Spirit of Panama

The nation of Panama is in the process of creating a bobsled team.  My family comes from the city of Colón, Panama, so I was super excited to meet these gentlemen in Lake Placid.  They are dedicated and determined to bring bobsledding to their home nation and to make 2014.  For me, it's exciting to see the sport expand and even more so to the country of my family.  Cheer them on as the go for Sochi 2014!

Season Wrap-Up

So the season has officially ended and it was quite the interesting season!  Driving is so much fun and I am so happy that I made the switch!  Although I am still a new driver and it is early, I'm hoping the switch is permanent and I never again have to return to the back of the sled.  The season was full of some successes, some struggles, and a lot of lessons.  One of the best things about driving is that now I'm the captain of my team- each brakeman I've slid with is now a part of Team Meyers!  With the creation of Team Meyers comes the added pressure for good results and added expenses for purchasing equipment, but I'm more than willing to deal with those issues in order to drive a bobsled.  The feeling of controlling a sled while going 70-85mph down an icy hill is amazing and I'm in love with it!

This season really made me appreciate brakeman.  I have raced with many brakeman, and I greatly appreciate all the brakeman I have raced with.  Thank you to Katie Stoever, Katelyn Kelly, JennaBree Brown, Kristi Koplin, Emily Azevedo, Jamie Greubel, and Hillary Werth- it was a pleasure to race with you!  Also, thank you to all the other brakeman who took trips with me, so that I may be able to hone my driving skills and become a better pilot; so thank you Brittany Reinbolt, Tara Stephenson, Valerie Smith, Kelli Ehardt, Meighan Stevens, Lauren Spiers, Sineaid Corely, Jack Malleo, Jackie Higgins, Shea Robinson, Ketty Cornemann, Jessica Penta, Emily Weinberg, and Maggie Decell.  I look forward to sliding with those who return to bobsled, and wish those who are not the best of luck.

The season was a whirlwind- I went back and forth to Europe three times!  I learned so much about the sport and had a great time meeting new people and getting closer to people I've known for years.  I'm saddened about the retirement of Erin Pac, Shauna Rohbock, and Valerie Fleming, but I'm hopeful for the future and the team we will re-build with their departure- although they will be difficult to replace!

The season was highlighted by our 9th place finish in World Championships- a huge accomplishment to finish in the top 10 in my first World Championships as a pilot, especially on a new German track.  It was made greater after I had crashed the first run of my training, and the fact that I was beat some great pilots and even some Olympians.  Other highlights including a SILVER medal at the Jr. World Championships- a close race that was deservedly won by Paula Walker of Great Britain, racing 3 World Cup races and finishing top 12 in all of them- including a 6th place finish in Lake Placid, finishing 2nd overall in the America's Cup circuit with GOLD at the Calgary America's Cup and SILVER at the Lake Placid America's Cup, and finishing the season with a world ranking of #13!  Like I said, it's been quite a year!

I'm happy to have the opportunity to return home and take some time off, but I can't afford to take much!  Next season will be very competitive to even make the US squad- we've got 4 great pilots returning- and the competition is always fierce!  Internationally, everyone is prepping for Sochi 2014, so each year will get more and more competitive so it will be a great challenge to increase my world ranking.  We host World Championships in 2012 in Lake Placid- so the goal will be to medal there, and with a great brakeman and if I continue to improve my driving skills- I know it's possible!

In the meantime, we're always looking for new brakeman- both men and women and will be holding recruitment camps throughout the year.  If you're interested, please visit http://www.bobsled.teamusa.org/recruitment for more information and http://www.bobsled.teamusa.org/events for all the camp listings.

Thanks to everyone who made this season amazing!  Each and everyone of you- fans, friends, family, medical staff, coaches, staff, etc made this season great.  I am blessed to be surrounded by great people- and you are truly what makes going for an Olympic dream worth all the sacrifices.  I love you all.

Here's to the 2010-2011 season!  Onto the next one!

One Year Anniversary

I know I haven't been the greatest in updating my blog this season, but now that the season has slowed down tremendously, I have time to reflect.  I will post about everything that happened this season as a pilot, but for now I want to take a moment and remember the past.  Exactly one year ago today Erin and I celebrated as we crossed the finish line at the 2010 Winter Olympics.  Over two days and four runs, Erin piloted us to an Olympic bronze medal, an amazing accomplishment as we weren't even the top ranked US team!  No one expected us to medal, except ourselves, and that's what made the accomplishment even more amazing.

Now I hate to say I'm a profit, but with all the hype going around about USA 1 going into the Olympics, one day I decided that there's no reason why we couldn't win an Olympic medal.  On that day, I typed into my twitter window "I'm going to the Olympics, and I'm coming home with some hardware."  I received some very interesting responses to that tweet, but on that day I learned that if you don't believe in yourself, no one else will, and on that day, I decided to choose to believe that Erin and I could win a medal.  I'm not sure if anyone else at that time believed it, but I honestly did.

