Macintosh and Pixar Steve Jobs Speech

Its not very often that we hear great speeches anymore. Throughout my life, in sport and outside it, I have greatly enjoyed reading the stirring words of some of history's greatest men: Churchill, Reagan, Roosevelt, King, Benson, Mandela, Wayne, and so forth. Whether or not you agree with what they said, the courage it took to voice their opinions, even when it was unpopular to do so, leaves each of us with a very important responsibility: do likewise.

Before training sessions or races, whenever possible, I try to follow the habit of watching a personally motivating movie or video that helps get my mind focused and my "heart" fired up for the ice. One of my favorite's is "The Legend of Bagger Vance" with Will Smith and Matt Damon. In the film, Smith's character, Bagger, says something that has stuck with me ever since I first heard it. He says:

"Yep... Inside each and every one of us is one true authentic swing... Somethin' we was born with... Somethin' that's ours and ours alone... Somethin' that can't be taught to ya or learned... Somethin' that got to be remembered... Over time the world can, rob us of that swing... It get buried inside us under all our wouldas and couldas and shouldas... Some folk even forget what their swing was like..."

I've been bobsledding since 1997 and I've seen quite possibly over a hundred athletes come and go from the sport. They come for fame, for glory, for money, for popularity, for thrills, over for any of a dozen other reasons. But the ones who stay do so because they truly love the sport just for the sake of the sport. It isn't about money or seeing their name in print or even so much for the sake of a gold medal. True bobsledders, I've found, have a couple things in common, and this quote and Mr. Jobs' speech pretty much lay it out.

But it goes beyond sport. In fact, I think it rolls over into every aspect of our lives. If you're willing to still dream, no matter how old you are, and then if you're willing to work for it and not let society or the expectations of others get in the way, and just be yourself, then you really can be anything you want.

From what I've seen, I think that is what really inspires people about the Olympics. For those two weeks, every two years the world watches their athletes and believes. They start to believe in their own dreams, the ones they started to forget when "the real world" stepped in. You know, the goals that they started to let slip away when the bills started to come in or the injuries happened or the first few times they "failed." But during the Olympics, that spark reappears, that "What if?" mentality.

I hope that as you watch this speech you'll take a moment to think about your own "What if's?" and then act on them.

As Walt Disney once said:

"We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths"

My friends, don't let the hard knocks of life keep you from moving forward.

"Mexican Bobsled"

Not that this is any of us or any of our US athletes, it is still good for a laugh! Do not try this at home is all we can say!

What NOT To Do in Turn 6

As we have been working on redesigning our team website lately, I found myself digging through all the bobsled photos the other day and came across this image from a couple years ago.

Shot by an old photographer friend Rachel Wickern-Henderson, this image was a once-in-a-lifetime capture. She came up with us one night during a training session and while sitting down in Turn 6 on the Park City track she was able to take this eye-stopping photograph. Afterwards when we were going through the images she had taken, everyone who saw this one usually gave a "whoa" or "geeze."

While it is generally better to be higher in the turns of a bobsled track, this was a tad bit too high. You can be sure that Winston and his brakeman had to do some serious sanding after this one. But it sure made for a great shot! Please enjoy and if you want to see more of Rachel's incredible photography, just click on her name above.

Bobsled Workout iTunes Music

Well, the sun is finally out on a consistent basis here in Salt Lake City, Utah, so that means that its time for everyone to head outside for jogging, walking, biking, hiking, roller-blading, or whatever your exercise activity of choice may be. We're obviously big proponents of staying in shape, so of course we're going to invite you to exercise regularly. Yes, you heard us right, get up from the computer and throw on some tennis shoes and enjoy the fresh air...after you finish reading this post, that is.

To help you get the blood pumping, we thought we'd put together a list of music that we've titled Team Holm Bobsled's iTunes Workout Mix. And to make it easy for you, we've even linked them directly to iTunes so all you have to do is click on them, listen and see if you like them too, and then just load them onto your iPod.

Gosh, aren't we just so helpful? Now you don't have any excuses to not go running now, right?

