How did you get involved in bobsledding?
Asked by Taylor Stanton/Jacob Hoffman/Austin Fillipi I was listening to a Christian radio station and I heard the story about Vonetta Flowers and how she went from missing the Olympics in track to bobsledding. This story sparked my interest and then I looked on USABS.com and saw there were combines to try out for bobsled each summer, and the rest is history. What is your daily workout routine? Asked by Lisa Neu Everyday is different but it rotates on a schedule similar to this: Monday/Wednesday/Friday - Sprints, Pushing, Lifting Tuesday/Thursday - Tempo (Hurdle mobility, form running, Ab workouts) Saturday - Bike All the days include stretching and sports med to keep the body healthy :) Do you grocery shop or do they provide food? What is your diet like? Asked by McKenna Reagan The only thing I go grocery shopping for is sparkling water. :) The Olympic Training Center provides all the food. If you’re not careful though, it’s like college all over again where you can gain the ‘freshman 15.’ To be honest, I go in spurts of being really strict and then not strict at all. When I am on top of my game I eat a TON of veggies, lean protein, whole grains and spinach smoothies. If you need to default to something, default to cooked, steamed, grilled veggies with marinara sauce, you’ll be surprised by how delicious it is. Where on your travels has been your favorite place to visit? Asked by Josh Vogel/Denise Webbert This is hard to pick because everywhere we go is beautiful. There are only 16 tracks in the world, so a lot of them have held winter games at their site. Whistler, Canada was breath taking and then La Plagne, France because the drive there was through the French Alps. I’d also say St. Moritz, because everything about St. Moritz is perfect. How fast is the bobsled moving? How many G-Forces are you pulling on the curves? Asked by Wes Shockley The speed depends on the track but I would say anywhere from 70-90 mph. We can experience from 4 to 5 G-Forces (feeling like an elephant stepped on your back) ;) What do you wear under your speed suit (uniform)? Asked by my sister-in-law Leslie Depends if my pilot and I are close to making weight or not… LOL. If we are a few kilos over the night before, I wear only my burn vest. If we are under weight, I will wear a sports bra, burn vest and spandex. How does your faith sustain you in these times? Both in struggles and joys? Asked by Deb Harm My faith is the only reason I can do any of this. Through experience, I am starting to appreciate the struggles because I know God is STILL in control and it makes the joys even sweeter. I’ve also found that the harder it gets, the greater the reward if I turn it to God. I heard this one time and also remind myself that Satan is going to try and stop me in every area of my life because my main goal in life is to take people to the kingdom with me, and I know that he’s trying to stop me because that is opposite of his plan. In the joys I just say ‘thank you God’ continuously, I even cry most times because the joys are that sweet. In the struggles I often cry too but I go back to my foundation and that is reminding myself the promises in the Bible, and how He works all things out for good, and with that, I am able to continue on.
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How do I become an Olympic bobsledder?
Asked by Ken Maese First step: pass a USA Bobsled combine. The testing items are: 15m, 30m, 45m, 30 fly, standing broad jump, and shot toss. If you score over 500 points (score sheet on usabs.com), you’re one step in the right direction :) How busy are you as a bobsledder? Asked by William Knowles Depends. Some athletes are full-time athletes and some athletes also work. Personally, I was used to working full time and then training so when I moved to the Olympic Training Center to strictly train, I found myself with more free time than I was used to (even though a days worth of training can be anywhere from 2-8 hours a day). I got a job as a part time barista 4 mornings a week so I keep busy. How do you train your MIND? What are your favorite books, podcasts or other methods for mental toughness? Asked by Sandi Lincoln Getting my mind right is a daily requirement. BOOKS I TRAVEL WITH: 1. My journals. I read them to remember and remind myself how faithful God has been through all my struggles and to see prayers answered that I prayed for back then! 2. Jesus Calling by Sarah Young 3. The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson. It’s a book about praying for BIG things and believing to see them come to pass. 4. F* Your Feelings by Ryan Munsey. I just started this. My oldest brother called and said I need to Amazon Prime it ASAP. It’s about the mental toughness of Navy Seals and the best athletes in the world. 5. The Bible. Recently really focusing on the book of Daniel. POSDCATS: 1. Joyce Meyer. I listen to her messages whenever I go on a walk and most times while I get ready in the morning to start the day out with beating the battle in my mind before it starts. 2. Steven Furtick. Pastor out of North Carolina. Incredible messages. How do you prepare before a race? What is the most critical thing you have to do to get maximum speed? Asked by Wesley Sykes The most important thing I do before a race is mentally prepare. I visualize the track and its curves in my mind, along with my start. The sled picks up speed on the track mostly by how the pilot drives, but as a brakeman (which I am), it is pushing the sled the fastest at the beginning of the race. What are some of the biggest challenges you’ve had to overcome on your journey? Asked by Michael Collins I would say my challenges last year and this year are different. Last year I was challenged with fear. At the beginning of the season it was fear of the actual ride, fear of crashing, and then fear of always feeling dizzy after the slides in Lake Placid (my dizziness did end though!) This year I have been challenged with feeling that I am not ‘enough.’ I had feelings early in training that I wasn’t fast enough, strong enough, technical enough, young enough and so on. I may not be enough in some areas but I know that God opened this door, brought me down this path, so enough or not, something good will come from it. What are you favorite and least favorite tracks, and why? Asked by Jonathan Wilhelm My favorite track is in St. Moritz, Switzerland. If anyone knows about bobsled they know this is the answer. My least favorite used to be Lake Placid, but after winning two gold medals there last year on the North American Circuit, its still not my favorite but I don’t hate it now :) Is Cool Runnings a motivational movie or comedy to the team? Is it your favorite? Is it a requirement to watch it? Have you ever chanted “Feel the Rhythm! Feel the Rhyme!” In your head before a race? Asked by Tyler Labenz/Adam Powers/Jake Vawter I will say that is one of the most popular questions we get (questions about Cool Runnings). No, it’s not my favorite movie but I did watch it for the first time last year and got goose bumps, but not a requirement to watch (ha!). I have never said that phrase before a race because in the moment I am thinking about way more than Cool Runnings… LOL! |