Biking Blues

If I didn't know any better I'd swear Stu was training me for the Tour De France.  The past two months I have logged more hours on a bike than I have in my entire life!  Good news is I actually discovered what bicyclists already know, that your butt does get used to riding on those hard seats day in and day out.

Why so much time on a bike?  Because injuries suck- that's why!  For the past 4 years I've had problems with my right achilles, but with a looming Olympic season and the need to figure out this whole driving thing, I haven't really had much time to take the time off needed- making my achilles worse and worse and worse.  This past summer, while training, my left achilles decided it wasn't fair that all the attention was paid to the right, and demanded attention in a very painful way.  I started the summer training and trying to push through training with therapy and treatment, but when every morning it was a struggle to get out of bed- literally crawling out of bed because my achilles weren't warmed up enough to allow me to walk, the pain of trying excruciating, my body demanded I make a change- and so, I got on the bike.

So I've been riding, all variations of bike sprints and even some longer distance stuff, watching people like my rival Kaillie Humphries run and sprint freely.  If there was ever a time for envy, it wasn't for the gold medals she deservedly won, but for those moments where I sat on a bike trying to limit extra ankle movement as much as possible while she sprinted.  Normally as intense as we train we crave for a bike workout- hoping that at least the seated motion will spare us the soreness and pain of intense sprint workouts, but it does neither, and only makes you long to at least feel the soreness from moving as fast as you can through space- not sitting on a stationary bike.

So I ride, and wait, and ride, and wait- among constant treatments of course- to try to get in shape for the season and also heal correctly so I don't go through another 4 years of the same madness.   People ask constantly about what lies ahead of me as far as rugby goes, but in less they've invented a new sport, I don't think tackling on a bike is a good idea.  As for bobsled season, its fast approaching with push championships in October, but at least I'm a pilot- able to take less steps than those crazy brakemen.  Right now it's a battle of waking up every day to see how I feel- when my achilles feel good, I feel as though I could run a solid 100m in record time, but when they feel bad- well, let's just say I'm lucky to do a bike workout.

So for now, it's a race of my achilles and time- time to heal vs go time.  With both bobsled and rugby seasons approaching (they're the same season), time is not on my side.  As time goes- nothing I can do will slow it down- so I'm at its mercy, and taking every day as it comes.  Time will heal all wounds, and my achilles are no different, as long as I allow time to work its magic and not attempt to fast forward.   If that means more time on the bike, then so be it.  When they finally do let women in the Tour De France, looks like I'll be ready!

Rugby

Playing in China against #3 Canada

Now that things have calmed down a bit (but not much), I finally have time to blog.  Things have been absolutely crazy since the Olympics, but I managed to make things even crazier by adding a new sport- rugby.  I never played rugby prior to heading out to Chula Vista, CA, in March where the US National rugby 7s team trains, but I was excited for the opportunity.  During the summer of 2013 when I was training for Sochi, the rugby coach approached me.  He saw how I trained, noticed my speed and size, and invited me out to a practice.  At the time, I was a little busy, but I went down to the field and watched and put it in the back of my mind.  After Sochi, I was trying to figure out what comes next and then I remembered rugby and the coach's invitation.  I emailed him and he told me I could come out to Chula Vista and see what happens.  A month later I was in China representing the US in another sport, an incredible honor.

Rugby was not an attempt to erase what happened in Sochi.  I did not start playing rugby in order to "fix" what happened in Sochi or take the disappointment away from not winning a gold medal.  If anything, playing rugby has re-ignited the fire and passion I have for bobsled.  I started playing rugby because I saw it as a challenge- a new sport, a new type of training, and a way to really test myself as an athlete.  After playing with the US team in China and in Amsterdam, I have learned quite a bit about the game of rugby but also about myself as an athlete.  

Coming onto the US Rugby team was quite humbling.  Here I am, a two-time Olympic medalist, coming into a sport that I know nothing about.  Not only did I start playing a new sport, but I came into it at the highest level possible (my first game was against Canada- the #3 team in the world)!  I had to learn everything from the beginning.  The team has been great in teaching me the ropes, which awesome given my attendance at both these tournaments prevented other athletes from attending- other athletes who have considerably more rugby experience that I do.  The team embraced me and has taught me every step of the way.  Every day on the rugby pitch I have learned so much and much of it from my teammates.  I still have a ton to learn about rugby, but my experience so far has made me a better athlete, it has challenged me in ways I didn't know were possible.  It's very humbling to come off an Olympics and be doing rookie skits, but it's been such an incredible learning experience about myself as a person and as an athlete that I wouldn't change those embarrassing rookie moments for anything in the world.

I don't know what happens next as far as rugby is concerned.  The media has made a big deal about me going for Rio, but at this point I don't know how probable it is- and not for lack of effort.  The conflict is that rugby and bobsled compete in the same seasons.  Both rugby and bobbled start back up with international play in November.  Given my commitment to bobsled for the next four years and my need to be in my sled learning as much as possible as a driver, I don't know how rugby will fit into everything.  However, I am currently training for both and the rugby coach is working with me to find ways to make it work.  At the end of the day, if Team USA needs me for rugby, I'll be there.  If not, I'm going to help Team USA in anyway possible, even if it's just helping lend Olympic experience to a team that's making it's debut in 2016.  I'm all about having adventures, so we'll see how this rugby adventure takes me.  Right now- I'm just going to train as hard as I can and see what happens. 

New Website!!

Hey everyone!  Thank you so much for all your support and encouragement!  Just wanted to write a short post to let you all know that I have a new website- www.elanameyersusa.com  Check it out- my blogs will also be posted there as well as here!

Thanks everyone!  

Silver Lining

I need to write.  And I need to write while the emotion is still raw, before I have the chance to let my rational mind consume my thoughts as it tries to help me sleep at night.  My hope is that maybe someone can learn something from my words, that it can change something for someone, but if not, hopefully it's cathartic enough for me to help me get some sleep at night.

Every night I'm haunted by that last run; I haven't slept much since it happened.  I replay the skids so vividly in my head that any thoughts of the other corners are reduced to a mere hazy memory.

So how does it feel to feel like you choked in front of the whole world?  How does it feel to have your lifelong dream slip away literally from your fingertips? It sucks.

So what happened?  This is a question I will ask repeatedly for the next four years.  I felt physically good and I mentally felt in the best place possible to drive my sled well.  I'm usually very strong in the biggest pressure situations, which is how I landed the nickname of E-Money or Money Meyers, the pressure excites me and usually brings out the best of me- this time it just didn't.  

I finally watched the last run of the race and realized I didn't quite look like myself- I looked well...exhausted.  And I was exhausted before the race had even started.  I'd mentioned before that my Olympics had been extremely tough, and it had been.  It began with the initial Olympic team selection, where some brakeman were chosen and others not and the hate mail started to come.  I should've had tougher skin, but I never would've thought I would've been told I'm a horrible person for something I didn't choose; I took it too much to heart and got stressed out.  It then continued with brakemen race-offs in Sochi (which are always stressful), which resulted in a gash in my shin that required a stitch and a bone bruise, brakeman switches, and yes more hate mail.  We finally get to race week and there's problems with equipment, I crash (whiplash), and then my sled breaks (and even more whiplash)- like gets completely totaled- and reassembled again.  So needless to say I was absolutely exhausted, but I still believed in my power to come back from all of this and succeed and win the gold.  I still believed that despite my exhaustion I was going to be able to perform at the highest level- and I was doing it...and then it slipped away.    Was I too exhausted?  Did I just finally hit my mental limits?  I don't know...

