Autism Speaks

Yesterday, Bree and I had the opportunity to be apart of the Autism Speaks Walk in Denver.  The walk is an event that helps Autism Speaks raise money for Autism research with the hope of coming up with better treatment options and eventually a cure.  Autism is a developmental brain disorder that now affects 1 in every 110 children.  The USA Bobsled and Skeleton has teamed up with Autism Speaks in the hopes of raising awareness by wrapping one of our sleds in the puzzle piece logo.  I can only imagine how difficult daily life can be for the families touched by autism and I was truly inspired by how loving and patient each parent was with their children.  I hope our partnership with Autism Speaks will in some small way help all those affected.

Back to Work

After spending the last few months rehabbing and relaxing from a long season it is time to get back to work. Tomorrow I will start the 20 hour drive from California to Colorado Springs (with a few pit stops along the way). I have enjoyed my time in California catching up on my life and spending time with my family. Since my three sisters have grown up it is often hard for us to all get together. Life gets busy for everyone, so it is a rarity to have us all under the same roof. I am thankful this Easter that we could all be together and enjoy reminiscing on our lives growing up. I know that as we continue to get older and we begin to have our own families that time similar to this will happen less and less.



Although I am sad to leave my mother’s home cooking I am excited to get back to my home away from home and begin working towards next season. I am really looking forward to getting back to the Tutt Boys and Girls Club and continue with my ITA project work. I have not been there since our season started in September so I am anxious to see the kids I worked with. I am sure they have all grown and changed in the past year. The off season is a time to get healthy and relax, but now I am ready to get back to the Boys and Girls Club and working towards my goal of becoming the best bobsledder in the world.

Kudos!

Congratulations to my buddy and fellow Chico native, Nashon Garret on his win at the high school wrestling National Championship. I met Nashon, a senior at Chico High School, last year at the Chico awards banquet where we were both up for athlete of the year. He is an incredible athlete and person and well deserving of the victory.  Look for a Nashon in the future as he works towards his goal of becoming and Olympian. 

http://www.chicoer.com/sportsall/ci_17767344

Red, White, Blue...... and Yellow?

Everyday I wear a friendship bracelet that my younger sister, Geneva, made for me with the colors red, white, blue and yellow.  This bracelet helps to remind me each day of why I do what I do and who supports me in my journey to be the best.  I have a great life full of freedom, travel and competition, but that does not mean everyday is easy.  Each day I am working towards making my country proud and improving my strength and speed, so that I may be the able to win medals for my country.  This is represented by the red, white and blue.  I am proud to slide for Team USA and I remind myself daily what an honor that is.  

Next, the red and yellow on the bracelet are the colors of Chico High School where I was a graduate in 2001.  I have had incredible support from people in my home town of Chico, California and it is helpful to remember that support when times are tough.  I am not only proud to represent my country, but also my hometown. 

Finally, blue and yellow symbolizes the University of California, Davis.  I spent four and a half years at UC Davis working on my degree along with being a member of the track team.  I have some amazing supporters in Davis and my time on the track team was the platform that helped propel me to bobsled.  Each day this off season I will go to the weight room or the track and give 100 percent into what I am doing.  I will do this not just for myself, but for everyone included in on the red, white, blue and yellow.   

World Championships 2011 Konginsee, Germany

When in Rome...

Our season came to an end last week with a 10th place finish at World Championships in Germany. Naturally we had hoped for a better result, but I think Bree showed an incredible amount of heart and determination this season. She was racing only two weeks after surgery and continued to press on with the season refusing to have any excuses for our performance. We now have some time to regroup and refocus our training as we move towards next season, which cumulates with World Championships at our home track in Lake Placid, New York. Of course the best way to start the off season is with an Italian vacation to Venice and Rome!

I am incredibly fortunate to be doing what I am doing, which allows me to have the opportunity to travel and to do things that would not be possible without the freedom that I have. Bree and I hopped on a train after World Championships and began to eat our way through beautiful Italy. We started in Venice and then made our way to Rome. I was surprised how similar Venice looked to the Venetian streets of Disneyland! It was hard for us to grasp the fact that we were actually there and not in the Las Vegas Venetian hotel. After a few days in Venice we took a bullet train that reaches speeds of 300kmph to Rome.

In the Venice Streets

We headed straight to the Coliseum to see where the Gladiators use to fight. It was fitting to visit the Coliseum during the same week a year ago that we were doing our own type of fighting at the Olympic Games. We walked into the Coliseum and were reminded of how we felt walking into the Opening Ceremony. I am sure the Gladiators had similar emotions when they walked into the Coliseum to fight. The structure is amazing and can not even be described without being seen in person. After the Coliseum we headed to Vatican City, where we saw St. Peter’s Basilica and the Sistine Chapel. These are two of the most unbelievable pieces of history. No matter what your beliefs are Rome is a must see that contains priceless art and history that can be appreciated by everyone.



Rome Coliseum



St. Peter's Basilica





ITA in Germany!

This morning my team and I were invited to an Elite Sports School here in Konigssee, Germany. Today was a very special day for the kids because they received shirts which symbolized being accepted into the sport school. We had the honor of presenting the children with their t-shirts. This school is incredible. We have nothing comparable to it in the states. In the Vancouver Olympics only there were 11 Olympic medalists who were alum from this school. We call this school the ‘factory’ where the Germans create their Olympic prodigy. This is why Germany is so dominate in winter sports because children start their sports at such a young age and they have a lot of time to perfect their skills. In the states many of us are far behind because we start our sports a lot later in life.

The children of the school surprised us by learning our National Anthem, which they sang with us. They will all be coming to our World Championship race this weekend to cheer us and of course the German teams on. One little girl asked very politely how she was suppose to cheer for us and what she should put on the sign she is making for us. It was nice to see that we have some German fans supporting the USA.