My Olympic Bobsledding Experience

This past January, my dad, my brother and I took a trip to Lake Placid, NY.  It's the site of the 1932 Winter Olympics and 1980 Winter Olympics and home to dozens of world-class ski resorts.  The town of Lake Placid is cozy and inviting, the trees are beautiful and the mountain are stunning.  Winter in the Adirondacks is truly enchanting.

I'd known some of the history of the town before we went, specifically the legendary 1980 Olympic hockey game where a young United States team beat the seasoned Soviet Union.  For those of you who have seen "Miracle on Ice" or witnessed the event, you understand the historical and political significance of the upset.  At a time when tensions between the two countries were high during the Cold War, the game is not one that will be forgotten.

I was able to board the same course the Olympic downhill skiers rode.  I was able to stand at the top of the ski jump towers (90m and 120m) and then sit right at the end of the track - that part where the skier leaves solid ground before flying hundreds of feet into the air - for a practice session.  For the few days we were in Lake Placid, we felt like Olympians.  You can't help but let the atmosphere seep into you.

One of the most memorable experiences of the trip, however, was my flight down the Olympic bobsled course.  My brother and I received the tickets as a Christmas gift.  I joked about showing up in a spandex jumpsuit, my own helmet and a know-it-all attitude.  I was giddy from the moment we opened those gifts.

The day of the bobsled, I had butterflies.  Not out of nervousness.  Just pure, unfiltered excitement.  Patrick and I waited in line for what seemed like forever.  Then we were taken to a little cabin at the top of the track.  We watched oodles of tourists get their gear on, hop in the sled, and get pushed away - some groups screamed the entire way down.  Finally, it was our turn.  We got into the bobsled and before we were shoved off I pulled out my camera (hey, I'm a tourist) I asked our driver to take our picture:

 

I put the camera away, we were asked if we were ready, and before I knew it the loud scratching sound of sled on ice drowned everything out.  We were a few seconds into the run and already we were rocketing.  I heard nothing but the sled.  I felt nothing but wind.  And eventually, I could see nothing but blurry shapes.  I estimate that my eyes started hardcore watering about halfway down.  I think the corners of my eyes even froze a little.  After all, it was only a couple of degrees and we were racing down an ice chute.  I'd been warned about G-forces but had secretly rolled my eyes.  I mean, it was cool on TV, but it didn't look that intense...little did I know.  There were curves in the track that I thought were going to yank me out of the sled.  There were straight-aways where I had to force my eyes to stay open.  It was bumpy, which I should have expected.  It felt like we were on a roller coaster.  But colder.  And way more awesome.

And then like that, it was over.  The run only lasted 50 seconds and I remember every one of them.  The purchase of the ticket included a pin, a shirt, a picture with our driver and brakeman and inclusion in the Bobsled Federation of America.  I felt like a total badass.  When I think about the experience, I think about how amazing it would be to have that job.  To grow up and be able to ride in sleds for a living.  I also think about what incredible athletes those bobsledders are.  We didn't break any speed records, but my body felt otherwise going through those curves in the track.  I came away from the experience with a new-found respect for the athletes and intensified excitement for the sport.  As we walked out of the complex, I saw an advertisement for the skeleton.  They were letting tourists take a ride down the track on a small, flimsy, unprotected sled.  Before I could even suggest it, my dad told me we didn't have time.  I suppose the skeleton experience will have to go on my bucket list - after I cross off "bobsled down an Olympic track."

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