Auzzie, Auzzie, Auzzie - Oy, oy, oy!

L to R:Jeremy Holm, Jason Oliveri, Jeremy Rolleston, Matt Storms, and Don Osmond)

This past week and a half has been a lot of fun for us as a team. As we've tried to cram in as many training sessions as possible to make up for the holiday break, we've found ourselves up at the track as much as four days a week.

One of the best part about bobsledding is all the friends that you make through the sport. Not that they're all bobsledders themselves, you get to meet athletes from all sports, summer and winter.

These past few training sessions we've had the great honor of training alongside some athletes from the Australian bobsled team. Jeremy Rolleston and Jason Oliveri. Despite requiring a few minutes of straight conversation to get used to their accents, we quickly became mates with these guys and had a lot of fun together (especially when they were so thoughtful and tried to buy us beer as a thank-you for all the help we gave them even though none of us, including the Aussies, drink)! I was able to sit and talk with Jeremy and go over drive-lines in the track and to help him in some spots he was trying nail down. Some of the Team Holm pushers were able to go over technique with Jason as well.

And then, the best of all, we were able to get Jeremy into our 4man bobsled for some runs just before they had to leave to head back to Australia. Two Team Holm athletes, Don Osmond and Matt Storms, even volunteered to ride with Jeremy on his runs down the track that night. I decided that Jeremy needed the runs and my athletes more than I did, so I helped coach at the top of the track that night. And he did great! Jeremy's first runs down in a 4man were very nicely done, so good on ya mate!

Afterwards we all went down to Main Street Park City for a farewell dinner. Although it ended up a late night by the time we all got to our homes, it was well worth it.

Jeremy and Jason, you'll always have mates in Team Holm Bobsled and we'll see you on the ice!

Merry Christmas!

Co-ed bobsled

The first thing that comes to mind when I think about last night is how cold it was! Cold enough that your skin stuck to metal. Cold enough that your lungs would feel the chill when you took a deep breath. And cold enough that the crack in my windshield worried me when I turned on the defrost. Oh sure, it wasn't Calgary or Placid bad, but it was still chilly for us considering we've been sliding in some rather warm weather.

We took some four-man trips down the track last night, the first of which was rather interesting. You see, trying to get four athletes up to train can be a challenge sometimes when everyone is A. working, B. dating someone/married, C. out of town, or D. all the above. So last night, a friend of ours (you rock Abby) who happens to be a skeleton athlete was kind enough to volunteer to go down with us so we could at least get some trips down the mountain. All of my spares and back up athletes were busy or out of town, so we were grateful.

After scratching our first run down the track (meaning we skipped it) we practiced loading into the sled while it was sitting still so Abby could get used to loading in. Our coach just raised his eyebrow as he watched and said, "This I gotta see."

Well, we put the sled up on the line and once the green light turned on and the buzzer went off, we were "Back set, set, set, front set, ready!" and off we went! Now, mind you, we weren't completely cruel, we mentally told ourselves that we were taking it easy for Abby's sake. I even loaded in prematurely so Abby could hop right on. The next thing I knew there was commotion behind me, someone yelled at someone else, I felt a hard hit on the back of my helmet, and all this by the time we reached the first turn.

Now I had no idea what was going on, so I put it out of my mind and drove down the track like nothing was wrong. But once we crossed the finish line and I got out of the sled, I started counting athletes at the bottom. I may not be the smartest guy out there, but I knew that 1+2 did not =4. Don and Brad both looked at my face, read the confusion, and explained that Abby did not end up joining us on the trip. She had taken one step towards loading into the sled, decided she couldn't do it, and simply let go of the sled and we kept going without her. Our coach later told me that he thought I had a killer run down the track, but he was also a bit distracted as he tried to count helmets as we roared past him.

To her credit, Abby got back out there and took another run with us and she loaded in beautifully. She had a huge smile on her face at the bottom as it was her first time down the track in a bobsled. But I guess if Don got the nickname "Blackout" for going unconscious on the way down the track, should we start calling Abby "Fallout"? Hmmm...

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas

Well, let it not be said that winter is still months away. While we have been completely spoiled here in Utah with extremely mild weather (read: eternal Fall), last night in Park City we had a bit of a break from our snow-drought. It wasn't terrible, mind you, but it sure made the drive up to the track interesting and the rides down the mountain a little slower, even in a 800+ pound steel and fiberglass missile.

Even so, we managed to have some fun last night, despite the dreary conditions. After a 20-minute search for a four-man bobsled (which we found out today ended up being hidden in a bin at the finish area), we instead pulled out the two-man and rushed to the start area to put on the runners (sled's blades) and get ready. With three minutes or so to spare, we tightened the last bolt and threw on our bobspikes (special bobsled shoes).

