Back to Work

The leaves are started to change and the weather is beginning to get chilly.  To me this can be related to one thing; the start of bobsled season.  It is always hard to believe that the summer is already gone and we are back in Lake Placid getting ready for another year.  Each year seems to fly by faster then the one before.  Every year that I spend in Colorado the harder it is for me to leave.  I have grown to love Colorado along with the incredible staff at the Olympic Training Center.  It feels that as soon as I finally get use to being in one place for longer than a few weeks it is already time to get on the road and get back to work.  As I said my goodbyes on Friday one of the kitchen staff handed me a sack lunch to bring on the plane with all of my favorite items.  Those are the little things that make me love the family I have gained in Colorado.

I am just as sad to go as I am excited to get the season off and running.  I love the off season training, but it can sometimes be boring not being able to actually get on ice every week and do our sport.  We use the off season to make as many gains physically on the running track and in the weight room that we can.  It is nice when we finally get to hit the ice and show off everything we have gained throughout the summer. 

The season starts with a number of sprint and lifting test along with a single push on the dry land push track to rank each brakeman.  After that is complete we begin to slide on ice and eventually have two team selection races.  All of these tests will be evaluated and the National Team is named.  It can be an intense process, but is a necessary evil to find the best athletes to represent the U.S.A on the World Cup circuit.

After spending the past summer in Colorado Springs training to get bigger, stronger and faster I am finally able to get a chance to perfect my on ice push technique.  I am spending this week in Calgary pushing in an indoor ice house that simulates the start of a bobsled track.  In an hour of time you can push three to four times the amount that you would get in a day of sliding.  It is very beneficial to our training to be able to work on different aspects of our push without having to put our bodies through a run down the bobsled track.  I really enjoy being in Calgary pushing and I always improve while pushing here.  Unfortunately, it is very expensive for us to utilize the ice house and we can spend up to 275 dollars per hour to push in the ice house along with the additional cost of training, room and board.  Luckily my former teammate has allowed me to stay in his spare bedroom to ease my cost and make my training trip possible.  I am excited about my progress and I am looking forward to the start of the season here in a couple of weeks.