May I see some I.D.?

I've been getting the question a lot lately about what we do during the summertime as bobsled athletes. I think the common misconception is that we just sit around and relax all through the hot summer months and attend parties and take vacations.

Well, that's half true. But the other half is where the real work comes into play.

Throughout the summer we have some incredible plans and goals as a team. Of course we have the general goals of increasing our strength and speed for our pushing abilities, but we also have some specific plans as well. A few of us are going to be working with TOSH at the Utah Olympic Oval to better perfect our sprinting technique. This is going to be a blast to work with the TOSH crew and we'll be sure to post some pictures of it.

We are also planning a trip to Calgary in July to do some practicing at the Ice House, a facility built next to the bobsled track where teams can go and practice their push and loads. I can't decide if this will be more work or more play. Probably a good combination of both, so we'll be sure to have some fun posts about this as well.

Another plan involves heading to the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs sometime in either June or August. I'm not sure who all will be going on this one, but it is going to be an incredible opportunity to work with some of the trainers and nutritionists out there at the Center.

As you can see, there will be plenty to do during the off-season, including all our regular working out and sprint training. Plus the norms of life such as careers, social lives, other hobbies, etc.

So where does the title of this post come in to play?

Most of the time when you go to pay for something with anything other than cash, you get asked the question "May I see some I.D.?" Well, what most people don't know about bobsledding is that it is the second most expensive sport in the Olympics, second only to Equestrian. And contrary to popular belief, as athletes we pay for a lot of our training, travel, and equipment needs out of our own pockets.

So a huge overall goal of ours this summer is to actively seek out and gain sponsorships and donations to help defray the costs of our summer training as well as the immense financial burden of next season.

We are currently working to set ourselves up as a non-profit organization, but are running into huge cost estimates to do so, so if any of you blog readers have any experience with setting up a non-profit group, please let us know.

Also, if you know of any companies interested in helping an incredibly talented team as they prepare for the Olympics, please send them the following link and have them contact us to discuss further options: http://www.teamholmbobsled.com/Pages/donating.html

Duty, Honor, Country

I just listened to an incredible speech given by General Douglas MacArthur when he was presented the Sylvanus Thayer Award at Westpoint in 1962. General MacArthur titled his address 'Duty, Honor, Country.' Though not a retired military serviceman like two of the members of our team, I have always been taught to respect and uphold the ideals and freedoms of this great country.

Though perhaps not directly related to our training or competitions, I guess this entry has more to do with why we do what we do.

Although we all bobsled for various reasons, I think one of the greatest reasons (and honors) behind our desire to compete in the sport lies in the feeling you get when you represent your country out there on the ice. When you step up to that starting line as a team and you hear the announcer say "USA 1 to the starting line" you can't help but feel a stiffening of the spine.

In his address, General MacArthur talks about the the effects that duty and honor have on soldiers as they serve their country. I really enjoyed listening to his speech because he talks about living higher standards in life and being responsible for ones actions and desires for life.

As I mentioned, two of our team members have served time in our nation's armed forces. Matt was an air traffic controller for the Navy and Brad served as a Marine. Their love for country has always been apparent in the way that they speak about the United States and I have greatly enjoyed sharing the same passion for our nation.

I think the reason I liked General MacArthur's speech is that he wasn't afraid to speak out about honor and virture and hard work and responsibility and respect for our country. In our 'modern' world where every thought and ideal seems so often to be constructed around what is 'Politically Correct' I wonder how his speech would be accepted today? Probably as too conservative and idealistic and too stuffy.

But General MacArthur was right. As I have spent eight years representing my country as an athlete I have come to respect it more and more for the great nation that it is. Whenever I put on a US uniform and take to the ice, I want to do my very best.

I think what MacArthur was really trying to say was this: you choose how you will live your life. You can either live up to your better self, of you can take the easy way out and just go with the flow. It takes effort and discipline to be your best and to put forth that kind of effort, you must have some underlying emotion and ideal that drives you.

So in short, for each and every one of us to succeed at whatever dreams we have for life we need to strife for and develop those three powerful words of 'Duty, Honor, Country.'