Erin and I at our first World Championships together- Altenberg 2008

What made that day even more special is all that Erin and I had overcome.  The year prior to the Olympics, we had quite a blow up at World Championships and weren't on speaking terms.  I believe because of our shared faith, we were able to overcome our differences and continue to compete together.  Although it took time, eventually our faith and our shared belief that all things are possible through Christ, would allow us to do something even greater.  Not only did Erin and I compete at the Olympics together- we had a blast doing it!

Something changes when you win an Olympic medal with someone.  Although Erin and I had overcome so much to become friends, Erin will forever be special to me.  Every time I think of winning the bronze, I can't but help remember how great it was to win it with Erin.  I'm not sure if the experience would have been as great with anyone else.  After all we had overcome, I was honored to win a medal with Erin.  I guess that's what made winning the medal so great- it wasn't just winning another race, it was everything that had occurred the past three years, our journey together as brakeman and pilot.  Erin was my pilot for my first World Cup race, and as of now, she will be the last pilot I ever raced with.

It's funny- I think of the past season- my first as a pilot, and it's remarkable how much Erin has influenced my pilot career.  We have pretty differing personalities at the line- she was always super pumped up, and I was always so calm.  However, there are so many things I do like her on the line as a pilot.  My cadence (what my brakeman says to signal its time to leave) is the same and my routine is the same as hers.  Little things like that- it was a routine so long for me as a brakeman- I couldn't help but convert it to my piloting career!

I thought of Erin quite a bit this past season, about what she had to have gone through trying to win an Olympic medal in just four years of driving- all the struggles and all the triumphs- learning new tracks, racing with different brakeman, and just trying to figure out where you fit on the USA team.  She had a difficult four years but she persevered and for that she is truly a champion.

I can't believe it has already been a year since winning the bronze.  So much has happened and this year has been such a whirlwind.  I had no idea everything that would occur as a result of that medal, but today I remember what happened that night.  I remember the nervousness I felt on the line followed by the calmness I received looking at Erin and knowing what was about to happen.  I remember crossing the line and hearing Erin scream wondering what just happened, and finally seeing the scoreboard to realize we won a medal.  I remember chaos at the bottom dock- and not remembering exactly everything that happened.  I remember hugging my teammates at the bottom dock, and my coaches, and everyone celebrating and happy.  I remember finally seeing my family and how excited they were.  I remember sharing this moment with one of my best friends, Shelley-Ann Brown.  I remember so much, yet so little- so much of that moment I was truly living and just feeling.  That day was truly the best day of my life.

World Cup Season Has Ended

No, the official FIBT World Cup season still has stops in St. Moritz, Switzerland, and Cesana, Italy, but my World Cup season has officially ended, but for good reason.  I will skip the races in St. Moritz and Cesana in order to compete in the Jr World Championships in Park City, UT, where I currently am right now.

I know it's been a while since I've blogged, so I'll rehash what has happened on the World Cups I was able to compete in.

First, the team traveled to Igls, Austria, a new track for me.  The track is a starter's track- usually the fastest starting teams win.  The week started with some unfortunate events, as USA 2 driver Bree Schaaf was taken to the hospital and had to have her appendix removed, and was forced to withdraw from competition.      Thankfully, she is now back with the team in St. Moritz and set to compete this weekend.  Anyway, for Igls I then had the privilege of racing the World Cup race with Emily Azevedo, Bree's normal brakeman, and also race the Team Event race with Kristi Koplin, an up-and-coming star.  Our pushes were plenty fast enough, however, I struggled with this track.  This track is not a difficult track to make it down, it is difficult however to be fast and I struggled with the finesse side of driving.  I was disappointed in my runs, but we were able to finish 11th in the race, and have the 7th fastest run in the team competition for women's bobsled.

Curve 2 in Igls, Austria

In Winterberg, Germany, I was happy to be back at a track I had driven before.  I struggled however, with my own health problems.  I woke up one morning and could not move!  My hip locked up and would not loosen.  After our medical staff went to work, I was able to loosen it up enough so I could slide, but was eventually forced to miss a day of training because of it, which you can hardly afford as a new driver.  I learned a lot this week, and had amazing pushes thanks to JennaBree Tollestrup-Brown, but once again I was disappointed in my runs, but we finished 9th- a top 10 finish, but still room for plenty of improvement.

JennaBree and I blasting off the start in Winterberg

So now here I am in Park City preparing for the upcoming Jr. World Championships.  I will be racing with JennaBree and the winner will win an automatic bid to World Championships in Konigssee, Germany.  I am hoping to earn my bid through winning this race, as if I do not whether or not I race World Championships will be the decision of a selection committee.  I never want to leave anything up to a decision- so it's time to go to work!