I know people are proud of me, but I also know that I'll be for we criticized as having choked at the Olympics and to those people at this time I don't have much to say.  I honestly don't know what happened.  I did everything right- I ate right, slept the required hours, and followed my coaches instructions to a tee, but it just didn't happen.  I lie awake at night trying to figure out why, yet the answers don't come.  I know they will eventually surface, but I know it will take some deep reflection.  I'll get some answers eventually, but right now I'm just stuck with my  emotions and stuck trying to figure out how to move past all this so I can begin the next four years.

I can't change what happened and even as I grasp to make sense of it all, I'm still at a loss.  At the moment I feel like I let my coaches, teammates, Lauryn, all of America down, and nothing seems to reduce the sting.  The tears come easily now, but each time they come I'm reminded of what happened and how I never want to feel this way again.

As I go on with my career, even if I win a gold medal I'm sure that I won't forget the pain I feel right now, but if I am fortunate enough to win a gold medal, I know it will be because of this moment.  I will use these feelings as motivation- as a guiding force to teach me what I need to to move forward.  I will figure out what went wrong and how to become a better athlete because of it.  I will take this moment and use it as an opportunity to grow as a person and an athlete.  I'm motivated more than ever now to become the athlete I know I can be.  I will learn everything I need to from this situation and become even stronger.

This post may seem strange to most people who would say "Hey- you won a silver medal at the Olympics"- but my goal at the Olympics wasn't to win a medal necessarily, it was to put down four great runs, and I didn't do that.  I let myself down, but the outcome was still a medal.  I'm proud to have won a medal for my country and I'm proud of the effort I put out to do it.  My friends and family sacrificed so much, and my fiancé has perhaps sacrificed the most in terms of time, energy, and financially. I worked extremely hard for this hardware, and I'll forever cherish it.   I've made history- I'm the first black pilot to win an Olympic medal, the first woman to win a medal as a pilot and a brakeman, and the first US woman to win two bobsled medals- that's quite an incredible feat!  

At the end of the day I have to appreciate the journey to this point- the journey to win this Olympic medal.  I've learned so much and I've grown so much as a person.  I am a better daughter, sister, fiancé, and athlete because of the past four years and the journey to Sochi.  At the end of the day, I may have lost the gold, but there's definitely a silver lining. 

Hard decisions

It all comes down to next week.  It all comes down to Igls.  The thought of it is literally making me sick to my stomach.  As excited as I am about the naming of the Olympic team for the U.S. women's bobsled team next week, I'm also completely dreading it.  Why would I dread what would seem like a tremendous celebration?  Because for the six women are named to the team (3 drivers, 3 brakeman), 3 inevitably won't be named to the team- and that thought turns my stomach over and makes me sick.

Why would that thought make me sick?  Well I'm a team sport kind of athlete, I love having teammates and I love interacting with them and competing with them.  My mom always wishes I would gravitate towards an individual sport, where the focus was just on me and my performance, but I could never stay away from the fact that I absolutely love having teammates and people to share the highs and the lows with.  There's a certain bond between teammates that develops and it's always something special, and with this team it's no different.

I say it's no different, but this team is something special.  Kristi Koplin was one of the brakeman with me my first year driving- taking miserable trip after miserable trip as I tried to learn the ropes.  Without her and the class of brakeman that came in with her, who knows where I'd be.

Emily Azevedo has been on World Cup since 2006-2007 season and she's been a stalwart.  With Olympic games experience, she's been a veteran leader for the brakeman and helped keep everything together- with the changing of coaches and drivers as well.  Emily's been a rock for this team for a long time.

Katie Eberling- oh what can I say about Katie!  She's been my rock for the past two seasons- she's been with me as I transitioned to a full time World Cup driver and fought with me through thick and thin- she pushed me to two World Championship medals and she's got a fight that's always helped me stay confident in my driving.  We've been roommates the past two years- we've seen each other at the highest of highs and the lowest of lows (she's probably seen me cry more than anyone in bobsled other than Nic!), and she's always been there for me.  I can't say enough how much the past two years of having Katie in the back of my sled has gotten me to where I am today and for that I'll forever be grateful.

Lauryn Williams is a rookie this year.  She doesn't know much about the sport, but she's one of the most positive people I've ever met.  She's eager to learn and eager to help, and she's been great for a team where stress is a constant looming presence.  She pushed me to a medal this season and it's been a joy to slide with her.

Lolo Jones is one of the hardest working people I've ever met.  She has so much energy I feel like she's doing 100 things at once!  She truly transitioned into a bobsledder and knows how to take care of a driver.  It's definitely reassuring as a pilot knowing that if the sled some how broke in a million pieces, you could rest assure knowing that Lolo would some how find all million pieces and personally sit down and super glue the entire thing back together!  That's what kind of worker she is- she's tireless and determined.  I've won medals with her as well and what's she's displayed in those wins is an incredible amount of fight.  She's been great for this team.

And finally, Aja Evans.  What a beast!  She's got so much talent I think the weights get stronger when she lifts them!  She's been a great athlete all her life but she is starting to become a great bobsledder.  She's always pushed fast, but she's starting to learn the sport and is working every day to become a better bobsledder.  I had my first World Cup win with her and she has worked this year to make my life as easy as possible.  We've been through our highs and lows together, but this year in particular we've grown closer and she's really come into her own.

When you've got 6 great brakeman, 6 brakeman that I've all won medals with, cried with, and laughed with, how the heck are you supposed to narrow it down to just 3?  To clarify, the drivers do not select the brakeman.  The brakeman are selected to the Olympic team by a selection committee that includes coaches, our CEO, and retired Olympians.  I personally am glad I don't have to make this decision, because with a brakeman squad like this how could you possible choose?  All of these women work extremely hard and all of them deserve to go, but only 3 will make it.  I'm going to be over the moon excited for those who make it, but devastated for those who don't.  I have no idea at this point how this decision will turn out but I'm proud of every single last brakeman.  They've all fought for this spot and they've all earned it.   I'll be honored to be on an Olympic team with any of these incredible women.

January 19 will undoubtedly be one of the hardest days for me of my bobsled career...

My McKayla Maroney Moment

I got caught.  On the big screen.  I was sitting in first place in the race in Lake Placid, with one sled, Kaillie Humphries, remaining to go.  During the run for the last sled, the current leader sits in the winners box and watches the next sled go down while the cameras stay on you.  My fiancé was yelling at me to smile--- I didn't hear him, so I got caught.  Not only did I get caught, my moment was replayed on the big screen during the award ceremony for everyone to see, just in case you missed it during the race.  I hoped it didn't show, but I was caught red-handed and now it was on display for everyone to see.  I was unimpressed.

What do I mean that I was unimpressed?  I was in second place!  I was a silver medalist at another world cup to cap off what was an incredible first half of the season for me.  So why was I unimpressed?   It had nothing to do with Kaillie or her run, or where I finished in the race, it had everything to do with being disappointed in my run and how I performed.  It's a weird thing to admit to and something people don't often understand- "You got second- how can you be disappointed?!?" But I wasn't disappointed at the outcome, I was disappointed because I knew I could drive better and I knew I could push faster.  I am an athlete who seeks perfection, I seek perfect mind blowing push times and perfect drives down the track.  I am constantly analyzing and striving to be a better bobsledder, especially a better driver.  Part of the reason I am a driver is because I love the pursuit of this perfection and I love pushing myself to be better.  Don't get me wrong, I want to win medals- of course every athlete does- but at the end of the day I want to walk away from the track knowing that I executed my runs as best as I could, that I had the best runs I've had during the race where it counts the most.  I didn't do that in Lake Placid, so I was disappointed, I'm just usually a lot less obvious about it when I am.

