The Shoes in the Closet

The end of the season always brings a mixture of bitter-sweet memories and relief.

As I was getting ready for work this morning I glanced down at my bobspikes (bobsled shoes) just sitting at the bottom of the closet and I had to pause. I guess you could say it was one of those "Do I really do that?" moments. You know, when you stop and think about the crazy sport that we're involved in, sometimes it just seems so surreal. I mean, who in their right mind goes out and plays in sub-zero temperatures wearing nothing but spandex, then runs full speed ON ICE and then loads into a metal and fiberglass rocket just to hurl themselves down an ice covered track at 80 MPH? Who does that???

One can only laugh at the way we try to put our bobsled gear away at the end of the season. Of course each athlete is different, but I think it is rather similar all around. The gear bag that you just drop on the floor at the end of the day because you know you'll need it tomorrow has to actually be put away. The toolbox that you leave in your car all winter has to be stowed in the garage somewhere. The training gear needs to be washed and hung up or folded away. I've got three helmets on the top shelf in my closet, two speedsuits that sit in a dresser drawer, a box full of medals, two pairs of bobspikes in two closets, and a two-man bobsled sitting under a cover in my garage. Call me crazy, but I'm betting that isn't normal!

But it IS worth it. This last season was, if anything, a blast. We worked hard out there on the ice, don't get me wrong. There were plenty of nights where we froze our butts off for hours, then went home tired and bruised and sore. However, the great runs we had, the improvements we made, and the friendships we formed more than compensated up for the sacrifices we made.

I think that is the hardest part about the summer "off-season." You miss the sport of course, but you also miss the atmosphere, the camaraderie, the personal battles between fear and dreams, and of course, you miss the rush. It goes without saying that we have plans for summer training and so forth, but nothing beats unloading the sled at the start pad and saying "hello" to all the athletes, coaches, officials, and volunteers. In a way, all US bobsled and skeleton athletes are part of a very small, yet very close family. Oh sure, some members of this family hate each other, but that doesn't change the fact that we are part of a group of athletes who do things everyday that 99.9% of the world's population will never get to experience. With that knowledge comes a certain responsibility to represent our sports with honor as we may be the ONLY bobsledder or skeleton athlete a person may ever meet.

I don't want this to sound like we belong to some exclusive club. That isn't what I mean at all. What I'm saying is that when you're out there at the starting line, looking down the track, waiting for the green light to go, you can't help but get a grin on your face as you think about what you're about to do and who is supporting you out there. We're a darn lucky group.

So while I am planning to do some school over the summer, take some vacations to Las Vegas, NV, St. George, UT, a cruise to the Caribbean, and a training trip to Calgary, Canada, there will be, of course, a part of me that will always be thinking about our sport. After all the bruises, cuts, broken equipment, lost races, blood, sweat, toil, and tears, one would think that as athletes we have gone through a type of war. And I guess you could say that. We're veterans of a different sort. But the good times, the races won, the lessons learned, the friendships formed, the sponsors gained, the cheering crowds, the perfect runs, the personal bests, etc. all add up to form a type of medal of 'honor' that we will wear with pride for the rest of our lives.

And that is definitely something to smile about.

Wow, all this about a pair of $400 bobsled shoes. And you ladies thought your Gucci's were inspiring!

Smile for the Camera #2!

Ok everyone! Here are a few more photos from our Getty Images photo shoot! Again, these pics are courtesy of Amy Uratsu, so thank you Amy!

One of The Best Days Ever

On occasion there comes into our lives a day that is so touching and so powerful that we can never forget it.

Easter Sunday of 2008 was a day just like that for our team.

As we have mentioned in previous postings, our team was selected to participate in a special photo shoot at the Utah Olympic Park that was organized by world-renowned Getty Images (www.gettyimages.com). As athletes it was the greatest of honors to be selected to represent our sport for this project. For weeks leading up to the "Big Day" we were like kids waiting for Christmas to come.

And we were not disappointed when the day finally arrived.

Our day began early as we had to be up at the track at 8am for casting calls. While Don, Matt, and Brad worked to get the sleds up to the top, I put my special ice walking covers on and started hiking. I began at the finish line and walked up the 8/10ths of a mile-long Park City track, climbing 400 vertical feet in the process. Since I had heard the ice conditions had deteriorated considerably during our time off, I wanted to do what we call a track-walk so I could inspect it first hand. By doing this I could remember where the rough spots were and where the dangerous sections were so that when I drove our sled down the track I could avoid them.

Well, I got to the top and found Matt Griff and Tracey Anderson, our two skeleton athletes, were getting their equipment ready. Also, my friends Joe Sisson and Nick Vieneau, who would be our two-man team for the shoot, were there as well. We all sat around the start house eating a wonderful breakfast provided by Getty and signed the required paperwork for the shoot.

I need to pause a moment and say that from the moment we first met them, the entire crew from Getty Images was truly a pleasure to work with. They were all incredibly nice and so easy to work with. You could tell that they were very, very good at what they did as photographers and producers and assistants, etc. But to the last team member, they were so professional and courteous to each and every one of us. By the end of the day we were no longer athletes and photography crew.

