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!

Team Captain in Deseret News Vancouver 2010 article

Recently Team Holm Racing's team captain and driver, Jeremy Holm, was interviewed by journalist Dennis Romboy for Utah's Deseret News newspaper regarding travel expectations for the upcoming Vancouver, B.C. 2010 Winter Olympic Games.

Here is a copy of the article originally published August 25, 2008. To read the original please click here.

Now that Beijing has bid the world zai jien, it's aboot time to brush up on your Canadian, eh?

The Olympics return to North America in 2010, specifically to Vancouver, British Columbia, a city only one time zone and 975 miles from 2002 Winter Games host Salt Lake City.

The countdown to Vancouver began as the Bird's Nest exploded in fireworks Sunday, closing the umbrella on the 2008 Summer Games. No more swimming, running and gymnastics. The Winter Games — think skating, skiing and sliding — are less than 18 months away.

"It will be here before we know it," said Salt Lake attorney Randy Dryer, a former Salt Lake Organizing Committee member.

Utahns have long since recovered from their Olympic hangover. But their proximity to Vancouver might give them cause to take off and party anew in the land of Mounties, maple leafs and Barenaked Ladies.

"I think the Olympic fever still exists, especially here in Utah," said Jeremy Holm, an American bobsledder and Morris Murdock Travel media relations manager.

"It's amazing to see how many people are watching the Beijing Olympics," he said. "I think it's going to be the same thing when Vancouver comes."

The Winter Games have a built-in fan base in Utah made up of thousands of 2002 volunteers and officials many of whom still don their Olympic jackets when the weather turns cold. Utahns also are big on winter sports as participants and spectators.

Murray resident Susan Kempff, who worked as a volunteer and luge official in 2002, already has Vancouver on her mind.

"I'm really excited about it. I'm really looking forward and hoping to go," she said, adding she'd like to be there as an official but maybe more as a spectator this time.

Having seen winter sports up close, she finds the Winter Olympics more appealing than the Summer. "Seeing it live is so much better than seeing it on TV," said Kempff, also an avid pin trader.

Statements like that bode well for local travel agencies. Salt Lake is "definitely going to have travel potential," Holm said.

Tourism British Columbia sees it that way, too. It's marketing campaign aimed at the West will hit TV and the Internet next spring. "That whole area is incredibly important to us," said Janice Greenwood-Fraser, travel-media specialist.

Besides being close to Vancouver, travelers won't face a language barrier or roundabout flights to the Great White North. All they'll need are tickets, which go on sale in October, and a tuque.

Morris Murdock intends to offer travel packages during the games as well as guided tours before and after, Holm said.

Utah not only will supply tourists to Vancouver but will be a competitor pipeline as well.

With its Olympic venues in Park City and Kearns, the state will play a key role for national and international athletes gearing up for gold-medal runs in 2010. Of the 200 U.S. athletes who competed in the 2006 Torino Games, 66 trained in the Beehive State.

"The interesting dynamic is us being, if you will, a stopping point on the way to Vancouver," said Colin Hilton, president of the Utah Athletic Foundation, which manages the state's Olympic facilities.

World Cup events in long- and short-track speedskating, freestyle skiing and bobsled and skeleton are planned for both 2008 and 2009.

Also, teams from around the world will create home bases in Utah in early 2010 to practice and make final preparations for the games, Hilton said.

Utah also has other connections to Vancouver.

Hilton estimates at least two dozen people who helped stage the Salt Lake Olympics work as consultants for the Vancouver Organizing Committee.

Fraser Bullock, former SLOC chief operating officer, serves on the International Olympic Committee's coordination commission, which keeps tabs on venue preparations. Also, former SLOC director of sport Cathy Priestner Allinger works as an executive vice president for VANOC.

The Darfur Crisis: Making a Difference

For the past few days I have found myself reading "Not On Our Watch: The Mission to End Genocide in Darfur and Beyond" a book by actor Don Cheadle and activist John Prendergast. I've had the book now for a few months thanks to my joining Team Darfur, and although I wanted to continue to take an active part in all that Team Darfur and the Save Darfur group are doing to bring an end to the conflict, the book just sat on my shelf. I wear my Team Darfur wristband everyday, especially during training or when I'm at any event as an athlete. But still, the book sat on the shelf. But there was something about the haunting look in the little child's eyes on the cover of the book and I knew that I needed to sit down and read.

And I couldn't stop.