The key is what happens after that disappointment.  Sure I sulked a little and analyzed what I did wrong, but what's most important to me is that I learn something from it.  No amount of post-race chocolate can make me feel as good as learning something from a less than desirable result.   As I mentioned earlier, the outcome was more than desired, the drive just wasn't.  So it was my opportunity to learn something, and from that race I did learn quite a bit.

I've been disappointed plenty of times in my career and I'm sure there are more disappointments to come.  In a sport where perfection seems continuously out of reach, it's hard not to feel disappointed at times, but the most important thing is to learn from it.  Every day, every run, and every race, I'm learning. As long as I keep my mind open to learn from the successes and the disappointments, I'll eventually get where I'm trying to go- I'll have that perfect run.  Hopefully, the face I make then will be caught on tv as well.

Potential Energy

There's something in the air this time of year, in this year- an Olympic year.  We get back on the ice on October 1 here in Lake Placid, but even now there's a certain electricity in the air and its mesmerizing.  It's hard to describe what it feels like, but the source is not to hard to determine- it's potential energy.

What do I mean when I say potential energy you ask?  Well all summer each and every athlete has spent so much time, poured in so much sweat, blood, and tears, into the effort of making the Olympic team or winning an Olympic medal.  It's this time- right before we hit the ice- that all athletes believe that anything is possible and history tells them that anything can happen.  There is the potential for dreams to come true, for records to be broken, and medals to be won, and at this time everyone believes that they individually have the potential to make their dream a reality.

That's the thing about an Olympic year and the Olympics.  Everyone believes they have the potential to reach their goals, regardless of how far fetched they may seem.  The athlete who's won Olympic gold dreams of repeating, the athlete who's never won a race dreams of Olympic victory, and the athlete who's never made a national team dreams of walking into opening ceremonies.  Despite what has happened before, it is this year that matters and potentially anything can happen.

Sure, most of the time the top ranked competitors continue to be top ranked and a lot of time those who are supposed to win the medals do indeed win, but there's always upsets that prove that anything can happen.  For all athletes competing for a spot on the Olympic team, it's that potential that keeps us going, it's the potential that makes us believe we have a fighting chance, regardless of how high the odds may be stacked against us.

Even companies and the media hedge their bets on this potential.  Companies sponsor athletes with the hope of seeing Olympic medals around their necks and media outlets rush to compile stories about America's champions.  The companies and media don't see the past, they see the potential in athletes and tag along for the journey.  Regardless of where athletes have ranked previously, companies and the media believe that anything can happen, and further spread the potential energy.

Right before we hit the ice, the results from the past have been erased.  Each athlete is eager to see what the future holds and what rewards result from all their hard work.  No one is dwelling on what happened last year or the past 3 seasons, each is looking forward and focusing on February 2014.  Before we hit the ice and reality starts to set for some that dreams will not be accomplished- as teams will be named and athletes will be cut- the potential that anything can happen creates an energy in the air that is hard to describe, but it feels like hope and promise.  Soon the potential energy will disappear and the fight for the few Olympic spots will turn the energy madly competitive, where one must be defeated in order for another to accomplish their dreams.  For now though, the energy is positive and intoxicating, as everyone believes they are the next gold medalist.  The truth of the matter is, some will win gold medals and others will fail to make the team, but right now we all live in a world where anything can happen.   The potential for dreams to be made is here, making this the most wonderful time of the year- the calm before the storm.

Holcy

The past two days I've been asked specifically about Steve Holcomb, which has led me to write this blog.  For those of you who don't know, Steve Holcomb is a two-time Olympic bobsledder who won gold in the 4man in the Vancouver Olympics.  He has won a slew of medals in World Cup competition and in World Championships, including a double gold in the 2012 World Championships in 2man and 4man.  He'll be going for his third Olympics this winter in Sochi and looking to defend his title.

Not only do I admire all his accomplishments, but Holcomb has done quite a bit for the team that he may not even realize.  He's not the out spoken type, Holcy (his nickname) usually is content just sticking to himself and a few others, going through his days and workouts with a silent (or sometimes soft spoken) intensity.  He's not a big time celebrity in the sports world, but those who know bobsled know Holcy.  And this is one of the many things I admire about him.   Even though he's one of the most accomplished athletes in the sport, you'd never know it.  He's not a braggart or one to dwell in past accomplishments, he trains every day with the same intensity as if he's never won a gold medal or multiple world championships- and that's something I admire.  He doesn't wear his accomplishments on his sleeve, but is confident in his abilities and his confidence radiates from him anytime he's at a bobsled track- being around him and seeing what he's able to do in a sled makes you think that maybe you could control your sled like that one day and it gives you something to aspire to.

But few people know what's been happening behind the scenes the past few years. Due to the retirement of some athletes and the unfortunate injuries of others, this past season our World Cup team consisted of 5 out of 6 pilots with 4 or less years of driving experience (this past season was my 3rd season of driving).  Holcomb was the only driver this past season with significant driving experience, let alone an Olympic gold medal as a pilot.  With drivers with hardly any experience, coaches have to spend quite a bit of time teaching them the lines to just get down the track, which is vastly different than the coaching needed for more experienced drivers.  The increased amount of attention the new drivers need definitely puts a strain on the coaching staff, which for more experienced drivers, has to be difficult.  It'd be easy as a veteran driver to get frustrated with this situation, but Holcomb handled it like a champ.  He never said anything when I needed to take Brian Shimer (typically his coach) with me for a track walk when I couldn't figure out a curve.  As a matter of fact, on several occasions, he explained lines to me and helped me understand a curve in an entire new way.

Not only has Holcomb been great at the track, he's given me countless advice on sleds, runners, brakeman, and most importantly- how to handle an Olympic year especially dealing with expectations and pressure.  I greatly admire Holcomb and what he's done for the sport of bobsled, but more importantly how he's helped me grow as a driver.  He didn't have to help me, he didn't have to say a word.  The men's and women's teams- although we travel together- often operate in very separate ways.  However, he's helped me since day 1 and that's something I greatly appreciate.  If I'm blessed enough to win a gold medal in Sochi, he'll definitely be one of the people who helped me get there.

Steve Holcomb, 2010 Olympic Gold Medalist, USA Bobsled Pilot

Good "Teammates"

What does it mean to be a good teammate when you are on a "team" where the members directly compete against each other?  This is a question I've thought about quite a bit (probably more than I should have), but with my background in the team sport of softball I can't help but think about what it means to be a good teammate.  In softball it was easy to understand what it meant to be a good teammate, you helped your teammate in any way possible because you knew it would help the entire team accomplish their goals.  Whether it was batting and fielding tips, nutrition advice, or in the college ranks homework help, you did whatever you could to help your teammates perform better.  But how should this work in bobsled?

Team USA after claiming the 2013 World Championship for the Team Competition

In bobsled, I am on the same "team" as 8 other women's bobsledders.  However, only one of them will compete directly with me in the sled at any given time and two other members of the "team" are drivers who I am competing directly against for spots on the team and medals.  So essentially, I'm on Team USA but at the same time I'm not on the same team as many of my teammates because we're in direct competition.  So how are you supposed to be a good teammate when your "team" wants to defeat you? Unfortunately, this is a question I don't have an answer for...