Since I had three brakemen last night I took five runs, and cancelled a sixth due to the deteriorating conditions. When we dropped about 1.5 seconds between our first and last run of the day, I knew that the sixth would be a waste of time and energy. We would have done nothing more but plow the track! But considering most of the other athletes were getting 55-58-second runs, our downtime of 53.92 and 53.52 weren't so bad (although far slower than our normal times). But the snow just kept piling up more and more. On our last run we just plowed the braking stretch and as I got out of the sled and looked back down the run towards the finish line, I could clearly see where our sled had blown through drifts of snow in the uncovered finish area. Ya, it was time to just pack it in at that point.

But it was a fun night after all. Last night was Brad's (brakeman/pusher) birthday so we pitched in and got him a card and a gift card. We also had our good friend Nicole Anderson come up to do some filming of our starts (since her camera couldn't get wet she had to hide under the start area's awning). We also had one of Brad's buddies, Brandon, come up with us and get his first taste of the world of bobsled. Although we only took a few steps and loaded in, Brandon had a blast as we flew (or is it plowed?) down the track. Well, minus the fact that he was sitting on the brake handles thereby putting some bruises on his backside.

And here you all thought our sport was just fun and games. At least we got to wear layers last night and not just spandex. Those poor skeleton athletes...

Next up: four-man bobsled on Friday night with one of our new athletes, Dan. Wish the guy who sits in front of him luck (since Dan will have 600-steel spikes on the bottom of his feet when he jumps in)!

Ciao!

'Tis the season...

Ok, I admit it. I've been terrible at updating the blog the past few weeks! The worst part is that we've been training on the ice for three weeks now, and here I've left you poor readers without any news, info, jokes, stories, pictures, or gut-bursting commentary.

My deepest apologies!

So, here we are, December 1st, 2008. Apparently the US has been in a recession since December of 2007. I guess we needed a year to figure that out. But personally, I just checked out my bank account and I've known I've been in a recession the whole time!

Back to bobsledding, though.

We've had a couple of days of two-man training now, and we're hoping to start four-man this week. The great thing about this season is that there is an abundance of sleds to use! So just for kicks and giggles we might borrow some other two-man sleds and try them out. After some full inspections, of course.

But our times have been steadily improving compared to last year. Though not World Cup times, improvement is improvement upon improvement. So we're happy with that! We're also excited to have some new guys joining us out there on the ice as well, so stay tuned for that! We will be posting some video and some new photos from training the other night, so check back later this week!

Happy belated Thanksgiving everyone and Happy Holidays! Keep your eye out for the Team Holm Bobsled Christmas card as well!

Motivational Videos and Speeches

As I'm sitting here in my office looking through the window at the mid-grade blizzard outside, I decided that on mornings like these we could all use a nice pick-me-up. If you want to read even deeper into that statement, I think some of the things we crave most during the difficult "blizzards" of life are encouragement, love, and support.

If you were to sit down and think back to any rough patches that life may have led you through, what did it mean to have someone, anyone, be there for you? Someone who believed in you, whether a friend, a spouse, a sibling, a coach, a coworker, a religious leader, etc. I bet I'm safe in saying that their support made a huge difference that gave you strength, comfort, encouragement, motivation, and hope.

So on this cold, blustery day I thought I'd let Team Holm Racing be a source of potential encouragement, motivation, and maybe some laughs. I've listed three videos below that I found completely incredible. The truth of the matter is that perhaps you're not really struggling with anything, but maybe these videos can help give you that extra boost today at work or around the house or before your visit to the gym. If you need a pick-me-up today, for whatever reason, I hope these videos provide the butt-kick you need!

Jeremy Holm
Team Captain


My wish is that we can all find a mentor like this one...


I hope we can all find a "teammate," a good friend to run with us in life...


If you really listen to what Rocky says here...


We all have demons from our past that haunt us, but....

The Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation

Ok, we confess, it has been awhile since we've updated the blog! But you have to understand, it has been a busy time for all of us! With a cruise to Mexico for some, classes and midterms for others, a wedding for one, and the good old requirements of full-time jobs for all, Team Holm Bobsled has been busy!

But don't worry, the season is starting soon so we'll have plenty to talk about (and you'll have plenty to read about)!

One thing we did want to let everyone know about is our recent affiliation with the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation.

Our team captain, Jeremy Holm, is a self-proclaimed Superman fan who says he recently finished Christopher Reeve's autobiography, "Still Me." One thing he said he learned was that while Christopher Reeve was a giant of a man, physically speaking, he was truly a giant of a man when it came to the courage and determination it took to persevere and look to overcome a paralyzing accident. And his wife Dana was his "superwoman" who was there with him every step of the way until his death. Her battle with cancer has inspired thousands around the world and their legacy is still burning brightly despite their passings.

The Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation is dedicated to curing spinal cord injury by funding innovative research, and improving the quality of life for people living with paralysis through grants, information and advocacy and Team Holm Bobsled is proud to be a part of Team Reeve, a division of the foundation that is dedicated to people who "run a race, bike a trail, swim the tides ... turn (their) passion for sports into a mission to help others."

