Down By Two

(A post from Blackout – Don)

Last Saturday came as a surprise to both Jeremy and I. We were unaware there was going to be a bobsled race; therefore, didn’t do much to prepare for it. Sure we’ve been at the track regularly, but practicing 4-man bobsled. The race was for 2-man sleds. Until Saturday morning, we hadn’t pulled out the 2-man in about a month and a half. That sled felt neglected (and it made sure we knew that).

We got to the track about an hour before the race to do a little maintenance. Most of the time was spent sanding runners. After about 45 min, the runners weren’t perfect, but they looked better.

Show time!

Once the sled was in position, Jeremy and I set ourselves and began the cadence: “Back. Set. Ready…”

Since I don’t see much in the back, I have to recall the trip down the track by feeling. And once I felt turn four, I knew something wasn’t right; we were taping walls and dropping out of turns.

Sure enough, once we crossed the finish line Jeremy turned to me and said, “Something’s not right with the steering.” (Yeah, that would explain the ride.) And after the first heat, Team Holm was in fourth place.

After taking a couple minutes to adjust the steering, and getting back in the zone, we were back at the top of the track waiting for our second and final heat of the race. (If there were ever a time to get in the zone, this was it. We needed a really good push off, and you could tell that Jeremy was ready to pilot.

Again came the cadence: “Back. Set. Ready…” And we’re off! We definitely pushed harder; I also gave it a couple more steps before jumping in. (I think I kick Jeremy by accident during the load.)

This time it was a lot smoother, and I could feel Jeremy taking the bobsled to higher lines than before.

Given the condition of the track (I failed to mention it was raining that day and we were sliding on slush – not ice, which would be far more conducive to bobsledding) we were pleased with the run. But, we still needed to wait for one more bobsled before finding out if we medaled.

Sure enough, we made it! We came in third. I gotta hand it to Jeremy; he did a fabulous job getting us down the track safely the first time, and having a killer run the second time. Medaling with a non-responsive bobsled is pretty impressive.

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 #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!