In our sport, there's a saying "I'm not against you, I'm just for me."  It's not a saying the softballer in me appreciates, as it implies that in order for someone to be successful, they must do things that would hurt another person's chances for success.  The optimist in me wants to believe there's a way to create an atmosphere where all of us, despite the competition, work to create a healthy atmosphere where no one is cutting each other down and everyone is working to build up the entire team, not just the members in their sled.  But how would this be done?  Should you help your teammates out even if it means they might beat you?  What determines the proper level of help?  For example, in the past I have let my teammates borrow my runners for a race.  In the sport of bobsled, we have personal sets we own and then sets the federation owns and can use either for a race.  I have previously allowed my teammates to borrow my set of runners for a race, and even once was beat by someone using my runners!  To be honest- I didn't lose the race because of my runners, but runners do factor in to the outcome of a race.   In this case is lending my "teammate" runners good sportsmanship or is it me foolishly giving someone else an advantage?  I used to think I knew the answer to this question...

It's not only the lending of physical goods that makes me question what it means to be a good teammate.  In order to achieve any level of success in elite sport, the space between your ears is more important than any physical asset.  Most elite level athletes are highly aware of this and often when an athlete is unsuccessful it's because of some mental malfunction.  It also sets up the mind as a perceived spot of vulnerability.  We all know examples of athletes taking the competition out physically (Tonya Harding vs. Nancy Kerrigan), but the more intense warfare that you rarely hear about is the mental warfare that occurs to take out the competition.  When you're competing on a team (your individual sled) within a "team" (Team USA), the mental warfare can be intense.  Whether its bad mouthing a someone to coaches or other teammates, or sabotaging their mental routine, cutting down their performances and accomplishments, or creating drama within their circle of competition, unfortunately in my 6 years on the women's bobsled team, I've seen it all.  Not only have I seen it all, I've seen it within the entire "Team USA," not just women's bobsled.  So this again raises the question, what does it mean to be a good "teammate?"

I think the problem is perspective.  I think most people think that in our sport multiple people can't be successful.   I think the problem is that success is only measured by winning a gold medal.   We need to change this perspective.  Yes, every athlete wants to win a gold medal but in reality most won't, but this doesn't mean that every athlete can't be successful.  For example, my determinant for success if I'm blessed enough to make the 2014 Olympics is putting together four great runs in Sochi.  Now this has absolutely nothing- NOTHING- to do with what any of my "teammates" do other than the brakeman in my sled.   I can accomplish this level of success even if my "teammates" have great runs at the Olympics- the two are mutually exclusive.  So for me, I don't need to conduct any mental warfare against my "teammates" because they have nothing to do with me achieving success.  I can be encouraging and supportive without harming my goal, because my goal isn't wrapped up in a gold medal.  My goal is about performance and ensuring that I perform at my best, and if I'm blessed to win a medal for it- great.

I've never felt the need to play mental games with my competition, I want to win races because I put together the best performance on that day.  I want to win because I've trained hard and dedicated myself to learning the sport and determining what's fast.  At the end of the day, I want to perform at my best and win races and be a good person.  I want to be successful and a good teammate at the same time and I believe it's possible.

But what do you do then if your teammates don't feel the same?  What do you do if your teammates still believe "it's either you or me"?  Do you still try to be encouraging?  What lengths should you go to to help your "teammate" out?  Should you let them borrow your runners?  Should you give them training advice?  Should you help their brakeman push faster?  After playing softball for most of my life, the team sport athlete in me votes yes, but maybe I'm naive...

Cause I haven't even asked the final question...so what happens when you try to be a good "teammate" and get burned?  How should you respond then?  How do you respond when despite your best efforts to be a good "teammate," other athletes try to sabotage your efforts of success?  Do you keep encouraging and supporting them?  Do you disband the idea of a "team" and make it every man (or woman) for themselves?

I wish I could end this blog with a profound conclusion, but the truth of the matter is, I don't know.  What I do know is that I'm going to work to be a good "teammate" and let other athletes decide the answers to these question themselves...

Genetic Freaks...really?

Genetic freak.  It's a term that gets thrown around a lot in power sports such as bobsled, track and field, and football.  It's a term that supposed to be a compliment, that so and so is a genetic freak, so and so is so athletically gifted, but what does it really mean?  A simple google search of "genetic freak" turns up many links to body building sites, the first a forum from steroidology.com (http://www.steroidology.com/forum/anabolic-steroid-forum/627368-how-do-you-know-if-man-genetic-freak.html).  The second site is the only source to turn to when vague new phrases are created, the urban dictionary:

1.	Genetic freak Share on twitter Share on facebook Share on more	11 thumbs up
	One who is a freak of nature. Mostly used to describe one's superior physical abilities but can also be used for superior mental abilities. Lebron James could dunk when he was 14, he's just a genetic freak. That guy Marco is a genetic freak, he barely works out and eats fast food all the time, but he has a six pack. http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=genetic%20freak

So what really is a genetic freak?  How does anyone actually know if someone is a genetic freak versus someone who has just put in the time and effort to work hard and achieve a certain level of athleticism and fitness?  The short answer is, you don't.  In the past two seasons, two rookies have come in and won the women's bobsled push championships, does that mean they're both genetic freaks?  Another man on our team can power clean over 170kg, does that mean he's a genetic freak?  Most of our guys can squat over 200kg, does that mean they're all genetic freaks?  If at the end of the day all of my teammates (men's and women's bobsled teams) have extraordinary athletic talents in various areas, does that make all of us genetic freaks?  Some may say yes, but most will say no, so what then defines who are among the genetic freaks and who aren't?

Then the other question is, what makes someone a genetic freak anyway?  If someone comes from two parents who were athletic, is it freakish to think that their son or daughter will be athletic as well?  Can that person be a genetic freak then if they are exactly like their parents?  For example, my father was a running back- and I'm built exactly like him but in female form.  Does that exclude me from being a genetic freak because I'm built exactly like my genes say I would be built?  There's not anything freakish about being built like my father, it's in my blood...

So I guess the truly only way to know if someone is a genetic freak is to examine the genomes of athletes.  Is there a particular gene that certain athletes have that make them superior to other athletes?  Is this gene missing from their parents genome or did a new gene mutate in the athlete's genome to make them superior?  I'm not a geneticist, so I won't attempt to answer that question, but there's some very good research out there that examines genetics and athletics (http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=genes-sports-talent).  

Even if we eventually do determine who our genetic freaks are, what does that mean?  Does that mean that everyone competing against genetic freaks should just give up?  Does that mean that genetic freaks should just stop training and let their genetics do all the work?  As coaches, do you just stop training a genetic freak and let them rely on these genetics?  Does that mean a genetic freak will win every time?  No, it certainly doesn't- it practically doesn't change anything!

The only thing calling someone a genetic freak does is give other athletes an excuse when they are defeated by one of these athletes...and excuses are pretty worthless in my book...

Sponsorship

Sponsorship.  It's a word that's commonplace these days around athlete circles, especially those training for Sochi 2014.  It seems like it's all anyone can talk about, and rightfully so- sponsorship is one of the ways athletes try to fund their careers and try to extend them as long as possible.  For us in the bobsled world and in other less mainstream sports, the lead up to the Olympics is the main time to attract sponsors in hopes that they'd join your team and help you along the journey.  It's during this time, April, May, and June, that all the major sponsorship deals are signed for the upcoming season and really an athlete's last chance to repay debt before the Olympics.  If you aren't one of the fortunate ones to sign a deal now, good luck making it to the games (financial hardships can cost athletes dearly in terms of athletic performance) and even better luck trying to capitalize after- where even if you have a medal, most companies have already committed to athletes already so they're out of sponsorship dollars.  It's a tough way to try to fund what you've been working on your whole life- to make an Olympic team and win a medal for your country- but it's necessary to reach your dream.  It's very hard to get there without at least one major sponsor, trust me- I know, as I currently don't have any...

