Halloween 2007

Now, I know it has nothing to do with the team, but I just had to post some pictures from this past Halloween. Check out those costumes! It really is a good thing I'm used to wearing spandex, but the makeup was something new. A special thanks to Katrina and her husband for help putting this one together. Katrina patiently spent two and a half hours putting my face on and her husband let me borrow his costume. Honestly, I'd have to say it was the best costume I've ever had! I loved it. Let me know what ya'll think! Somone suggested I show up to a race in the whole outfit!

Oh, and PS- I know it says Halloween 2008 at the bottom of that pic. Oops!!!

Sled Preparation: Day 1

The life of a United States bobsledder isn't all glamourous, despite what some of our friends think. Every year, just before the season starts, we have to spend a few days going over the sled to get it ready for use. While definitely not as exciting as hurling yourself down an icy mountainside at 80 MPH, this pre-season preparation is incredibly important. Just as any professional auto racing team does, we meticulously go over every inch of the sled, checking for cracks in the frame, damaged sections of the body, and any imperfections in the runners. We tighten every nut, re-grease every moving connection, and check the steering system for alignment.

As the saying goes, its a dirty job but someone has to do it!

This year Don, our newest teammate, and I spent most of the day today going over the sled and performing the first half of our maintainence routine. We definitely got our hands dirty re-greasing the runner shoes and cleaning them out. We went over the body surface and checked the fluidity of the suspension. Now all that remains is to set the alignment and clean out the inside of the body. So we are looking forward to another Saturday of work before the season begins. We anticipate our first day of slidding to be somewhere around mid-November or so. We'll definitely keep updates on our blog so you can see how we are doing and when we are racing. Also, be sure to check our main website, http://www.teamholmbobsled.com/, for results and bios on our team athletes, etc. We'd also love to hear from you and can be reached at teamholmracing@hotmail.com.

And don't worry, we'll be sure to add more pictures of Sled Preparation Round 2 coming up in a week or so!

Utah Down Syndrome Foundation Charity Event

Team Holm Racing recently had the opportunity to participate in a charity event that was set up to raise money for the Utah Down Syndrome Foundation. We've done fundraisers for cancer research and for specific medial patients, but the Saturday we spent with these special kids and their families was an experience never to be forgotten. Their bright faces, their love for life, and their enthusiastic and engaging personalities definitely left an impression on us. We just hope that we were able to help them enjoy a day at the park.

The volunteers who organized the event did an incredible job, despite a bit of nasty weather that rolled in at the end of the afternoon. There were games and activities for all who came, and plenty of smiles all around. We put the sled right in the middle of all the festivities and set the table up with our gear and medals for the visitors to look at. We had a steady stream of the down syndrome foundation kids and their families coming by all afternoon. Guests guests were invited to sit in the driver or brakeman's seat and get their pictures taken. We had a great time answering their questions and signing autographs and even helping to make cotton candy.

We just wanted to thank all the volunteers who put the event together and congratulate them for doing such an incredible job! We'd also like to thank the down syndrome kids and their families for helping us have such a wonderful experience!

We are definitely looking forward to next year's event!

Summer Recruiting

This summer, as I mentioned before in the previous post, has been full of mostly working out and school for me personally! But for the other members of Team Holm Racing, its been work, vacations, parties, and more vacations! Am I the only one getting ready for the upcoming season??

Sometimes as a team captain and a driver you get a little worried over the summer about which athletes are coming back, which ones are working out and preparing, and which ones will actually be there for training and race day. And as much as I joke, I seriously can't express how excited I am for the 2007-2008 year!

Over the summer I have met several new athletes who are going to bring an incredible amount of talent to the team. But I also know that the experienced athletes from seasons past have been working their butts off too! Guys like Lane, Don, Adam, Brandon, Cameron, Nick, and so forth. They push me pretty hard to be better and stronger! You should see how strong some of these guys are, I have a lot of catching up to do! I'm just glad I get to jump into the sled first, that's all I can say.

We will be posting bios for each athlete on our main team website, http://www.teamholmbobsled.com/ under the 'About Us' section. Please be sure to check out our athletes and get to know them a bit! Also, if you would like to email any of them to ask them questions about the sport, please feel free to use our main email on the 'Contact Us' page!

Summer Training

Ok, this being my first official posting, I thought I would let you know what has been going on this summer. A lot of people ask me what do bobsledders do in the summer months to train since there is no ice around. Well, we do a lot of physical work. I usually spend 4-5 days in the gym a week for about 2-3 hours each day. I do a lot of weight lifting, but also a fair amount of plyometrics. Its always fun to take some guys from the gym and have them do some of my work outs. I've found that humility comes in pounds!

But the other athletes have been doing the same as well. We are all heavily involved in college studies or our careers, so its never an all-day, everyday thing. We're all excited for the season to start so we can see how much our efforts have paid off!

The summer has also been speant working on the sled, doing charity events, writing a book of our experiences, and so much more! So what I'm saying is, stay tuned to the blog for upcoming news!

Jer