We were friends.

Well, after breakfast we began our first runs down the track. Getty set up their equipment in Turn 14 and so Matt went first, then Tracey, then Joe and Nick, then our four-man team. We did this in order for three runs down the track and then they asked our team to go down a fourth time. It was incredible to drive down the track with all the shades that normally cover the turns were open. The sun was brilliant yesterday and as we roared through Turn 14 I could see all the photographers sitting there clicking away. After this fourth run we all took a break for a tasty catered lunch at the starthouse. During lunch we took time to get to know the Getty crew a bit more and they showed us some of the pictures they had taken from Turn 14. To the last athlete, we just stood there in awe at the incredible images that they had taken of us going down the track. In a way, I think it made all of us stand back and remember just how cool our sports really are. We kind of take them for granted since they are just common-place to us. But to see ourselves coming down the track and digitally captured by these artists definitely struck home.

After lunch we did some still shots on the start ramp. It was pretty cool, the Getty crew set up a black backdrop and we pulled the sled in front of it. In a way, this was one of the hardest parts of the day as we were in the shade with a breeze blowing so we were pretty cold the whole time.

But we all did this. We posed next to our sleds like we were pushing down the ramp, varying our positions slightly here and there. Then we pretended that we were loading into the sled, and then finally we all sat inside the sled and pretended we were going down the track. Muscles ached and burned from having to hold the same position for so long, but I can't express how excited we are to see the final shots! Again, the Getty crew were great to work with during this whole portion of the day, very patient with us.

After us came the skeleton athletes and then the two-man crew and then the Getty crew had to pack up and rush down to Turn 11 so we could get our final moving shots before the end of the day. By this time the sun was beating mercilessly down on the ice in some of the open turns and I could feel it as we went down our final two times for the season. Especially in our second to last run when the exit of 14 had become slush and actually pulled our sled's nose up instead of letting us come out smooth, so we had a bit of a flop out of there. But other than that, the runs were really good and our final push was a 5.68! Not too bad! And all but our first run were in the mid to low 51 second range! If we had run on better ice and had better runners, we would have been in the 50's every time! Still though, we were all so excited about what we accomplished that day.

After our final runs we went back up to the top for some heartfelt goodbyes and some fun pictures with all the crew and all the athletes. Afterwards we all packed up our gear, bid the track a fond farewell until next season, and headed our separate ways.

Despite all the setbacks we encountered this past season, despite the personal concerns we all had about our abilities and our futures in the sport (natural for any athlete, right?), and despite any obstacles others placed in our paths to try and keep us from succeeding, this photo shoot was the ultimate consumation of our hopes and dreams this season. Just when we were ready to give up and call the season over, the shoot fell into our laps and it was truly one of the greatest experiences I personally have ever had in my 8 years in the sport.

It reminds me of a Latin saying that I recently ran across that has helped me whenever something seems to stand in the way of my goals:

Aut viam inveniam aut faciam

It means "I'll either find a way or make one."

Sometimes it isn't about how many medals you've won or how many sponsors you have. Yesterday was a day where we got to spend it with our friends doing what we love, surrounded by individuals with incredible talent and personalities.

Thank you to all the athletes, track crew for all their hard work and a huge thank you to the Getty Images crew for allowing us to take part in this incredible experience.

I couldn't think of a better way to spend Easter or to end the season.

We're ready for our close-up....

We just wanted to post this press release that we sent out about our incredible photo shoot opportunity that we mentioned in the previous post:

Utah Bobsled Athletes Immortalized by Getty Images

Team Holm Bobsled selected for exclusive photo shoot.

Mar 18, 2008 – SALT LAKE CITY—Following the successes of the 2007/2008 season, Team Holm Bobsled, a Utah-based United States bobsled team, has been selected by world-renowned Getty Images to participate in a special photo shoot at the Utah Olympic Park in Park City on March 23.

"We've been very successful this season, but to be immortalized by Getty is a dream come true," said Jeremy Holm, team captain and driver of Team Holm Bobsled. "I can't think of a better way to finish a full season of hard-work, dedication and sacrifice. We will remember, and be proud of this for the rest of our lives."

This season, Team Holm Bobsled was awarded first place twice in both local and regional competitions. The team has also medaled in years past during various competitions.

The photo shoot will involve athletes in still and action shots portraying both two-man and four-man bobsleds; skeleton and luge athletes will also participate in photos.

"The 2010 Winter Olympic Games are coming up, and it's our dream is to compete in front of the eyes of the world," said Holm. "This is one step toward fulfilling that dream; it will be both amazing and intimidating."

The pictures will be added to Getty's immense stock photo library and made available for various uses including magazines, newspapers, Web sites, etc.

# # #

About Team Holm Racing:
Team Holm Racing has competed in bobsled races on the national and international level and has been awarded 6 gold medals, 2 silver medals, and 1 bronze, with 11 top-ten finishes.

And there it is! A little shameless self-promotion never hurt anyone, right? :)

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.'