USA Bobsled Team

7 February, 14

We come from the land of the ice and snow,
From the midnight sun where the hot springs flow.
The hammer of the gods will drive our ships to new lands,
To fight the horde, singing and crying: Valhalla, I am coming!
(Led Zeppelin, Immigrant Song)

Last week, we took a trip to Sierra Nevada, for a little snow time. Now I realize the grander scheme was to prepare for the Sochi Olympics. We are going to be the first family bobsled team in history.

All the pieces are coming together in my mind. Susan's Nordic Viking warrior heritage and my Irish fighting lineage combined to make some crazy bobsled girls. Deciding to bag an olive oil factory tour, we took in a second day of sledding up on the mountain. The first day was fun, but the snow composition created a little drag. The second day was warmer, so the snow had a chance to melt and refreeze, creating a surface that was slicker than eel s#*+. I also learned from the previous day to look for the sled with good runners on the bottom. Over time the little plastic pieces get worn out, which slows you down.

Our previous Olympic bobsled training occurred in Pinehurst, where we found a little hill on the golf course. In comparison, the Sierra Nevada slope was like a dash down the Himalayas. Each run required a 10 minute trek up the mountain. Actually it was about 5 minutes, but then I needed to catch my breath for another 5 minutes, so I am counting it all together. 

As we took turns hurtling to our doom, it was important to choose a lane. Other sledders dotted the landscape, providing ample opportunities to meet and greet on the way down. Most of the conversations were of the, "AHHHH! I can't control this thing, so get out of the way!" variety, but it was a cultural interchange, nonetheless. We learned some new words as well. Evidently cuidado is their version of the same thing. Very efficient.

The Spanish are not as concerned about public safety and liability issues as their American counterparts. It's a little more casual here. At the bottom of the slope was the parking lot and bobsled rental area. To create a little buffer, somebody had taken the snow from the parking lot and created a little berm between the ice run and the asphalt. The previous day the berm was a great way to stop any sleds. On this day, with more ice than snow, it functioned like a ramp, from which to launch a rider into traffic or parked cars, depending on the lane. I cannot describe the thrill of approaching a parking lot full of cars on a tiny little piece of plastic with nothing more than hope for steering controls. The whole thing provided some great teaching moments for our girls on how to make quick decisions, such as:

• Hmmm. Should I ditch to the right or the left?
• Which of those innocent bystanders would get the least irritated, when I run into them?

You just don't get that kind of training back home, at least not on ice and snow. We are gearing up for the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeong Chang, South Korea. Watch out world. Here we come!