BTW- I ended my World Cup stint as the #13 ranked pilot in the world!  My ranking will drop as a result of missing the races in St. Moritz and Cesana, but it's pretty cool to end on that note!

Happy Sliding!

World Cup Lake Placid

Jamie and I on the podium after our 6th place finish

I apologize for such a delayed post!  In December, I had the privilege of racing in the World Cup race in Lake Placid!  Upon Erin's retirement, I was named USA 3 and qualified for World Cup by racing with Megan Hill in Winterberg (see previous post).  After a quick week in Winterberg, we headed back stateside and I raced in my first World Cup race as a pilot with development pilot and former national team brakeman Jamie Greubel.  Although my runs were not the prettiest, we finished 6th- a great finish for someone who has only been driving for 4 months!  After this finish, I retained my status as USA 3 and will be headed to Igls, Austria, after the New Year to compete in World Cup Race #5.  After that, I will then head to Winterberg, Germany, for another World Cup race, before returning stateside to compete in Jr. World Championships.  The ultimate goal for this season is to compete in World Championships, and I can make that goal a reality by winning Jr World Championships.  Even if I'm unable to win Jr. Worlds, I can still race World Championships- but then it goes to a committee decision, and that decision can go any way.  The goal is to qualify myself, and not leave anything up to decision.  I'm so thankful for the opportunity to race World Cup my first season as a pilot, and so honored to represent my country at the highest level of bobsled.

Jamie and I getting ready to push off

7th and 8th

Megan and I had a great time in Winterberg!  We placed 7th and 8th, and had the 5th and 4th fastest pushes  for both races.  Although she hurt her quad, Megan pushed awesomely, and I can't wait to see what's next for her as she continues her development.  Megan had many firsts, including the first time to Germany, and she had the opportunity to eat many new foods.  I felt like a big sister, showing my little sister the ropes.  She handled everything- all the challenges we faced- like a pro and I'm so proud of her.

Janis Kipurs was my coach, with the help of the Latvian team and their coaches.  Thanks to Janis, we made a connection with the Latvian team and was able to share video with them.  I learned so much on this trip about bobsled and driving and I owe a lot of it to the Latvian team and to Janis.

As for the races, from my perspective, the first race was a good race, the second race- horrible.  People have told me that I am too hard on myself, but I expected to be in the top 6 for the second day, and I had the ability to be there.  I drove poorly, which was more upsetting than where I actually finished.  If I drove well and still finished 8th- then I got beat, but I drove poorly and finished 8th- and beat myself.  Still reeling to return to Winterberg to fix my mistakes, but that will have to wait til next season.

As for now, I'm back in Lake Placid getting ready for the World Cup race here this week.  Thanks to Megan, I was able to qualify for World Cup and will now race as USA3.  I'm completely excited to be racing World Cup in just my first season, as it's quite an honor.  I'm nervous as well, my driving ability will really be tested now, but also excited.  I have no idea what to expect, except as always- to have some fun...so here we go- Lake Placid!

Winterberg!

I'm sitting next to a warm fire here in Winterberg blogging and trying to fight the strong urge to fall asleep. My brakeman, Megan Hill, my coach, Janis Kippurs, and I arrived to Frankfurt, Germany this morning at 7:30am, got our rental truck (which is a standard, meaning only Janis can drive lol), and made the 130km drive to Winterberg.  After a delicious lunch, Megan and I opted to take a nap- which was glorious, but left me wanting more.  We decided to get the blood moving a bit and did a warm-up, and then headed down to dinner, and now I'm sitting here trying to keep my eyes from closing as I don't want to be up at 4am!

We start sliding on Monday, we get 6 runs and then two races- not a lot of time to learn a new track in a new sled.  We are borrowing a sled from the Latvian team, something I am very thankful for as it's nice to be able to build a partnership between nations.  We pick up the sled tomorrow (Sunday) and set it up and get it ready to go for training on Monday.  I'm pretty nervous, but I have watched the point of view video for Winterberg a million times and have spoken to a few different drivers about lines.  Tomorrow we'll also go to the women's luge race and watch some sleds, as well as walk the track, to get an idea about what is about to happen.

I'm super excited to be sliding on a European track in my first year of driving, but the competition is stiff here.  Of course, competing against my fellow Americans is always stiff competition, but here- you have a bad run, it's over.   There's not many new drivers in this race, most of the drivers I will be competing against have been to Winterberg many times, where I have been 3 times as a brakeman, and never as a driver.  I'm excited none the less, but I have no idea what to realistically expect for a result.  I know my coach, Janis with a Soviet bloc background, always expects the win, but realistically, the first goal is to get down and qualify for the Lake Placid World Cup.  Of course I want to win, what athlete doesn't, but I am realistic and know it's a lot easier said than done.  That being said though- I'm up for the challenge.

So here we go...Winterberg...