Since joining Team Darfur, I've had access to some incredibly eye-opening (and heartbreaking) photos, videos, statistics, articles, and reports about the tragedies occurring daily in the Sudan. I cannot imagine the horrors and fears that these people have to face everyday. Children who have to walk hundreds of miles carrying their baby brother because their parents were killed before their eyes. Mothers who must choose to let their families starve....or walk miles into the desert for firewood where they might be found by roving militias and murdered or raped. Just imagine, while we sit comfortably at our desks, imagine for a moment living in daily fear of having your village burned, the women raped and then enslaved, and the men and livestock killed and left to rot in the sun. If you're a parent, imagine having to watch your children shot, enslaved, or sometimes thrown into raging fires to burn alive.

It isn't a very pretty picture is it? The worst part about it is that it happens every day in Darfur.

I think that is why I couldn't stop reading "Not On Our Watch." It made me uncomfortable (there were plenty of times that I wanted to close the book) and I knew that the discomfort was my conscience calling for action. It is so simple for us to say, "Oh, I give money to the Red Cross" or "Darfur is so far away, what does it have to do with me?" or one of a million other conscience-soothing excuses we give to lull ourselves into a sort of mental security about our inaction.

Here are a couple of quotes to think about:

"Conviction is worthless unless it is converted into conduct." -- Thomas Carlyle

"You may think your actions are meaningless and that they won't help, but that is no excuse, you must still act." -- Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi

"All that is essential for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." -- Edmund Burke

So, what can we do about it? Team Darfur has compiled a wonderful list of actions that can be taken to help bring about an end to this conflict that has already destroyed hundreds of thousands of lives.

Although we get readers from all over the world, I'm betting most will recognize these words:

"We hold these truths to be self-evident: That all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness..," one of the most famous phrases in the United States Declaration of Independence.

I think about the stories that I've read about the Darfur victims, about the families who are living in plastic boxes with tin roofs in the middle of the desert. I think about the children who kick rocks around the refugee camps because they have no other earthly possessions. I think of eight year old girls who become the mother for her three younger siblings because there is no one left in their family. I think of the humanitarian aid being blocked and/or stolen by corrupt government officials and the raiding parties.

I never thought I'd find myself as an activist. I'm not sure that is even the right phrase anyway. To me, while growing up an activist was a "tree-hugger" or slightly crazy hippie. They lived off of granola and ranted and raved about this that or the other.

But after reading all that I have about Darfur, I find myself asking: how can I not do something? Even if it isn't much, I have to do something. We all do. If not us, who? If not now, when? So I'm asking you, not as an athlete but as a fellow human being, let's do what we can. Again, Team Darfur has a great list of suggested actions to take.

Here is a list by country of what you can do.

To order a copy of "Not On Our Watch" click here.

If you're not sure what is occurring in Darfur at this time, please click here.

Again, you might not be able to change the world. But if every step you take, every act you make rescues just one life...didn't you just save their world?

The New Blog Layout

So, sure, it's summer and sometimes we struggle for stuff to write about on the blog! But this is something pretty big!

Ok, maybe not THAT big, but we decided that after a year and 60 posts, it was time to change the look of our team blog. Let's be honest, sometimes you just need change and with all the time I've had being bedridden and injured, I've had plenty of time to do it!

So we went for a cleaner and more simple look. White and blues for the snow and ice, of course with a sweet header thrown in for looks. We're still working on updating our links to other blogs (we lost them all when we updated) so if you have a blog that you'd like us to list, please email us and include a link to your blog.

Also, we'd love to hear your feedback about the blog's new look. We have a pretty simple poll running on the top right of the blog, but we'd love any additional thoughts you might have or suggestions. Just shoot us an email!

Thanks everyone!

What does it mean to be an Olympian

It doesn't take much for someone to change their opinion of you. One second you can just be another average person on the street, but the moment you tell them that you are involved in an Olympic sport, whether summer or winter, something changes in their eyes. They view you in a different light. Some immediately wonder if you are rich, others want an autograph, and still others want to know what you do for training or even if you allow yourself to eat ice cream.

It took me awhile to get used to this sort of attention, the way you could stop conversation in a room with a simple utterance of what sport you participate in. I was the shy kid in Junior High School, a bit more of a "nerd." Certainly not someone that you would imagine would participate in the winter sport of bobsledding, hurling himself down icy tracks at 80 MPH in a 1,400-pound fiberglass and steel missle. So participating in televised races, fundraisers with huge crowds, and speaking engagements for large groups all placed me in positions where I'd often be the center of attention.

All because I had an Olympic dream.

I spent a lot of time wondering what the big deal was. I confess, I never really watched the Olympics growing up. To me they were just another sporting event that, much like the Super Bowl, I couldn't understand why everyone got so excited about it.