1. "Eye of the Tiger" by (come on, its required on ANY workout list)
2. "Gifts and Curses" by Yellowcard
3. "Pump It" by the Black Eyed Peas
4. "Lose Yourself" by Eminem
5. "Fighting" by Yellowcard
6. "Boom" by P.O.D.
7. "Bring Me to Life" by Evanescence
8. "First Date" by Blink 182
9. "Ojos Asi" by Shakira
10. "Stand" by Rascal Flatts
11. "Action" by Cashis Clay
12. "War/Fanfare" from Rocky IV soundtrack
13. "Nod Ya Head" by Will Smith
14. "What I've Done" by Linkin Park
15. "Kryptonite" by 3 Doors Down

PS- If you'd like a copy of our "iSlide" image, just email us.

Fire and Ice: Orem, UT Firefighter 5k Fundraiser

So this past weekend Team Holm Racing had the opportunity to help out our local fire department raise some funds for the Timpanogos Regional Hospital.

Not only did we participate in the morning's 5k race (our fearless team captain/driver Jeremy Holm pulled off about a 24 minute run) but pusher/future team driver Brad Welch and Jeremy entertained race participants and supporters by demonstrating the ins and outs of bobsled. The team brought the flame-job painted (appropriate for the day!) two-man sled as well as a table full of bobsled equipment: helmet, shoes, uniforms, bobsled runners, medals, and gloves. They also passed out autographs, pictures, posters, business cards, and postcards.

"We had a blast," Jeremy said. "It was great to run the race with that many people, even though I'm only used to running 50-meters on ice and jumping in the sled! But to take part in such a great cause is always a good way to start the day. Plus, it is always fun to be out there sharing our sport with the general population. So hopefully we were able to ad a certain level of entertainment and excitement to the fundraiser and help the fire department and the hospital have a successful event."

If you have a fundraiser, church function, social gathering, or business event that you would like Team Holm Racing to attend, please contact us.

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words (or dollars)

As many of you know, Team Holm Bobsled had a very memorable Easter Sunday this year.

You can click here to read the full story, but the short and sweet of it is that we had the incredible opportunity of participating in a special photo shoot at the Park City bobsled track with Getty Images under the talented direction of Stephen Schauer.

And now, after waiting patiently (and some days not so patiently, we're like kids waiting for Christmas), the results are in. And to be honest, they are simply breathtaking.

After nearly eight years in the sport, to see yourself and your teammates captured in images like these, well...it is a feeling that's hard to describe. I guess you could say that it is one of those achievements that make all the sacrifices, all the hard work, all the discouragements, and all the cold nights spent on the ice worth it.

Enjoy the photos posted below and be sure to leave us some comments on what you think! And be sure to check back in a couple of days when we post some more images! We just ask that out of respect for Getty Images that you do not download these images in any form.

Most Embarrassing Moments #2

This post is a reprint of an earlier entry (originally posted 12/21/07), but I think it is totally appropriate considering we're on our "Most Embarrassing Moments" kick right now! So, courtesy of our team member Don Osmond, please enjoy!



"As Jeremy mentioned, I had my first experience bobsledding this week – what a rush! At it all began on the drive up to the Olympic Park…

I met up with Jeremy at his office in SLC with a massive grin, impossible to hide. We jumped in his truck, bobsled in back, and made our way to Park City. The ride up, I kept asking questions and Jeremy provided the advice. The night was a little cold, but I was just excited to be on my way.

After getting changed into something a little less wind resistant – spandex – it was time to get ready for the ride of my life. (I'll be honest, spandex is a little uncomfortable to be wearing in public. Good thing everyone else at the track was wearing something similar. "When in Rome…")

After getting some quick last minute pointers and watching some of the "skely's" (skeleton riders) race down the track, it was my turn. The adrenalin was already kicking in, and I was having a difficult time maintaining composure – totally excited.

I started the count off… "Back set!"

"Front set!" Jeremy responded in cadence. "Ready, GO!!!"

I began pushing that sled as hard as I could, and just started running. About five seconds down the track, I jumped in, ducked under and held on… for what was going to be an unforgettable, yet unrememberable, ride of my life.

As the bobsled started to gain speed, I could feel my body being pushed into the back of my seat. With every turn, the pressure seemed to increase. The intensity of the speed and the sharpness of each turn jarred me back and forth in the sled. Two thirds of the way down there is a minor drop in the track that causes momentary weightlessness.

