Now You're Ready

I haven't been in the mood to write in weeks. I must admit I'm still not really feeling it today, but that is no excuse. I've decided it is time. I can't believe I missed the whole month of January. Crazy how time flies when you're busy living life.

We are currently just a few short days from the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia. Can't wait to watch! It will be so much more exciting this time around since I know so many of the competitors from around the world in several sports, not just bobsled. More on that to come, but we'll start out with this awesome video by NBC:  

Are you ready for Sochi?

I know I am! Now, let's backtrack to my last post about bobsled. The best, worst roadtrip ever came to an end, and I found myself back in Park City, Utah, forerunning the next set of North America's Cup races. Forerunning? Yes, you heard me right. The World Cup team was allotted the 3 NAC races held in Park City so they could build a buffer of sorts.


Bobsled 101 Sidenote: Every time you finish a race, you are allotted a designated number of points based on your finish. The different tours are weighted, so winning a World Cup race will earn you more points than winning a NAC or Europa Cup race. Only your top 8 races going into the Olympics or World Championships count toward your point total. If you've done more than 8 races, the races earning the lowest amount of points are thrown out.

The coaching staff wanted the girls to compete in these races so they would have a cushion going into the Olympic year just in case something happened during one of the World Cup races. Turns out they didn't need these buffer races, but I understand the logic behind the decision. That being said, I was a forerunner for the Park City races again this season. I have yet to actually compete here in Park City, but I'm getting in lots of practice for when that day finally arrives. Despite not being able to compete, I definitely enjoyed my stay. Here's my typical pictorial synopsis of the week.

I love that I have cultivated so many new friendships in this sport. So many people from several different nations all enjoying a sport we love.

These 3 women have been with me from the start, and we're still going strong. Just a typical day riding in trucks with Sineaid, Britt & Val.

The American girls and Canadian Nick. He and his teammates learned to drive in Lake Placid last season. We spent so much time with them, they're practically part of our team.

And of course there's always Heath and the Aussies to cheer for. Loving the new speedsuits guys.

Ms. Deborah Harrison, bobsled superfan, was able to come see her first live bobsled race. It was great to meet you Deborah! She's on the left, standing next to world cup brakeman Kristi Koplin's family. It was fun to have people there cheering for USA.

We had very diverse weather over the week of racing/forerunning. It ranged from sunny to blizzard. Typical bobsled weather.

The boys loading sleds on a lovely, sunny day.

 

Followed by white out conditions at the end of the week.

So cold!

 

Hanging out with Lulu. Huge shout out to AOS Engineering, for sponsoring me and letting me do what I do.

There are deer EVERYWHERE! My deer radar is now super high. I have spotted them all over the place since I killed Bambi's cousin.

Mr. Jay Noller had a birthday, and what do you do for friends on their birthday? You make them an epic birthday cake, decorated by the men of your team. And what should these men choose to decorate with but an entire package of toy soldiers, some of whom gave their lives for the birthday boy. And if these men are allowed to choose how many candles go on said cake, they will choose 100 candles. They will not take into account the time it takes to light 100 birthday candles or the intense heat 100 birthday candles give off when lit, singeing many knuckles during the lighting process. They also don't take into account the lung capacity it takes, even for an athlete, to blow out that many candles or the amount of smoke they will give off. In light of all the amazing components, this epic birthday surprise is the #CakeOnFire.

From Park City, I drove home to Kansas for Thanksgiving. It was my first Thanksgiving with family since joining the team. Gotta love long naps, pie and Grandma's apple cider.

From Kansas, I flew out to Lake Placid for more NAC races. Unfortunately, there were not enough women competitors for an official race. You must have 6 sleds from 3 nations for half points, and we only had 4 sleds from 2 nations. Thus, we were relegated to forerunning for the men's races. Again with the forerunning...but I'm glad I went. It was good to get more runs off the top of Placid and gain some confidence. Most of these pictures were taken by RJ Photography, and I take no credit for their awesomeness.

 

Had the same sled (Sherry Marischino) and brakeman (Sineaid Corley) as team trials, and we set some new PR's.

 

 

Dak enjoying victory at the 2-man medal ceremony.

Photo bomb by Nick. Not creepy at all.

They opened a bunch of shades over the curves. It was my first time driving with so many open, and it was like driving a whole new track. Loved it!

Curve 7

I don't know if you can fully comprehend the amazingness of this picture. Sure the bobsled is great, but the real star is the track worker squatted on the short wall taking a smoke break and talking on his phone with sleds flying past.

Katelyn and Maureen in Curve 10 (Shady II)

I walk into the gym to this. Val has taken multi-tasking to a whole new level. Stretching warm-ups while catching up on Facebook.

Getting in a little push cart work out, then it's back to the track.

The track workers were re-cutting the grooves for race day. There are 2 grooves cut in the ice for our runners to sit in. This keeps the sled going straight while we push and load. They end before Curve 1.

Nic & Dak are always excited about something.

Today it just happens to be for a podium finish in 4-man.

First they push...

Then they party.

Doing yet another mind run after a track walk.

And another as we're standing on the start line just before we go.

Then you just go for it.

Good times on the start dock. So many hours of my life spent in this place...at least there are plenty of good friends to keep me company.

 

Most of the week was cold and the ice was fast, but the last day was crazy weather. Rainy and warm, the track slowed down significantly. I was the first forerunner and went 9 seconds slower than the previous day. People were thinking I had crashed, but no. The track was indeed VERY slow. Sineaid was braking for me, and she was really confused. She sat up before Curve 20 because she was so disoriented by how long our trip was. VERY slow. I don't even think we went that slow during driving school when Kelly and I were both sitting in the sled and someone walked us off the top. SLOW! And so we ended 2013 with an unseasonably warm sliding day.