So what's it like trying to attract sponsors?  It's quite a bit like dating.  Now as a female I've mostly left it up to the man to approach me (thankfully Nic took all the first steps), so I'm not as familiar with what it's like from a dating perspective to approach someone- but from what I've heard the two are very alike.  First, you've got to find a commonality between you and the sponsor- what do you have in common that can bring you together- aside from just needing money.  Then you have to attract them- whether it's through your athletic accomplishments, your connection with the company, your story as an athlete- etc.- attraction is the name of the game.  After this initial attraction by both parties, then the courting begins- it's a combination of you as the athlete selling yourself to the company and the company selling themselves to you- trying to see if a relationship can actually work.  Most of the time, unfortunately, it doesn't.  Much like dating, sometimes you hear a lot of nos before you get a yes (or like my mother used to say, "Sometimes you gotta kiss a lot of frogs, to get your Prince").  If you get a yes, then the relationship begins- a negotiation between what is expected from each party and hopefully you both end up happy- you become a family of sorts- offering support to each other in new and fun ways.  Sponsorship can be great for that- it introduces you to a whole new group of people- each of whom have their own relationship to sports, athletes, and the Olympics and it can be an awesome experience to be able to relate and share with them and the entire company.  On the other hand, if you get a no, it's back to the drawing board and starting all over again...

Unlike dating however (for most people who believe in monogamy), once you have one sponsor the work isn't done.  You've still got debt to pay back from the previous 4 sponsorship years, so you've got to try to attract another one to keep you going for the Olympic season and beyond (should you choose to continue).  So even though you've got one sponsor now, the work has only just begun, and it's time for the next pitch.

Now as I mentioned earlier, I currently don't have any sponsors, but it's not for lack of trying.  Earning sponsorship is a fascinating mix- you've got to put in the leg work to do so, but at what price?  I have an agent that handles most of the leg work for me, because at the end of the day I just don't have the time.  As much as the sponsorship is needed to fund my career, I need to focus on my performance and being the best athlete I can be, or else sponsorship won't be an issue at all- because I won't be able to keep making teams and winning medals.  It's a tricky balance- trying to get sponsors, raise money for your career, and train 40+ hours a week- but it must be done to some extent to continue to pursue your dreams.

Hopefully in a few months I'll be able to report that I have a sponsor, that I don't have to find odd jobs to try to pay for the season that cut into my preparation as an athlete, but nothing is guaranteed.  In the meantime, I have to focus on preparing myself for the upcoming season athletically, and do what I can to secure sponsors on the side.  Don't get me wrong, if I'm fortunate enough to secure a sponsor leading into 2014, I'll do everything I can to make that as great a relationship as possible, and I'm excited at the possibility of connecting with a company or business, but in the meantime, I can't afford to let talk of sponsorship consume me.  It has consumed many athletes in the lead up to the games, and I've seen it lead to the downfall of many athletes.  Many athletes get too concerned about capitalizing off the opportunity to make a little money and forget why we're all here.

We're here because we love our sports.  At the end of the day, sponsors or not, I still love bobsled and I still love going down the hill as fast as possible.  I'd love to have sponsors to help me keep bobsledding, but if I'm not fortunate enough to get them, I'm going to do whatever I can to keep bobsledding as long as possible- and not for the money- but because I love my country and I love my sport.  I love representing the USA and I love driving my sled.  I'll do this sport as long as I can, because there's no amount of money that can compare to the amazing feeling of wearing USA on your back for all the world to see.

WHOA...It's been a WHILE

It's been so long since I've blogged!  So much has happened- well I suppose a lot can happen in a year lol.  I'm now engaged, a two time World Championship medalist, and a silver medalist on the Olympic track- and that's just a small update of all that's happened!  With my blog for espnW and my increased tweeting (I'm addicted), I'm not sure there's much to leave for this blog anymore.  So I've decided to change things up a little bit.  This blog won't be used to update you on what's going on with me, but rather a forum for me to write on various topics that I don't get to write about in other instances.  Hopefully you'll find some of it funny and you'll find others intriguing and good reading.  Let me know what you'd like to hear about also, because I can blog a Q&A session.  At any rate, I enjoy blogging and I enjoy writing, so it's about high time I get back to it!  So I'm not going to blog all the things you can already find on the internet- the press stories- but hopefully topics you'll find interesting.

If there's anything you want me to comment on, let me know!

I'm back!

Celebrating my engagement with the girls
Photo by Charlie Booker

Support systems

Hugging my mom after winning a bronze medal at the 2012 World Championships.  So glad I was able to share this with her and my entire family.

I just recently returned back to Lake Placid to continue training for the upcoming season after driving 20 hours with my boyfriend to Douglasville to surprise my mom for her birthday.  She was completely shocked and I was so excited to see all of my family, as I didn't think I'd get the opportunity to see them until Christmas- and I wasn't even so sure about that.  So in that spirit, I write this blog...

I was talking with my little sister one day, who currently works as a CNA, and she stated that I didn't know what it's like to work with people who don't like me.  Oh to the contrary!  I live in an Olympic Training Center.  I wake up every morning and have breakfast with people who directly want to take my spot.  I eat train with them, eat lunch with them, spend time in the cold tub with them, eat dinner with them, and sometimes there even the last face I see before I go to bed.  It's quite the intense environment!  Every day you are directly confronted with people who want to beat you and of course, being the competitor that I am- I also want to beat them too.  Most jobs you go to work but then you get to come home to a loving family and relax and not think about the competition for the next promotion or the competition for the next big project.  That's not life in a training center.  In life in a training center, you're constantly reminded that no matter how much you may like your teammates, only one team can be on top of the podium and each person is working to be that team.  You are daily, hourly, face to face with your competition not only for a spot on the Olympic team, but also for a spot on the top of the podium.  And this type of environment can drive you completely insane...

But for the most part, I wouldn't consider myself insane (I still do bobsled after all- and that in itself is a little crazy).  So what's the key to keeping it all together in an intense environment?  For me, it's my support systems.  My support comes from all the people who love me regardless of how much I can squat or power clean, how fast I push, how I drive down an ice track, or how many medals I win.  My support comes from the people who know how to make me smile, who know how to make me life, and allow me to be myself and act as crazy as I want to be.  It's hard being over 1,000 miles away from home because in a large part my family is this support.  I love being able to talk football or finance with my father; I love being able to talk politics with my mother; I love being able to talk about relationships with my little sister; and I love being able to talk about all kinds of crazy with my older sister.  Luckily through technology I get to speak with them as much as I want, but it's really not the same as being with them- sharing our lives together.  It's crazy hard, which is why I was so happy to be able to go home this past week and spend time with them.  My support system is crazy vital to my success in the sport of bobsled.

Luckily, I also met the love of my life through bobsled.  Although I don't have my family by my side every day, I do have him and he provides me with more joy and laughter than I ever thought possible.  You see, that's the key to being able to be successful in such an intense environment, laughter and support, and he provides both.  Like yesterday- I've been struggling with power cleans for a long time now and despite devoting an entire month to just technique- it's still not clicking (needless to say I'll never be an Olympic weightlifter lol).  So yesterday was another day spent working on it- another day ending with me frustrated- a frustration that is hard to erase when I walk into the cafeteria and are faced with my teammates and competition.  My normal M.O. would be to wear my emotions on my sleeve, go into the caf and continue with my frustration, but that's not what happened.  What did happen is I walked into the caf and saw my boyfriend, who instantly made me smile and forget all about the power cleans.  We spent the entire dinner making up Cookie Monster remixes to popular songs, trying to see if we could send some to Sesame Street and get published (more on this later- and perhaps a song or two lol).  I didn't focus on my power cleans or what happened that day in the weight room, I didn't stay frustrated as I normally would have, I just smiled and laughed and had a great dinner.

