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!
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