Obscure Exercises

So after 8 years in the sport and having worked with numerous trainers (a.k.a. Drill Sergeants in disguise), I thought it would be a bit entertaining to list some of the more....creative exercises that some of my trainers, coaches, and fellow athletes have made me do.

1. Run up the K-120 Nordic Jumping Hill - Yes, you're vision is quite blurry once you reach the top!



2. Push a car across the parking lot - Hey, with gas prices the way they are nowadays, maybe it isn't such a bad idea?



3. Football Fumble - Basically the trainer drops the football, you let it bounce once, and then chase after it. Perfect for entertaining everyone else but the victim.



4. Tennis Court Net Jump - Gives us some fresh air (and we get to watch the girls playing tennis).



5. Reverse Hamstring Curls - I don't even know how to explain this one! I'll try to get a picture of it up here soon. But basically you take the calve-raise machine and load it up with weight. Then you get in front of the machine and hook your feet into the cushions and lean forward until your legs give out. Your partner pushes you back up and you start again. Hurts? Oh ya. Effective? Incredibly.

6. Running Down the Bobsled Track - I think it was meant to be some sort of twisted speed drill (and knee killer). That's 8/10ths of a mile while dropping 400 feet!



7. Stair Jumping (with 45-pound weights) - Oh, it is easy. Just hold a 45-pound weight straight-armed in front of you, then frog jump up six flights of stairs without letting the weight drop. Three times.



Don't worry, we'll keep adding some more crazy exercises throughout the summer! And some better pics! But stay tuned because next time we'll be adding some of our most embarrassing bobsled moments!

Team Holm Heads to BYU

Just a quick announcement for all you Utah-Valley dwellers:

Team Holm Racing will be on the BYU campus Saturday May 17th, 2008 from 7am until, well...we're not sure WHAT time we'll be done on Saturday! But we'll be out there at the UHSAA US Bank State Track Championships 2008 with two bobsleds and a few skeleton athletes doing some athlete recruiting for next season's developmental programs!

So if you're in the area, come stop by and say hi! Just come look for us outside the track and field complex on the north-west corner of the BYU campus!

See you there!

Race for the Cure

Last Saturday (May 10th) I had the incredible opportunity to participate in the Susan G. Komen "Race for the Cure" held in downtown Salt Lake City, Utah. Oh sure, it was only a 5k (3.1 miles) race, but the whole experience was unforgettable.

After staying up until about midnight Friday night to load some new tunes onto my iPod, I got up at 6am to get ready and get downtown to the Gateway Mall and find parking. Turned out to be easier than I thought, so I just sat in my car for about 40 minutes until it was time to meet my coworkers in Gateway itself. After waiting for the last stragglers to arrive, we headed towards the starting line to join the masses.

The crowd was huge! An estimated 17,000 survivors and supporters took part in the morning run. As I stepped up towards the huge balloon arch that represented the starting line, I couldn't help but look around at all the enthusiastic faces. Though some looked more somber than others, usually the ones with a "I'm racing in memory of..." tag on their back, the general feeling of the crowd was one of support, encouragement, and purpose.

During the race itself, it was both thrilling, and heart-wrenching, to glance at the tag's fastened to the back of the runner's ahead of me. I quickly noticed that there were two versions: one that was "in memory of" and the other said "racing in celebration of." Perhaps the most exciting part of it all was to see how many pink-shirted survivors there were mixed in with the crowd. Although I found myself focusing on the music from my iPod and trying hard not to crash into someone for the first mile until the crowd began to thin out, I also couldn't help but let my eyes wander from tag to tag. You almost wanted to reach out to each person and say "I'm sorry for your loss" or "Tell your aunt that I wish her the best with her treatments."

I've watched my little sister, Linnea, race in several marathons and I can know better understand why she loves it so much! Not that I think I'll ever be crazy enough to run 26.2 miles (hey, remember in bobsledding we only have to run 50-meters and then jump in the sled!), but I am looking towards doing some more 5ks over the summer.

