Crash Test Dummies

So last Friday night's (Feb. 8) training session was definitely an interesting one!

One of the directors for our local bobsled and skeleton club called in a favor and asked Matt and I to test drive a bobsled to figure out what is wrong with the steering system. Apparently the driver of the sled has voiced serious concerns about the sled's ability to respond to his driving. I can understand since a broken sled would make any driver nervous considering it would be out of control at 80 MPH.

So, we agreed. I think in our heads we were thinking "Hey, its a great way to provide some service to our fellow athletes and its a free trip down the track."

Well, even a free trip down the track can cost too much sometimes!

Matt, Steve, Tom, and I all made a few modifications to the sled's steering system before the run. Thinking that we had solved the problem, I got into the driver's seat and Matt gave us a small jog off and then tried to jump in. I say tried because while he made it into the sled, due to the sled's custom rollbars (the sled is built for a paraplegic so it has a few modifications) Matt was unable to tuck down like he normally does. In his words, "That was the first time that I've ever seen the whole track!"

So, as we started to pick up speed in the first few turns my brain automatically registered an immediate problem: the sled was indeed broken. The steering system wasn't responding so I had to literally crank the steering ropes in the direction that I wanted the sled to turn. I felt like I had about 15% control over the sled whereas normally its a comforting 100%. Needless to say we bounced off the walls and waved up and down in the turns.

When we crossed the finish line Matt and I pretty much had the exact same thought in our heads: NEVER AGAIN! Well, at least until the steering system gets fixed. That had to have been one of the scariest rides I've ever taken in a bobsled in 8 years in the sport! So needless to say the sled's owners took it home to work on over the next few days! Whew!

After that we took another three runs in our own sled and they were, to our relief, much better (not to mention faster). Don and I went first, Matt and I went second, and then we took a newbie down for his first run, Hans. The ice was a little bit slower so our times weren't record breaking or anything, but it was still a good night! The most disappointing news of the night was that our race the following day (Sat the 9th) had been cancelled due to a shortage of participants. Grrr! We were looking forward to winning three races in a row, but that's ok. We'll just keep improving and getting faster and looking forward to the next race!

So even though you may have to go through some bumpy experiences in order to help out those in need, sometimes it really is the best thing to do!

Dream big!