Then, black out.

The next thing I remembered, Jeremy was frantically hitting me to wake me up. I had to pull the brakes. Coming to, I was disoriented and had no idea what was going on. We had passed the point where I'm supposed to brake, and we were quickly nearing the end of the track where a snow bank awaited to stop runaway sleds.

Subconsciously, I grabbed the brakes and pulled as hard as I could. At the same time, Jeremy steered the sled into the wall so as to help slow us down. We stopped just as we entered the snow bank.

Within seconds, Jeremy jumped out of the bobsled and began asking me questions and telling me to get out. I don't recall much, because I was still trying to acclimatize myself to my surroundings. (You can ask Jeremy more about the specifics, because I know I was not being very responsive.)

From there, we got the sled out of the track and I finally regained my composure.

In short, aside from having an absurd rush of adrenalin, pulling a couple G's, blacking out and nearly wrecking Jeremy's bobsled; I had a blast!!

I just hope Jeremy will trust me again sometime to do it again!"

Most Embarrassing Moments #1

Ok, we got some good feedback from our "Crazy Bobsledding Exercises" post so we decided to move forward with Team Holm Bobsled's most embarrassing moments stories. And since it was my idea, I guess I'll go first! Me and my big mouth....

So, this happened back in the 1997-1998 season (before we looked as good as we do now). Back then, the Park City track did their passenger ride program with regular four-man bobsleds, not the modified ones that they are using now. These sleds needed a driver and a brakeman, which was part of my job description. I should mention that I was working for the USBSF (our national governing body) at the time and they ran the passenger program so I divided my time between playing brakeman for the sleds and helping passengers load into the sleds and prepare to go.

Well one night I was just assigned the task of helping customers get the right sized helmets and then load into the sled properly. The great part about this is that I got to socialize with the clients and help get them excited for the ride. And then, once they were properly loaded into the sled, we would pull out the pushbars and give them a full push down the start ramp.

There's only one, minor catch to this whole situation: stopping. No, not the sled. I mean us, the pushers!

Have you ever tried to stop on ice while sprinting down a 50-meter ramp at full speed? And at the time I didn't even have my fancy bobsledding shoes with their 300+ spikes on each foot. No, back then all I had were my trusty (yet almost useless) sprinter track spikes with 8 spikes on each foot. Man, when you let go of that sled, you were doing everything you could to just stay on the spikes and not your heel, because once those spikes left the ice, you would would go down hard! Some of the pushers actually got to the point to where they would just fall down on purpose and slide to a stop down in Turn 1.

But not me, and definitely not this night that I'm talking about. There was a rather large group of passengers gathered at the top of the track and they were cheering us on, telling us to push faster and faster! Being ever-so-willing to oblige, we started pushing full-speed (which as you can imagine only made stopping that much more difficult).

And to make matters worse, there were a couple of cute girls in the crowd, so being teenage guys, we decided we'd try to show off. Ah, it just reminds me of that saying, "Pride cometh before the fall."

So on one of the pushes, we really ran it deep. I'm talking way past the point that I would have jumped into the sled as a driver. We just dug deep and then gave it one last shove before letting it go. We could even hear the crowd cheering us from the start area, congratulating us for our efforts.

Well, the euphoric feeling lasted about two steps. On the third one, my spikes slipped on the ice and my heel came down (remember, no spikes there) and the next thing I knew, my feet went up into the air almost higher than my head and my arms went out to my sides in an effort to catch myself. But alas, it was no good.

I came crashing down on my back so hard it knocked the breath out of me! My arms came crashing down onto the ice and I hit my watch so hard that it broke! In that wonderful spread-eagle position I continued my downward motion and slide down into the middle of Turn 1.

With a groan, I pulled myself to my feet, gathered up the pieces of my watch, and began the "Walk of Shame" back up to the start area amidst the applause of my coworkers and the crowd. I don't think I looked up once during that whole walk back up the start ramp. When I got there, my coach just smiled, slapped me on the back, and told me "I think you actually bounced on that one."

Ah, memories.... Thank goodness YouTube didn't exist back then!

Stay tuned for more postings about our most embarrassing bobsled moments where we'll further embarrass ourselves for your reading pleasure!