Overall, the experience was amazing and I am so glad that I took part. And I guess, when it really comes down to it, that is what makes life so incredible, that we all have the power to do something with our lives, to take part in great causes, big or small. So now that you've read my post about Saturday's race, here's my question for you: what are you going to do today to make a difference in the life (or lives) of someone else?

Team Darfur Needs Your Help

Photo by:Lauren Bush, Team Darfur



As many of you know, a few weeks ago I was asked to join Team Darfur, an international coalition of athletes who have bonded together to do whatever is in our power to end the suffering that exists in the Sudan.

Now, the children of Darfur need our help. On Monday, Sudanese government bombers killed seven children in their school, and six other innocent people who were shopping at the local market. The school was sponsored by Team Darfur's partner organization, Darfur Peace and Development, and we have featured children just like those killed in our Children's Stories Project.

The surviving children need protection from the bombings. I'm hoping you'll join with me in helping to spread the word that for the next week 100% of online donations to Team Darfur will go directly to Darfur Peace and Development's Darfur Schools Project. This money will help rebuild the bombed school and will enable other innocent Darfuri children get an education despite the terrible violence. Please encourage your family, friends, and coworkers to visit www.TeamDarfur.org/donate.

Thank you for helping us, your world athletes, take a stand to end the suffering and violence and bring peace to the children of the Sudan.

2008 "Race for the Cure"

Every year hundreds of thousands of people gather together for annual Susan G. Komen "Race for the Cure." It is a movement that has inspired hope in women all around the world as millions of dollars are raised to help fund breast cancer research and prevention programs.

And with good cause.

It has been estimated that nearly 10 million from around the world could die from breast cancer in the next 25 years unless a cure is found. And if that isn't startling enough, in 2008 an estimated 182,460 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer. The facts are thought-provoking.

At Team Holm Racing we do our best to use our time and affiliation in such a unique and exciting sport to do as much good as possible. From motivating kids at schools, to speaking at black-tie events, it is an honor and a thrill for us to be able to help out and "give back" to the community.

That being said, we are proud to announce our plan to run in the Salt Lake City leg of the "Race for the Cure." We are excited to take part in this incredible event alongside nearly 16,000 other race participants. The race will begin at 8:30am on Saturday, May 10th, and while it only lasts 5K (or 3.1 miles), we have a feeling that this is something that we will remember for the rest of our lives.

If you would like to help Team Hhttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifolm Racing make an even greater impact in the fight against breast cancer, please click here to make a donation. Whether it is $1 or $1,000, each of us can do what we can to help end this tragic and heart-wrenching condition. Since 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime, each of us most likely know someone close to us who has faced this devastating disease.

Please join Team Holm Racing in supporting the Susan G. Komen "Race for the Cure" movement as we do our part to help end the fear of breast cancer once and for all.

Freak Snowfall Leads to Track Re-Opening

Salt Lake City- In a strange turn of events, Utah's historically odd weather led to the re-opening of the bobsled track in Park City.

"I can't believe it's snowing on the first of May," said Joe Citizen as he cleaned the snow off the hood of his Dodge truck. "I just mowed the lawn on Friday and here I am getting ready to drive to work in the snow."

Fed up with the weather's irratic behavior, management at the Bear Hollow Winter Sports Park decided to re-open the bobsled, skeleton, and luge track for the duration of the summer. The colder temperatures will allow the track to run without the exuberantly high cost that normal summer temperatures would inflict.

"Can ye believe it?" said Track Chief Engineer Montgomery Scott. "Ah dinna think we'd have the power to make it happen all summer, but with the weather acting the way it tis, ah am excited we'll get tah see athletes train on the track all year this year."

Athletes from around the world have expressed their anticipation at the opportunity to train at the Park City course all summer long.

Master Chief Spartan, team captain for the Halo Bobsled Team, was found preparing his four-man bobsled, nicknamed "Cortana," for use early next week.

"We'll be fine," he said in a deep, gravely voice. "It will be an honor to race and train all summer long. Normally we just pack the sled away in the garage and work on physical training, but now we actually get to get out on the ice and take runs down the track straight through to the beginning of the next season."

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PS- Just consider this a one-month-after April's Fools posting in honor of today's snowstorm in Utah.