That's what a support system is all about.  A support system loves and encourages you no matter what.  They love you through the rough times and cheer you on in the good times.  They pick you up when you're down and also humble you when you're too high (my mom doesn't care how many medals I win, I'll always have to keep my room clean at her house lol).  I love my family and I love my boyfriend and they'll be right beside me through the good times and bad times, in bobsled and after I retire.

P.S.- there are other people in my life that are support systems- my friends, my teammates, my fans, heck even my agent- but this blog wasn't about them- I'll speak more on that support later.  This blog was specifically devoted to those people who know me best- uninhibitedly.  Thank you to all my friends, teammates, fans, etc for all the support- I love you all!

The Facts: Olympic Finances

With the London 2012 Olympics just finishing up, throughout the course of these games there has been much discussion about the finances of Olympic athletes and their families.  See the following articles below:

http://money.cnn.com/2012/07/10/news/economy/olympic-athletes-financial/index.htm?hpt=hp_t2

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/08/07/gabby-douglas-ryan-lochte-why-families-of-america-s-olympics-athletes-are-broke.html

So what can you make out of all of this?  Well, here's my take:  the finances of Olympic athletes in the US is a very complex issue.  On one end you have superstars like LeBron James, Michael Phelps, and now Gabby Douglas, making millions just to name a few; but these are the very very few of the Olympic athletes who represent the U.S.  Think about it, out of the 529 2012 US Olympians, how many can you name?  Probably not a lot, but each of these athletes have spent great amounts of money to reach there goals, have wracked up credit cards bills, their families have taken out second mortgages or sacrificed other ways,  in order to reach their Olympic dream.  And so many others have done the exact same thing, only to get to Olympic trials and not make the US Olympic team.  Not only will the majority of US Olympians never make back from their sports what they spend, but for those who spend just as much if not more and don't make the team, they don't even get the reward of being able to call themselves Olympians.  All many of these once Olympic hopefuls have to show for their years of commitment to a dream is staggering debt.  

So here's what I'm going to do.  I'm going to lay out exactly how it works and let you decide what to think.  I'm not going to give you my opinion, just lay out some facts to open up some understanding.  So here we go:

1.  The US Government does not financially support the United States Olympic Committee (USOC), the committee that as part of the International Olympic Committee, nominates the US Olypmic team and funds all their sports and activities.  The US Government does not give any money to athletes or to our sports.  The USOC is funded by sponsorship and private donations, as well as tv and broadcasting rights, that accounts for billions of dollars (http://content.usatoday.com/communities/gameon/post/2011/06/olympic-tv-decision-between-nbc-espn-and-fox-could-come-down-today/1#.UCg8dqmyWnB)

2.  Very few Olympic athletes make the millions you see the top most marketable athletes making.  Most Olympic athletes make very little money, spend most of their savings on their sport, and wrack up debt during their sport.  I do not have my own house because I cannot afford it and many other Olympians don't either in order to keep competing in their sport. The majority of us are not balling out of control and have to find creative ways to raise funds in order to keep competing in our sports.

3.  The USOC gives money to each individual sport federation for the operation of their sports.  For example, every year the United States Bobsled and Skeleton Federation receives funds from the USOC to not only pay its coaches, but also fund its season and even provide athlete support.  The decision of how exactly these funds are used is up to the officials of the sport, including in bobsled our CEO, High Performance Director, and our coaches.  The majority of this funding received is spent on funding the travel and expenses for the season for our teams to compete on World Cup tour, which leaves little to nothing left for bobsledders and skeleton athletes on lower development circuits (bobsled is one of the most expensive sports in the USOC).

4.  On the developmental bobsled and skeleton tours, the tours that are required in order to move up the ranks in these sports, are self-funded.  These tours require travel throughout the US and Europe, in order to gain experience to contend for a spot on the national team.  These tours are quite expensive, as you must make sure you have a sled (a bobsled to purchase can cost up to $100,000), all your equipment (our runners- blades- alone cost $5400 a set), provide all your necessary travel, and any related training expenses.  Luckily, our federation is usually able to accommodate all athletes with sleds, but shipping a sled may cost over $3,000.  In just 1/2 a season as a beginner pilot, I had expenses over $16,000.

5.  The USOC does provide some athlete support in the form of stipends.  These stipends differ from federation to federation and are very dependent on your ranking.  If your ranking drops, so does your stipend.  Stipends are given monthly and each federation chooses how to allocate their stipends differently.  In bobsled, the athletes receiving the highest stipends are the one's winning the most medals.

6.  Athletes do not receive pay checks.  Other than stipends, which may or may not be adequate to cover living expenses, athletes must find other ways to support themselves.  One of the main ways to do this is through sponsorship.  However, sponsorship is hard to come by.  I have an Olympic medal, an agent, and have been actively doing PR and appearances for 3 years and yet have no sponsors other than a few product sponsors.  I also host my own fundraisers and rely on donations (to which I'm very grateful to all my supporters).

7.  The USOC also provides health insurance, but this is also based on rank.  If your rank drops, so does your health insurance.  Also, not all athletes are able to get health insurance.  How many are able depends per federation, but once again, the highest ranked athletes receive health insurance.

8.  The USOC has a partnership with Adecco USA to give athletes the opportunity to work a flexible schedule and train full time.  Most athletes training for the Olympics train over 40 hours per week, so there really is not time to work, but the program is there none-the-less.  I am in the program and struggle to fit hours in because of my hectic schedule, but have the opportunity to make a little money when I can.

9.  The USOC provides housing for some athletes at Olympic Training Centers.  There are 3 Olympic Training Centers in the US and each has a limited amount of bed space.   The ability to get a bed also depends on ranking, with higher ranked athletes having greater access than lower ranked.  However, some federations choose to use the beds they have for developmental athletes, which leaves the higher ranked athletes out.  Also, not all federations get beds in an Olympic Training Center, as these beds are also dependent on the strength of the sport.  Sports that aren't performing as well receive less beds, leaving those athletes out.  At the Olympic Training Center, food and housing are covered.  Housing differs per rank, some athletes are guaranteed housing for a year, while others live week to week hoping each week they still have housing.  The Olympic Training Centers also try to raise revenue for the USOC, so often beds are filled with organizations willing to pay, like cross country camps here in Lake Placid.

10.  The USOC has many sponsors and some of these sponsors offer athletes discounts and savings.  Also, some of these sponsors provide athlete support by giving athletes the opportunity to make appearances for small earnings.  For example, DeVry University has joined with the USOC to help athletes find a way to earn a degree while competing.  I am part of the program and am currently working toward my MBA.

As you can see, this is a very complex issue with many different parts, and everything is based on rank.  In sports like bobsled however, rank can only be accomplished after working your way through the development circuit and then making the national team.  Working your way to the national team is something that is funded completely on your own, and unlike track where all you need is a pair of shoes, the expenses in bobsled can be staggering in the tens of thousands of dollars a season.  Even once you are on the national team, the expenses are still immense.  Last season I was the number 1 ranked pilot on the US Women's Bobsled team and won a medal at World Championships, but spent over $13,000 on bobsled expenses.