Christmas was wonderful. I was able to work for a few weeks in Dallas and spend an entire week with my family in Fairview, OK. Unfortunately, I can't seem to get away from ice, no matter where I am in the world. On my drive from Dallas to Wichita, Betsy and I had a harrowing journey. Betsy was officially a popsicle upon our arrival. The roads were awful and my fellow motorists were not always wise. It took me 8 hours instead of the typical 5 1/2 hours. I'm so over these crazy roadtrips! I had to stop a bunch of times to chip the ice off by wipers and headlights.

This was my first ice chipping stop somewhere near Oklahoma City.

This is what Betsy looked like when I arrived in Wichita.

 

I got some great Christmas gifts...

Baked a ton...

Rode some 4-wheelers at the farm on a gorgeous day...

Just can't seem to keep away from the motorcycle helmets.

 

 And let me cousins drive me around...

I believe Annie was driving at this point. I know this because Emily is still smiling. She had a mask of terror on when Ellis was behind the wheel.

Overall, it was a great Christmas break. I enjoyed all the time with my family, and I was charged up and ready to race in Lake Placid. We actually had enough sleds for a FULL points race. You are probably not nearly as excited by this statement as I was. To have a full field for women's bobsled on North America's Cup is very, very rare. The reason we had a full field was because the Brazilian women needed the points to go to the Olympics. Without a full field, they would not receive the necessary points. They begged and borrowed to make this happen. We had 2 US (me & Britt), 1 Brazilian, 1 Korean & 4 Canadian sleds. The 4th Canadian sled was piloted by the Brazilian coach's fiance who used to slide for Canada. She hadn't drove a sled in 2 years, but stepped up to make it happen. All they needed was 8 sleds to start the race, and they made it happen.

I was in a new sled for this set of races. We were rained out of our first day of practice, but I was ready for day 2. We woke up to 0 degree temperatures. Yes, that was the actual temperature. The windchill was close to -30 degrees. Brrrr! Ms. Cherrelle Garrett was my brakeman for the week, and she had never experienced anything close to this weather. She looked like the kid from Christmas Story with all her layers on as we headed to the track.

I was able to get into a ORDA sled, and she was a beauty. She didn't get a name, but she was much faster than Sherry Marischino. I was unprepared for the speed and dumped it in Curve 12 on our first run. Bummer! I had Ms. Cherrelle Garrett on brakes, and she is a trooper. I know how crappy it is to crash, but she didn't complain. We were completely upside down when they caught us in Curve 19, and we were definitely ready to get out of the sled.

I came back up top and talked over my run with the coaches. The really frustrating thing about the run was that I knew exactly what I'd done wrong. Don hid his notes and asked me what happened. I was able to recount everything about the run to him just as he'd written it. The coaches were impressed with my recall after only 1 1/2 years as a pilot. They said it was the key to being successful. I expect perfection (or at least not crashing) of myself. They were not overly concerned that I crashed and impressed by my knowledge. I really needed to hear that. It's more about pursuing something with everything you've got than than the outcome. You're going to screw up sometime, but that's alright. Just learn, get up and keep running. Don't measure your success on perfection. That's what this trip taught me. I don't know if we would have had that conversation had I not crashed, so I'm taking away a positive encouragement from the situation.

We had to come back out that afternoon to get in a make-up practice session from getting rained out the day before. Again, it was FREEZING, but we had 2 good trips and qualified to race. The next day was cold again, but we had 2 more good runs. Race day dawned cold and dry. We crashed on the first run in Curve 18, but we crossed the finish line! Since we were both in the sled when it crossed, we got another run. We ended up getting 7th place.

Unfortunately, Cherrelle was pretty beat up after the crash. I was desperately searching for anyone to get in my sled so the Brazilians could get full points. Even if it was just one run, we just had to start the race. Julia from Canada was in the same boat. She had also crashed on race day and her brakeman was out for day 2. She had a girl fly in from Toronto, and she made it to the track an hour before the race. I ended up having a devo skeleton athlete come brake for me. Ms. Megan Dovell was a lifesaver. She was excited to race and take her first runs in a bobsled. We ended up getting 3rd through a random series of events. It was my first time on the podium ever, as a pilot or brakeman.

We always have a great time in the cafeteria at the OTC. We meet a ton of new people and lots of internationals. Love the Korean team!

 

Met the rhythmic gymnastics team and felt like the incredible hulk. These girls are all 13-15 years old and very tiny individuals.

 

Cherrelle chillin before practice

She survived, although she said she was a fudgesicle.

Good thing I had this awesome insulated hat with ear flaps from my Grandpa. Thanks Bruning Grain & Feed for keeping me warm.

Photo Credit: Jason Hicks-Moriarty

Despite all the craziness, Brazil won both races. They earned enough points to go the Olympics. Just today I saw a picture of them in Sochi. It is pretty cool to know that I was a big part of their trip to the Olympics.

Which brings us full circle back to the Olympics. Now you can answer the question in the opening video. Are you ready for Sochi? Yes you are! You are now completely caught up on my bobsled experiences up to now. I'm here in Park City, Utah, training and sliding when I can find a brakeman. If you know anyone in the Utah area that wants to take a trip in a bobsled, let me know. I'm happy to take whomever wants to go. Literally anyone. No joke. Just let me know.

I plan on posting a little something everyday of the Olympics, so get ready for a plethora of videos and stories about the awesomeness that is the 2014 Winter Olympics.