Frosty the Snowmen

So it was one of those nights of training. Not bad, not superb, just kind of in between. You can tell it is getting to the end of the season because all the athletes are getting a bit more sore and equipment is breaking just a bit easier.

But last night we took three runs (Don and I had two and Matt and I had one). The track was rather frosty so it wasn't as fast as we would like it to be. What happened is that Park City faced some warmer weather during the day yesterday, so the outside air temperature was higher. When this occurs, the ice on the track starts to melt just a touch. Almost "sweat" if you will. But then as the day went on and the temperature started the drop, this "sweat" on the ice began to freeze and this creates a layer of frost on the surface. Frost, for us, is a bad thing as it acts like a miniature layer of sand paper. As athletes we find its easier to drive since the frost gives us more grip than smooth ice, but it also slows us down.

So Don and I had a good push on our first run, a 5.68. Both of us want a 5.5 so badly this season! Our down time was a 52.40, so not too bad! Still, we are pushing for that goal of a 51 second run before the season is over!!! Matt and I had a bit slower push than usual, a 5.98. both of us were shaking our heads over that one. Not sure what happened there. But we had a clean run and posted a time of 52.57. So while our push was slower, our time was considerably faster when you do the math (52.40-5.68=46.72 and 52.57-5.98=46.59 SO 46.72-46.59= 0.13 BUT the pushes were 5.98-5.68=0.3 difference SO Don and I should have had a time that was 0.6 seconds faster than Matt and I).

Wow, doing that math definitely pulled out the arithmetic skills!!!

Anyways, as the season does wind down we have big plans for pushing ourselves physically over the summer, working with TOSH's acceleration program, and finding sponsors! So if any readers have suggestions for companies who may be interested in helping a team race for the Olympics, please let us know!

Be sure to check back this weekend because this Friday we are pulling out the big guns. That's right, its four-man time!

Crash Test Dummies

So last Friday night's (Feb. 8) training session was definitely an interesting one!

One of the directors for our local bobsled and skeleton club called in a favor and asked Matt and I to test drive a bobsled to figure out what is wrong with the steering system. Apparently the driver of the sled has voiced serious concerns about the sled's ability to respond to his driving. I can understand since a broken sled would make any driver nervous considering it would be out of control at 80 MPH.

So, we agreed. I think in our heads we were thinking "Hey, its a great way to provide some service to our fellow athletes and its a free trip down the track."

Well, even a free trip down the track can cost too much sometimes!

Matt, Steve, Tom, and I all made a few modifications to the sled's steering system before the run. Thinking that we had solved the problem, I got into the driver's seat and Matt gave us a small jog off and then tried to jump in. I say tried because while he made it into the sled, due to the sled's custom rollbars (the sled is built for a paraplegic so it has a few modifications) Matt was unable to tuck down like he normally does. In his words, "That was the first time that I've ever seen the whole track!"

So, as we started to pick up speed in the first few turns my brain automatically registered an immediate problem: the sled was indeed broken. The steering system wasn't responding so I had to literally crank the steering ropes in the direction that I wanted the sled to turn. I felt like I had about 15% control over the sled whereas normally its a comforting 100%. Needless to say we bounced off the walls and waved up and down in the turns.

When we crossed the finish line Matt and I pretty much had the exact same thought in our heads: NEVER AGAIN! Well, at least until the steering system gets fixed. That had to have been one of the scariest rides I've ever taken in a bobsled in 8 years in the sport! So needless to say the sled's owners took it home to work on over the next few days! Whew!

After that we took another three runs in our own sled and they were, to our relief, much better (not to mention faster). Don and I went first, Matt and I went second, and then we took a newbie down for his first run, Hans. The ice was a little bit slower so our times weren't record breaking or anything, but it was still a good night! The most disappointing news of the night was that our race the following day (Sat the 9th) had been cancelled due to a shortage of participants. Grrr! We were looking forward to winning three races in a row, but that's ok. We'll just keep improving and getting faster and looking forward to the next race!

So even though you may have to go through some bumpy experiences in order to help out those in need, sometimes it really is the best thing to do!

Dream big!

Two in a Row- 2nd Win for Team Holm

That's right, two in a row! Last Saturday (after surviving Friday's freezing temperatures) Matt and I participated in the 2008 Utah Pioneer's Cup bobsled race.

And we took first place for the second week in a row! We were pretty excited considering Matt has been extremely sick all week and we were just grateful that he was able to compete, although I could tell that it took a lot out of him. After fighting a fever all week and losing 14 pounds, it tells a lot about the guy's heart if he's willing to get in a sled at 80 MPH after all that.

But it paid off. I have to laugh as we again stuck it right at the low 52-second mark for both runs (52.21 exactly on both) but I know we will break into the 51s before the season is over! This gave us a pretty substantial cushion ahead of the next team, the Jamaicans, who we have a joking bet about who has to buy who dinner if they win!