Please visit the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation website to learn more about ways that you can help those battling spinal cord injuries or diseases.

Also, check out this video below, it is incredible when you think about what it represents and the power we have as human beings to overcome the "impossible."

A Day at the Push Track

A lot of people ask what we do during the summer to train as bobsledders. Apart from the required video game playing (it's for hand-eye coordination...cough cough) and the standard trips to high school tracks for sprints and drills, plus the gym for weight training, we also have a push-track set up in Park City. The push track is basically a bobsled on wheels that runs down a small hill on rails.

Here's an example of us doing some push training from last week. It was a warm-up run so it wasn't our full-speed, but it does give you an idea of what we do.

That's me up front on the left, Brad right behind me, Don on the right, and Lane on the brakes.

Enjoy!

9/11: Let us remember today and never forget tomorrow

Seven years ago today I was sitting on a tropical island off of the coast of Belize called Ambergris Caye. It is a beautiful place full of crystal clear water, white sandy beaches, palm trees, resorts, restaurants, gift shops, dirt streets, and bakeries that left your mouth watering whenever you walked past them.

I was finishing up the last year of my two-year commitment as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, an experience that I will cherish for the rest of my life. But of all the experiences I had during those two years, this is one that is burned with unbelievable clarity into my mind.

The missionary I was serving with at the time pounded on the door to the bathroom and shouted that someone has just bombed the Statue of Liberty! The thought took a moment to register and I quickly got out of the shower, dressed, and we rushed to a friend's house who we knew had a TV.

We got there just in time to see video of a plane crashing into some building which I later learned was one of the Twin Towers. My first thought was, "Wow, that looks like an interesting new movie! Great special effects!" But as I sat there waiting to learn the movie's title and the TV kept showing more and more images of the towers on fire, of firefighters all over "Ground Zero" and of citizens running through the streets, it finally hit me...it wasn't a movie.

It was a nightmare.

My missionary companion and I both collapsed onto the couch and just stared. No one said anything for quite some time. We just watched in horror as the buildings burned and chaos ensued in front of the cameras. Stunned commentators did their best to voice-over the video feeds, but the hesitancy and fear in their voice was obvious to all. We felt it too.

Since I was in Central America our feed was coming through Mexico which means that a lot of what was edited out here in the United States was left on TV for us. We almost cheered when hundreds of people were seen exiting the burning towers. And then we watched with gut-wrenching horror as some poor souls, seeing no other option for escape, leaped from the burning buildings, hundreds of feet above the cameras.

The first and then the second tower collapsed, sending millions of tons of debris crashing down onto the street below. Camera crews raced for their lives away from the debris field, sending shaky images of dust covered survivors to our screen as they too ran as fast as they could.

Over the next few days we would learn that it was a deliberate attack by evil men. I say evil because it would take either a lack of sanity, a lack of humanity, or a lack of goodness to do something so awful, so terrible, so unbelievably dark. I call them evil, but I also call them cowards. It is easy to do something like that when you know you'll be dead and won't have to face the consequences.

But we also saw unforgettable acts of humanity and compassion and courage. We witnessed firefighters who rushed into a burning building, not knowing if they would return, all out of courageous desire to find survivors, get them out of the building, administer medical attention, and let the scared know that "every thing is going to be alright."

We saw medical crews and police officers who ran BACK towards the downed buildings to begin searching immediately for survivors. We witnessed churches around the country fill up with people and prayers. We saw organizations and groups from around the world assemble to raise money and supplies for the survivors, their families, and to support the rescue effort that went on and on while the world held its breath in hopeful anticipation that somewhere, somehow, someone would have survived the buildings' fall.

But most of all, we saw the world come together. We saw old, and new, allies rush to support and aid the wounded United States. We saw emails, websites, TV reports, news articles, blogs, etc all denouncing the evil acts that had been committed. Out of the terrible destruction of that day, arose some of humanity's finest hours.

It is my hope that as we move on, some still healing, some still searching, but all of us unable to forget, that we will build on the steps forged through the hardships and pain of those dark days. 9/11 may be seven years in the past, but the lessons we learned from those days should forever be in the present.

God bless America.

Sport Photography Photo Shoot

Recently our team captain, Jeremy Holm, was involved in a photo shoot with the talented Utah-based photographer Stephanie Hutto. Hutto is a renowned photographer who specializes in wedding, portrait, fashion, architecture, commercial, event, and landscape photography.

The shoot occurred around some beautiful office buildings located near the mouth of Little Cottonwood Canyon in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Under Stephanie's careful eye, Jeremy let out his inner-Zoolander and the shots turned out pretty darn cool. But as Jeremy says, "It was all in the camera and the skill of Stephanie."

Hope you enjoy the photos!