It was an interesting night of training last night to say the least. Don't worry, we all had a blast, but it was definitely a session to remember! Matt was back up there to brake for me and Don experienced his first bobsled run last night! He's going to be posting his own comments about it soon, so be sure to check back!
So, the track was a little frosty so we expected that our times would be a bit slower. Well, Matt and I got the sled up to the starting line and gave it a pretty good shove off the top. As soon as we jumped in I started to notice a faint rattling sound as we went through the first few turns. I immediately had two thoughts: 1. "Oh crap!" and 2. "What the heck is that?!" As we continued on our way I noticed that the sled wasn't reacting the same, but I was too focused to put two and two together.
Let's just say it wasn't a pretty run. I was trying to let the sled get a bit higher in the turns to decrease our time and increase our speed, but once we got into Turn 6 and I noticed that the sled wasn't tracking like it should, I knew we were in trouble. It was a bit of a rough ride down the track and as soon as we came out of Turn 12 and headed into Turn 13 where the majority of the crashes occur on our track, well, I thought our number was up. I haven't crashed to date (knock on wood) but I thought to myself at 80 MPH "This is it!"
You know what the crazy thing is? We flopped down out of 13 and roared through 14 and 15 and then across the finish line and I almost started laughing. Of all the crazy things that could happen in bobsledding, we'd just survived one of the worst! As soon as we got to the finish dock I crawled up in the nose of the sled and immediately found the problem. The master nut and bolt for the center pivot point for the axle was loose. So although I was steering, the control arm was just slidding around that pivot point instead of moving the axle.
Here's the key to remember ladies and gentlemen: when bobsledding, always remember to tighten the nuts.
Thankfully my next two runs weren't as bad, but I definitely need to do some work on the steering system! As for the 'Don't blackout' portion of this entry, well, I'll let Don tell you all about that one!!!
So, the track was a little frosty so we expected that our times would be a bit slower. Well, Matt and I got the sled up to the starting line and gave it a pretty good shove off the top. As soon as we jumped in I started to notice a faint rattling sound as we went through the first few turns. I immediately had two thoughts: 1. "Oh crap!" and 2. "What the heck is that?!" As we continued on our way I noticed that the sled wasn't reacting the same, but I was too focused to put two and two together.
Let's just say it wasn't a pretty run. I was trying to let the sled get a bit higher in the turns to decrease our time and increase our speed, but once we got into Turn 6 and I noticed that the sled wasn't tracking like it should, I knew we were in trouble. It was a bit of a rough ride down the track and as soon as we came out of Turn 12 and headed into Turn 13 where the majority of the crashes occur on our track, well, I thought our number was up. I haven't crashed to date (knock on wood) but I thought to myself at 80 MPH "This is it!"
You know what the crazy thing is? We flopped down out of 13 and roared through 14 and 15 and then across the finish line and I almost started laughing. Of all the crazy things that could happen in bobsledding, we'd just survived one of the worst! As soon as we got to the finish dock I crawled up in the nose of the sled and immediately found the problem. The master nut and bolt for the center pivot point for the axle was loose. So although I was steering, the control arm was just slidding around that pivot point instead of moving the axle.
Here's the key to remember ladies and gentlemen: when bobsledding, always remember to tighten the nuts.
Thankfully my next two runs weren't as bad, but I definitely need to do some work on the steering system! As for the 'Don't blackout' portion of this entry, well, I'll let Don tell you all about that one!!!
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2 comments:
Yes, Rule number one when bobsledding... Don't black out!
Hey old neighbor from Taos Dr! I'm excited to see you are still doing bobsled! I always thought that was awesome. I'll be checking back often!
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