Its been an exciting couple of weeks, and we look with some sadness as the season is swiftly coming to a close (end of February), unless we can get some training time in Canada which is our goal. We'll keep our fingers crossed!

We just wanted to thank everyone for all their support so far, it has definitely made a difference. Be sure to subscribe to this blog so you can get our updates in your email because we are trying to update it as often as possible!

Best wishes!

The Night Hell Must Have Frozen Over

It was cold. I mean, we're talking COLD. Friday (Feb 1st)night's practice was almost miserable. I had to loan my gloves to Don who was pushing that night and everytime I touched metal it was so cold it burned my hand. We're talking instant minor frostbite here. And we made the crazy decision to train in our spandex racing suits that night! Why oh why didn't we just wear normal clothes training clothes???

A highlight of the night was that we had a photographer from Provo come up to take some candid shots of us training, Mark Weinberg. You can check out some of his shots at http://mlwphotos.com/proofs/teamholm/ .

So, we've established the fact that it was cold. Like, in the teens cold. So on our first run as soon as I loaded into the sled and felt Don load into his seat, my helmet began to fog over. And I mean, really cloud over. Most of the time I can just tilt my head back a little bit to get some air on the helmet shield to clear it up, but this time I had about 40% visibility for most of the track. Imagine doing that at 80MPH!

But it only got worse from there. There was so much snow up at the track that it had covered the tarps that are over Turns 14 and 15. Once we came out of Turn 13 it was like looking down into an underground tunnel: pitch black. So that mixed with a fogged helmet made for a pretty interesting run! It was a 53 second and given the conditions I was ok with that.

So the second run was only marginally better, a high 52 and I just had to laugh. It truly was a great night of training in the worst conditions imaginable. It wasn't that we were really able to work on our technique so much as now we know that we can slide in the worst conditions possible. Its like they say, sometimes you just need to face the worst situations in life just so you can know that you can handle it next time it comes around. Experiences like that should give us all confidence that we really are stronger than we thought we were.

But, still, I think it was cold enough that Hell froze over that night!

Gold Medals for breakfast

You know, since it has been a full week since the race pictured above, we figured it was time to get it up on the blog!

On Saturday, January 26, 2008 we participated in the Utah Winter Games bobsled race. It was a beautiful day for a competition and Matt and I were so excited. We'd like to thank everyone who came up to cheer us on and who pushed us to give it our all.

As you can see from the pictures, our best was good enough to place us squarely in first place! Both runs were in the low 52-second range and we were so close to getting a 51 that Matt and I set that as our goal on the second run. 52.12! So close! But both runs felt great and we both cheered so loud as we crossed the finish line. Its been a season full of hard work, cold nights, hours in the gym, and money shelled out of the wallet so the win definitely tasted sweet!

The Utah Winter Games was the first in a serious of three races over three consecutive races that our governing body has planned, so we will definitely be working on the sled and our push starts and I'll be working overtime on my driving technique! I have to say thanks to all the pushers who have been helping me improve my driving, thanks to them I have dropped over a full second off my average times from seasons past. You guys are the best.

So stay tuned for updates on the races coming up! Best wishes!

The Terrible 52's

Actually, perhaps that title is a bit misleading. As a driver I'm so excited to see us consistantly throwing down 52 second down times on the track. Matt and I have been getting faster and faster in our pushes and we've watched this whole season as our times have been getting lower and lower.

I think sometimes in life, especially as athletes, we find ourselves focusing on where we are in contrast to where we want to be. Whether it be in a sport, at work, financially, physically, or socially, we all have 'somewhere' that we want to be. Some goal that we want to achieve that we feel will help us be happier. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm one of the biggest proponents of goals there is! But I think one important thing to keep in mind is that a goal should push us forward while helping us to find happiness with where we are at in life.

This past week we had one day where we posted times of 52.36 and 52.12. And all of us on the team want to reach the 51's so badly that we kind of looked at these low 52's with a groan and then a laugh. THAT close!

But you know what? It is just pushing us to work harder and it is definitely feeding our hunger to improve and do better. I feel that my teammates have helped me as a driver to do SO much better and we are all pushing each other to get stronger and faster physically. It really is a great season this year! One of my best I'd have to say.

So if you find yourself thinking "If only I had this" or "If only I was that" please take a lesson from a few humble bobsledders: learn to be happy where you are and you'll find it easier to reach your goal with a heart full of joy.

Men versus Steel

Ah, it was that time of the season again! The time when we as a team get together for some serious bonding time. Yes, it was time for the wonderful bobsled tradition of runner sanding.

Trust us, it isn't that wonderful! But it isn't so bad, either to be quite honest.