So I've presented all the facts, nothing to agree or disagree with, because it's simply that- just the facts.  (However, if some of my facts are wrong, please let me know!)  One thing is for certain though, as Olympic athletes we are not in it for the fame or the money.  We are in it because we love our sports and more importantly love our country.  We are honored to represent the USA and no amount of money could take that honor away.  We each go after the greatest honor of all, winning a gold medal for your country, regardless of where it leaves us financially.  

Share the Ride for Women's Bobsled

This past season the women's bobsled team managed to keep 3 sleds on the World Cup tour.  What do I mean by that?  The World Cup tour is the highest circuit of bobsled races.  It's the race circuit that the Olympic team is named from, and it consists of 8 races each year (this year it's actually 9), and you earn points for each place finish on the tour (1st place is 225 points, 2nd is 210, etc).  These points add up and give an overall ranking, which not only ranks each sled but also ranks each nation.  The top 4 nations are allowed 3 sleds on the World Cup tour, but only the top 2 nations get 3 sleds in the Olympics.  Because it is so competitive to get 3 sleds at the Olympics, it's essential that we keep 3 sleds on the World Cup tour and this season despite having relatively new drivers (myself and Jazmine Fenlator) we were able to keep our 3rd sled heading into this season.  However, despite that we were able to keep that sled, our federation can't afford to fund that sled on the World Cup tour this season.  As the US women's bobsled team, we have decided that we are going to find a way to keep this sled on tour, as it's imperative in order to make our Olympic dreams come true.

As a team we're trying to sweep gold, silver, and bronze at the Olympics, so we're doing everything we can to make that happen, starting with fundraising.  First, we're going to be holding a spaghetti dinner in Lake Placid, NY, along with a silent auction to raise some funds, which will be September 1.  Second, for all those who aren't able to make it, you can take a ride with us!  What do I mean by that?  Well, you can put your name on our sleds for just $25 and 1/2 of the proceeds will go directly to helping us keep our USA 3 sled sliding, thereby helping us get to the Olympics.  Not only will you help us reach our goal, but your name will be on a bobsled that is shown on tv worldwide through the 10 races of the season (9 World Cup races and World Championships).  You can help us reach the top! For more information and to put your name on a sled, visit here: http://www.teamusa.org/USA-Bobsled-and-Skeleton-Federation/Donate/Share-the-Ride.aspx 

Thanks everyone for all your support!

The Olympics are here!

Finally!  After waiting 4 years for more memorable moments, the 2010 Summer Olympics have arrived!  This is the first Olympics since I've went in 2010 and I've got to say watching it now has a whole new meaning.  It was crazy watching the Opening Ceremony and feeling some of the things I felt walking through in 2010.  Each medal ceremony reminds me what it was like to stand up there as a representative of the USA.  Every single event reminds me what it was like to compete on the world's largest stage.  It's so exciting!

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to make the trip over to London to view the games firsthand (too much training to do to try to make 2014), but I can assure you I'm watching as much as possible.  Between NBC's tv coverage (even though we don't have all the channels in the OTC) and the online coverage, I've watched quite a bit of coverage, and a lot of sports I haven't been able to see previously.  Today alone, I've watched indoor and beach volleyball, rowing, cycling, weightlifting, gymnastics, field hockey, swimming, and water polo, and there's still day left!  

Here at the Olympic Training Center, it's extra inspiring as I know everyone around me is training to reach those moments, to live their Olympic dream.  Everyone crowds around the tvs whenever possible to take it all in.  We even have it turned on during the weight room, which inspires everyone to push even more.  We're all fired up here cheering for our Team USA counterparts, and each of us knows that after these 16 days, the world's eyes will be on us.  We're next and the clock is counting down!  Can't wait to train this week with another week of inspiring Olympic action ahead!

Post-Season Awards: What you didn't see

Two weeks ago I was named Women's Bobsled Athlete of the Year and also received the Athlete's Choice Award.  The first is pretty self-explanatory but the second was an award voted on by my teammates.  Now I'm not one to dwell on awards, as soon as a race ends I start thinking about the next one, and as soon as a season ends I'm also focused forward.  However, these two awards I am especially honored about, but I have to revisit because of why I won them.  This season was a truly difficult season for me.  I started off the season with 2 crashes in as many weeks and a dismal performance at team trials.  Dejected, I went to Europe questioning whether or not I should even be driving.  Through the help of my teammates and coaches, I persevered, overcame, and grew.  This season was difficult but I made it through, had good results, and even some fun at the end of the day, and I feel that all these struggles were crucial to putting me where exactly I need to be come 2014.  However, none of this season would have been possible without the wonderful teammates I have.  I truly believe I have the best ones in the world.  Because of that, I wanted to share a little bit about the behind the scenes stuff that went on this season to show how awesome my teammates truly are.  Of course you know the obvious ones, the brakeman who raced with me- Katie Eberling, Emily Azevedo, Brittany Reinbolt, and Ingrid Marcum, but there's so much more to the story, so here we go...

Katie Eberling- Her support never wavered.  From the moment after push championships, when she agreed to race team trials with me, she supported me and believed in me.  That kind of unwavering support is rare, but she was continually supportive, even when she was racing against me on other sleds (not to the point that she still didn't want to beat me though lol).  If she was ever anything less than confident in what we could do, she never showed it.  Not only did she race a majority of the Europa Cup races with me to get me qualified to go to Sochi, including the crazy one to put us over to qualify, she also as a rookie took on the task of being the sole brakeman representative in Sochi and handled it like a champ.  It put me at ease knowing that I didn't have to worry about anything, and she went the extra mile to make sure I didn't.  Things like that just can't be quantified, but they are truly the intangibles that win championships.

Emily Azevedo- The thing that sticks out the most is her team work.  She not only helped a team full of rookies adjust to the World Cup tour, she also took run after run when we were down an alternate, despite the fact that she was our only returning Olympic brakeman.  She, like Katie, raced two days back to back in two different countries to help qualify for Sochi, a feat that is no easy task but they both handled it like champs.

Brittany Reinbolt- What can I say about the girl who continually keeps me laughing?  She really does add something special to the team.  First, despite a poor finish at push championships, she inspired us all by fighting her way onto the World Cup team.  She took more runs than perhaps any other brakeman, and with two unseasoned drivers, that was quite a task (I crashed her twice this season, let alone the other crazy trips I took with her).  Every week she was broken and black and blue, but she continued to slide and continued to train to get better and push as hard as she could.  She was an alternate, but she worked every day to get better.  I believe though the best example of Brittany's commitment to team excellence can be shown through the Sochi experience.  Despite not getting an opportunity to race on the World Cup team, Brittany drove to and from Switzerland and Germany so that the drivers and competing brakeman could rest.  Not only did she drive, but she also took trips in both countries to ensure that the competing brakeman could get some rest.  I will never forget her willingness to step up and take so much for the team this season, and only hope I could be as good of a teammate to her as she was to all of us.

Hillary Werth- She fought her way onto World Cup as well and was fighting to get a racing spot when tragedy struck.  After a bad crash, I rushed down to her to check on her, and all she could focus on was the state of her driver and when she could get back in a sled again.  The girl had doctors sticking IVs into her and other EMTs trying to cut off her clothes to treat her, yet she was focused on her teammate and trying to get back in a sled to race with her teammates.  She even was asking me about racing with me that weekend!  She exemplified how teammates should care for each other.

