of this video to get the full effect.
One of the other rookie guys crashed tonight too. There have been several crashes this week, but none as bad as Jordan's. He didn't have on a burn vest, kicked out of the sled, and slid down the track on his back. I'm still in shock that he isn't hurt worse. He has a concussion and possibly third degree burns. Crazy!
So, here's another quick recap about me (nothing near that epic):
Monday - I slid from Start 3 with Megan for two runs. She's definitely improving every run, and I like that we're learning everyday together. It's great to start from the ground up with someone, especially someone who cares so much about what we're doing, like Megan.
Tuesday - My first run from the top was with Elana. I got into the sled at the top, and we made it to the bottom. I considered it a success. My pushing definitely has to get better, but I now have that first run under my belt. It was definitely a rough run, but since I had nothing to compare it to, I thought that was typical. Once we got to the bottom, Elana started to apologize. Apparently the right D-Ring came off during our run, and somehow we made it to the bottom. I'm glad Buddy got us to the bottom upright.
Wednesday - My second run from the top was with Jazmine Fenlator. I was a little better from the top tonight. Jazmine said she could feel me pushing, so that's a start. (Literally) Again, I made it to the bottom upright. Another success, especially since Britt crashed right before our run. Jaz told me some positives and things I can work on, so I'm ready to get to work and get better. I have to realize that the great bobsledders didn't become great overnight. They had years of experience and hundreds of pushes to become as great as they are. I've pushed a bobsled 20, maybe 30 times tops, and only twice on the ice with a pilot. I've got a long ways to go, but I'm definitely willing to put in the time and effort to get there. I'm committed to the getting better everyday and working my way up the ladder. I've done it with every other sport, so now I'll do it with bobsled.
Her burn vest and helmet definitely kept her safe. That's why we laid down the big bucks for all this equipment. It keeps us safe. But she had to learn the hard way about how ice burns work. She had an Under Armour cold mock on under her burn vest. Ice burns are all about heat buildup next to your skin. Under Armour materials help to generate more heat, and she got a pretty deep burn on her shoulder. Her suit and burn vest look fine, but all that heat did some damage. She has to go back to the doctor here in the morning to check it out again. She's not concussed, so that's great! Just another crazy story to add to her repertoire. If you don't remember Britt, check out the video on Day 3 at the OTC. Today's crash was nothing compared to that. I thought she was going to sleep in her sliding suit. Like a little kid who is so proud of their ripped shirt and band-aids, they refuse to take it off. She was taking it really well, and talking to everyone on her way back to the room. She's fine now, after some ice and Advil. We've been talking for the past two hours, so I feel alright letting her sleep through the night.
She was screaming like Sanka after the first few turns. She said she was fine at first, but going down basically the entire track on her head got old fast. I got her to watch this video right now, and she is cracking up. Says she sounded just like this. You have to watch all way to the end of this video to get the full effect.
One of the other rookie guys crashed tonight too. There have been several crashes this week, but none as bad as Jordan's. He didn't have on a burn vest, kicked out of the sled, and slid down the track on his back. I'm still in shock that he isn't hurt worse. He has a concussion and possibly third degree burns. Crazy!
So, here's another quick recap about me (nothing near that epic):
Monday - I slid from Start 3 with Megan for two runs. She's definitely improving every run, and I like that we're learning everyday together. It's great to start from the ground up with someone, especially someone who cares so much about what we're doing, like Megan.
Tuesday - My first run from the top was with Elana. I got into the sled at the top, and we made it to the bottom. I considered it a success. My pushing definitely has to get better, but I now have that first run under my belt. It was definitely a rough run, but since I had nothing to compare it to, I thought that was typical. Once we got to the bottom, Elana started to apologize. Apparently the right D-Ring came off during our run, and somehow we made it to the bottom. I'm glad Buddy got us to the bottom upright.
Wednesday - My second run from the top was with Jazmine Fenlator. I was a little better from the top tonight. Jazmine said she could feel me pushing, so that's a start. (Literally) Again, I made it to the bottom upright. Another success, especially since Britt crashed right before our run. Jaz told me some positives and things I can work on, so I'm ready to get to work and get better. I have to realize that the great bobsledders didn't become great overnight. They had years of experience and hundreds of pushes to become as great as they are. I've pushed a bobsled 20, maybe 30 times tops, and only twice on the ice with a pilot. I've got a long ways to go, but I'm definitely willing to put in the time and effort to get there. I'm committed to the getting better everyday and working my way up the ladder. I've done it with every other sport, so now I'll do it with bobsled.