A lot of people ask us why we sand the runners, or blades, that sit on the bottom of the bobsled. Well, the surfaces of the runners are the only part of the sled that has contact with the ice. Now, you might have to dig deep to remember your days in physics class in high school. No, I'm not talking about the girl you had a crush on in the class. Think about friction.

Since the runners are in contact with the ice, the smoother we can make the surface, the less friction there will be. Translation: faster. So, as athletes we try to sand out all the nicks, cuts, scraps, and rust marks from the surface of our runners. Basically, they are done when you can see your face on the steel like a mirror.

Needless to say, we had a good time (after eating a ton of pizza of course) and the runners look great. We're hoping to drop a few tenths of a second off of our time!

Stupid Paperwork

So, we all hate most paperwork. Reports, presentations, contracts, bills, and so forth. Who wants to be sitting in an office all day to face a stack of never ending papers?

Definitely not me! But last night, well, I had a Homer Simpson "D'oh!" moment that kept us from slidding.

You see, bobsledding does indeed have its risks of physical injury (or death as the legal documents point out). So, in order to slide each athlete has to have a couple of things:

1. Valid Health Insurance
2. A physical that states they are able to slide
3. A completed packet of information sent to our national governing body, the USBSF
4. A signed waiver releasing the bobsled track from any liability should we get hurt (or die)

I've got 3 out of the 4. When I went to sign my track waiver the person who was supposed to log me into the system was out on the track (unfortunately she got seriously injured that night). So, I just stuck the paperwork into my car and it got lost somewhere over the holidays.

Well, last night when we were up ready to slide one of the directors came up and asked about said paperwork. I didn't want to lie, so I told him I didn't have it with me. Problem? Big time. And the person who could enter it into the system had gone home for the day. So, we had to pack it up and just head to Main Street Park City for dinner. Although it wasn't a bad way to end the night eating at the Main Street Pizza and Noodle, we were still kind of bummed about the whole affair. So I apologize to all my friends who came up to watch us train last night! Don't worry though, I'm taking care of the paperwork today!

The point of the matter? As much as we all dislike paperwork, sometimes you just have to get it done!!!

Follow up on goals

As was mentioned by Team Captain, Jeremy, goals are important. And now with the beginning of 2008, what better way to visualize a goal than with a picture.

I was in Vancouver B.C. this last week. While I was there, I snapped this quick picture of the Olympic countdown. Let me tell you… I got stoked!

This picture was taken on Jan 2, 2008.

Let the games begin! Go team USA!

-Don (aka "Blackout")

New Years Resolution

Well, its that time of the year again. Time for gyms to face a rush of new customers, health food stores an influx of "healthy eaters" and Krispy Cremes to drop in sales...until February.

Yes, its time for our annual New Year's Resolutions! What did you choose to change this year? Or what dream did you finally decide that you were going to accomplish? I know I was mocking a bit in the first paragraph, but the truth is that New Year's Resolutions can help us to be happier and healthier people! We can finally kick the habit that has been holding us back or take that trip to France that we've always talked about. Whatever you've decided is on your list of resolutions, fight for it! Too often we as human beings start out with great intentions, and then we start to lose steam and eventually we just give up on our goals and throw them in the garbage.

What a waste! As athlets we can attest that goals are what make our world go round! Without goals, we can't progress or grow in this life! We need them to help better ourselves and improve our standard of living.

So, we've decided to come up with three, just three, pieces of advice to help you keep your 2007-2008 New Years Resolutions:

1. Write it down: if you don't, you might forget it. Writing it down is an action step, a physical demonstration of your commitment to your goal. Also, by seeing it posted somewhere in your room or car or office you can take time to focus on your goal and re-energize yourself towards achieving it.

2. Don't get lazy: for many, New Year's Resolutions don't last beyond January. Why? We lose sight of what we want, or we get tired of the effort. We get lazy. We become complacent in our lives and decide 'Eh, I don't need to change after all.' Have you ever thought this way? It all begins the first time you tell yourself you don't have time to go to the gym or the energy to work on your book you're writing. From the moment you write your resolution down, stick to it. Look at it everyday and remind yourself why you want to achieve it. Do what you have to towards its accomplishment, even if you 'don't feel like it.' You might not feel like it today, but if you do it anyway, you'll sure feel better tomorrow about it!

3. Be happy: if you mess up or skip a day, its not the end of the world. Start again the next day! Have fun with your goals! That's the first thing, set a goal you actually want to achieve for yourself. Sorry ladies, but saying "I want to change my husband this year" isn't a goal. A true goal cannot be based on someone else's ability to think for themselves. It's all about you! So choose goals that will make you happy and then go out there and have fun! Enjoy the gym or eating healthier or writing your book or whatever it is you are doing! Reward yourself for accomplishments! Goals are supposed to be hard, but make you happy!

May this New Year be full of peace, joy, and good living for all of you! Best wishes!

Team Holm Bobsled