Ingrid Marcum- She raced with me my final team trials race.  Afterwards, I was pretty dejected and upset, but she encouraged me.  She told me story after story of instances in bobsled that basically proved its not how you start, its how you finish.  She helped me try to put my team trials experience behind me, and move on to the next race.

Ida Bernstein- After my team trials, I was determined to get better and fix things.  My sled had shipped to Europe, but I was offered to slide in another sled to get more trips.  Mind you, I had crashed twice in two weeks and was now driving a sled I hadn't been in in a long time, and she took trip after trip with me so I could get more trips.  No questions asked, she just kept sliding, which allowed me to get in the state of mind I needed to be in before heading over to Europe.

Nicole Vogt- I honestly didn't have much interaction with this particular brakeman, but she was always there to help when she was around, and continually lent a helping hand.

Jamie Greubel, Jazmine Fenlator, Megan Hill, Katelyn Kelly, and Bree Schaaf- My fellow drivers and competitors are the people who continually push me to be better.  Each of them have encouraged me in various ways, whether it was through words or through their continued fight to become the best in the world. Jamie through her continued hard work and fighting, Jazmine for her relentless encouragement and heart, Megan and Katelyn through their constant support, and Bree for the wealth of experience she shares and tradition she helps continue.  I am constantly inspired by my driving teammates by their persistence and their perseverance past an assortment of obstacles.  Getting to Sochi will be the battle of a lifetime, but I'm blessed to be able to battle it out against these great competitors.

And if these brief epithets aren't enough to show the I have the best of teammates in the world, I could go on...but perhaps I'll save that for another blog in the future...

My DeVry

I'm sure you've seen the commercials and heard the slogan- my DeVry.  Well, I'm please to announce that I am going back to school at the Keller Graduate School to get an MBA in finance.  I was thinking about going back to school to study business, but had no idea how to do it and continue competing.  Most online MBA programs are executive MBA programs, which mean you have to have significant work experience in the industry.  Interestingly enough, GW does offer an MBA program for athletes, actors, and other celebrities, but unfortunately I wasn't invited to join this program.  Anyway, so I was considering going back to school and emailed one of the residence managers here at the Olympic Training Center.  She told me that DeVry University had recently signed on as a USOC sponsor to help athletes get degrees while competing.  I inquired further about this program and next thing you know, I'm registering for classes!  Crazy!

With finals next week, I would have completed my first full semester- which is two courses.   So far, I'm enjoying the process quite a bit and am really enjoying learning more about the business world.  I am enjoying this more than I did my other master's degree program and am learning tons!  It's quite exciting to be learning something and enjoying it at the same time!

It'll take me a while to complete this degree, but I'm not in a hurry.  With training full-time and working, DeVry has been very helpful in coordinating a schedule that works for me, and I'm very excited about what an MBA will mean for my future.

I will also be making several appearances for DeVry and doing different projects with them.  This upcoming week, I'll be at the DeVry campus in Phoenix, AZ, as one of the athletes on the Road to London tour, a tour that celebrates DeVry's Team USA student-athletes.  I'll also be working with them on the Mark Your Moments campaign, a Facebook app that helps you set and keep track of your goals (you can join too at http://sml.devry.edu/MYMSE).  


I'll continue to keep you guys posted on my progress with my degree.  But for now, finals are next week so I better get to studying!


Be sure to check out DeVry's website at http://www.devry.edu   I'm not listed on the Team USA page yet, but I will be.

The Diary of a Coffee Addict

If you know me you know that I absolutely love coffee!  It all started in college- those late nights of studying, juggling softball and working made the hot brew a necessity.  What started as a great way to stay awake grew into a three venti-a-day addiction!  I was obsessed and kept the habit until just recently...

Recently, my boyfriend made me stop drinking coffee.  Why you ask?  Well, caffeine can have many positive affects on athletic performance, but it can also negatively affect hydration levels.  In my case, I was often having about 4 cups of coffee before breakfast and it usually made up most of my liquid consumption for the day, which most likely dehydrated me to the point that any benefits of the caffeine were outweighed by the massive amounts I was drinking.  You see, hydration is key for any athlete.  Power output drastically decreases with dehydration (you can google countless studies that give exact numbers).  With the amount of caffeine I was consuming in the coffee, it was likely decreasing my power output and therefore negatively affecting my performance.  Of course the easy decision appears to be to decrease my coffee consumption, but as a self-proclaimed coffee addict, it's not so easy.  Knowing this, my boyfriend told me no more coffee, and I've been off coffee- cold turkey- for over a month now.

So what I have I noticed over the month?  I am definitely more hydrated and my power output has increased, but it can't all be directly correlated to cutting out coffee.  I have been working hard on the new programs and getting everything in order to train hard, so there's multiple factors to consider as far as power output is concerned.  I do miss coffee- I love the smell of it, the taste of it, the feeling of a nice cup first thing in the morning.  As an elite athlete though, there's things you must sacrifice in order to get where you want to go, and until I can limit myself to one cup a day and maintain my hydration level, I guess the coffee is another sacrifice in the name of bobsled.

One day, I'll have my coffee and drink it too...

The Weight of It All

With the 2012 Summer Olympics in London right around the corner, athletes are increasingly being scrutinized and judged based on their ability to perform in this 2 week event that occurs once every four years.  As if athletes didn't feel the enough pressure from trying to win a medal for their country in front of billions of viewers worldwide, an opportunity that they may only have once despite a lifetime of training, they are increasingly feeling pressured to look a certain way while doing it.  More and more articles have discussed the weight and size of various female athletes, stating some athletes are too fat, too muscular, or too big.

As public figures, athletes are subject to this kind of scrutiny, but is it really warranted?  Take for example the case of Jessica Ennis, the British phenom Heptathlete who is expected to win gold in London.  She may not be a size 2 model, but anyone who follows track and field can see that Ennis is clearly on the top of her game regardless of her weight or size.  She was recently criticized by a British official as being "too fat" but recent performance in Austria (where she broke the British Heptathlon record), proves that size doesn't matter.  Did I mention that Ennis is gorgeous; powerful, fit, and compact, the perfect combination for an elite female athlete?  Read more about Ennis and body image in British sport in this article by Annabel Croft, a former elite British tennis player: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/9291962/Olympic-athletes-These-women-are-in-perfect-condition-so-why-call-them-fat.html

Shawn Johnson also recently came out and spoke about her body image issues growing up in the sport of gymnastics.  The dynamo of the 2008 Olympic Gold medal team, recently spoke out about her pressures to be thin and her struggles with body image.  See the following articles:  http://www.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/london/gymnastics/story/2012-05-14/shawn-johnson-loses-weight-speaks-out-body-image/54959326/1
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/olympics-fourth-place-medal/shawn-johnson-lost-25-pounds-hurtful-fat-talk-211635709.html

Body image is an inevitable discussion when it comes to female athletes.  Athletes are put under pressure to look a certain way while performing at the highest level.  What most people don't realize is that the requirements of various sports necessitate variety in body types.  What looks great for a track athlete or gymnast, might not work for a bobsledder or a weightlifter for example.  In the 75+ kg weight class for women in weightlifting, the women are large and in-charge and can sure move a ton of weight (much more than the critiques of the bodies of female athletes).  In bobsled, although we try to maximize our weight to weight to power ratio, we have to weigh between 165-180lbs for our sport (weight flies down the track), which is far from a size 2 model.

So when is society going to stop calling female athletes fat and start looking at the amazing feats they are able to accomplish using their bodies, regardless of size?  After all, both the smallest and the largest of us all have the opportunity to win medals, which makes the Olympics that much more beautiful.