But as the years went by I think I got, at least in part, what "the big deal" was.

When you grow up surrounded by world class athletes, you come to see that they are a very different type of people. They eat, sleep, and live their dreams. They sacrifice and pay the price with their blood, sweat, toil, and tears. Through hours and hours of monotonous training, despite injuries and setbacks, they push on towards the achievement of their goals. Common men and women who CHOOSE to become uncommon, all because they are willing to place it all on the line for the sake of even once chance, just one chance, to stand before the world, represent their country, and place their dreams on the line. All to see if maybe, just maybe, they can prove they are the best in the world.

What does it mean to be an Olympian, or Olympic hopeful, then?

Perhaps Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th President of the United States said it best:

Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure...than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in a gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat.

Why do people around the globe love the Olympics so much? Why are Olympians (past, present, and future) held in such high esteem?

Hope. I think it all boils down to hope.

Olympians (again, meaning past, present, and future ones) are full of hope. Hence the reason they are so often sought after as motivational speakers! But that optimism, that light, that unquenchable fire to dream rubs off onto the rest of the world and kindles, or in some cases rekindles, fires in the spirits of those who watch, meet, or read about these athletes and their triumphs.

As we feel their inner fires warm our own hearts, we begin to believe in our own hopes and dreams. We watch the Olympics and remember that the world really can live in peace, that men and women from different nations can come together on the field of sport, shake hands, and compete against each other without hate. We watch, and in their dreams we find the strength to pursue our own dreams. Their hope gives us hope and in the end, we believe.

Olympians, like the Olympic torch itself, light the way for individuals everywhere to find their own way in a world that sometimes seems dark through war, famine, and disaster. Their examples, their courage, and their dedication all point as evidence toward the simple fact that as human beings, when we choose to, we can rise above the mundane and truly achieve anything we put our minds to.

I think that is why I am so proud to be a member of Team Darfur, an international coalition of athletes committed to raising awareness about and bringing an end to the crisis in Darfur, Sudan. When I look at what the incredible Team Darfur athletes are doing around the world to end this conflict that affects a people that most of us have not and will never meet, I can't help but stand a bit taller to know that I am a part of it. It is something we have put our minds to with a hope that we can help end the suffering of our fellow man, raise him up with the hand of friendship, and stand shoulder to shoulder with him as he pursues his own life's goals.

As athletes, 130 of us signed a formal letter that was sent to the government of China asking for an Olympic Truce to be implemented during the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. An Olympic Truce calls for the cessation of hostilities for a period before, during, and after the Olympic Games. Our Olympic Truce calls for China to intercede in the genocide occurring in Darfur that daily affects thousands of people in horrible ways that most of us can hardly fathom. While leaders from around the globe sat back behind the comforts of speeches, Team Darfur stepped forward to request China take responsibility in this matter.

This was an incredible risk to Team Darfur athletes, 70 of whom are now preparing to compete for their countries in the Games. While perhaps not in direct response to the letter, our co-founder Joey Cheek's visa to attend the Games was revoked without explanation. Now, knowing that, place yourself in the shoes of those 70 athletes who believe in Team Darfur enough to be willing to place their Olympic chances on the line.

Maybe, in the end, that is what Olympians really are. They're reminders that we all have a responsibility to live up to the potential within us. That we can't always sit back in our comfort zones, content with living our own lives. That sometimes we have to stand for something. That if we want to be great we have to do what needs to be done, not just what we want to do. We have to take risks. We must reach out beyond our limits, step into the darkness, and find the light we never knew we had and then share that light with others.

Perhaps that is why the world loves Olympians so much.

They are willing to share their light with the entire world and they brighten our lives because of it.

Healing, Hospitals, and Helpful Friends

Ok, ok, let me set the record straight. I'm not dead yet, I don't plan on passing on anytime soon, and yes, I still plan on bobsledding this upcoming season!

Although, I will say this: sometimes bad luck really DOES come in threes!

First it was my hamstring. That happened about two and a half weeks ago. Sure, it was something to worry about and physical. What athlete wouldn't be concerned when as you are sprinting you feel a wet "pop" in your thigh mid-way through your stride? Well, I made a semi-graceful collapse (only a few spots of road-rash) and after a few painful days of limping around, I was back on my feet and off to physical therapy. And I thought I was making progress there, as frustratingly slow as it was.

And then came bad luck number two: food poisoning.

Oh man, I may not have been dying (doctor's may disagree) but I sure had moments where I wanted to! Throw in your worse case of the flu with a fever from hell! For about four days I couldn't get any food or drink into my stomach and whatever I did get in ended up coming right back out. It got so bad that I ended up with a nice trip to the hospital for some fluids via IV (and a moron nurse who couldn't get the IV in right! Thanks for ruining BOTH arms lol).

So, bad enough right? I mean, now we're going on two weeks of no leg workouts due to the hamstring and then over half a week of no food and plenty of fever and throwing up. As an athlete, I was getting pretty worried at this point. Heck, I have trouble putting weight on as it is with my metabolism (remember, I'm in a weight-driven sport), and I can just feel my body melting away!

To add insult to injury, after my trip to the hospital I started feeling much better as far as the food poisoning was concerned. But then I started to develop a pain in my chest right about where the sternum ends. I could tell it was right about at the entrance to my stomach, and it got worse and worse. The only thing I can think to describe it as is like heart-burn from hell. It was usually ok until I ate or drank something and the food hit that painful point and BAM, I was on the floor.

After two days of this (because I was stupid to wait two days) I found myself on a late-night ride to a hospital up near Afton, Wyoming where my family's cabin is. This was last Saturday night. I kept wondering if it was going to be one of those small town hospitals where the doctor goes from working on a sick horse to working on you next. Thankfully it wasn't that bad, but he did come to the conclusion that I had torn a part of my stomach due to all the throwing up I had been doing.

So here I find myself, like ten pounds lighter, with a sore stomach and hungry as all get out. Thankfully the medication is helping and each day I'm able to eat a bit more and more. I can't say that I haven't gotten discouraged or frustrated and thrown my hands in the air and shouted...well, I probably can't write some of the things I've shouted. But I'm on the mend and am trying to put together a good fitness plan to get my body back on track as soon as possible. That's the goal.

So thank you everyone who has been praying for me or who drove me to the hospital (Elissa and Don) or expressed their concern and best wishes over the past week and a half.

Don't worry. I'll be behind the steering ropes one way or another. I may not be able to run as fast or as far at first, but I'll be there.

Bobsled Workout iTunes Playlist 2

So, a little while ago we put together a playlist of some of our favorite workout songs. Well, we had a lot of feedback about how great it was, but since you couldn't really hear the songs it was only "nice" and not "awesome!"

In answer to your requests, here it is, a Bobsled workout playlist that you can actually listen to! Enjoy!

The Sports Injury List

So after 8 years in the sport, I find myself with my first really dumb injury. I wish I could say I had a cool story behind it, but no, just a stupid training incident that has left me with a Grade 2 strained/pulled hamstring.

Yesterday Don, one of our team pushers/brakeman, and I were practicing some squats, power cleans, front squats, and such in order to better prepare ourselves for a fitness test that is being administered at the Utah Olympic Oval on Saturday morning by our regional development coach. So, after going through the squats we wanted to go practice some sprints at the Cottonwood High School track nearby. No big deal, right? We arrived, set up the cones, and ran through a few sprints with no problems.

And then it happened.

Its my own fault really. I should have stretched out even more and then been more careful when sprinting, but my mind wasn't totally focused so my form was off a bit. As I began to lengthen my strides out a bit, I stepped down on my heel instead of the ball of my foot. This put immediate back pressure on my muscles and then as I tried to pull my body over that planted foot in the natural sprinting motion, POP, out goes my hamstring.

And when I say pop, I mean POP. I felt something pop in my leg, I took one more step, and collapsed....rather ungracefully I might ad. But hey, at least I only ended up with a few road-rash marks!

All I can say is that the pain was pretty intense. Well, at least it was when I tried to stretch out my leg. As long as I remained in the "I'm helpless" fetal position with my leg bent and my arms wrapped around it, I was fine. When Don tried to help me back to car, I almost collapsed a couple of times. And then driving home was definitely a chore since I couldn't straighten my leg, I had to move my car seat way up close to the pedals.

A lot of things go through your mind when you're laying there on the ground with an injury like that. Am I going to need surgery? How bad is it? How long will I bet out? How long until I can get back to my sport? Do I need medical assistance? etc etc. It all flashes through your mind in an instant.

I guess, as that all went through my mind, I felt a measure of peace from knowing that I've had a great career, I've got a great team to support, and I'm still young enough to recover and not have permanent damage.

So, with all that in mind, I'm just asking a favor of all those who believe in it to pray for a full and speedy recover so that I can get back out there with my friends and teammates. And thank you to all of you who have been so supportive in the short few hours since the injury occurred.

All I can say is this: stupid hamstring injuries!

Best wishes all!