Dancing

God did not bless me with the ability to dance!  I like to think I have some rhythm, but all my life I've been told I'm stiff- I need to loosen up.  I even competed in a dance group when I was younger, but it took me the longest to learn all the dance steps and I was always positioned behind the better dancers, and I'm pretty sure I still made a complete fool of myself.  Despite the fact that I will never be on So You Think You Can Dance, I love dancing!  Funny statement for someone to make right?  I'm awful yet I enjoy it tremendously.  When I was younger I was super self-conscious about my dancing.  I dreaded school dances and I didn't want to dance with any of the boys for fear of making a complete fool of myself.  It's one of the few areas of my life that I have completely no confidence.  I still get self-conscious sometimes about dancing and I get anxious when too many people get around me on the dance floor, which makes my already horrible moves worse.  Yet, I still dance!  Why?  Because dancing for me isn't about being the best, it's about overcoming my anxiety and yes- my awkwardness (although if you know me, you know that I will always be awkward- it's unavoidable).  Dancing for me is about stepping outside my comfort zone, and having a good time despite not being the best.  Hard lesson for athletes and competitive people to learn- you don't always have to be the best.  Especially hard for me to learn- and I'm super competitive and all of my friends are great dancers (my great friend and bobsled teammate Jazmine even tried out for Broadway!)- and these are the people I'm surrounded by on the dance floor!

Another part of dancing for me is overcoming my fear of looking foolish.  Often in life we are put in situations where doing the right thing seems foolish.  When faced with these choices, it's this fear that can prevent us from doing the right thing.  Facing this fear though, often reaps more reward than ever imaginable.  For me, dancing provides me with the opportunity to face the fear of looking foolish every time I step on the dance floor.  I won't lie, there are times were I am completely petrified to step on the floor, knowing there are great dancers and that some of them will inevitably judge me and my lack of dancing ability.  However, I step out on the floor anyways.  If I can face my fear of looking foolish on the dance floor, then I can face my fear of looking foolish in other areas of my life.  Most of the time, when I face this fear I have more fun dancing with my friends that I could have ever imagined- which sure beats sitting on the sideline looking cute!

I may never win a dance contest or be on Broadway, but that won't keep me from dancing!  Facing the fear makes the reward so much sweeter, and for that- I'll just keep on dancing!

So on that note, take a look at the dance Jazmine and I are going to attempt to learn this summer (she'll probably have it down pact, and I'll probably dance behind her lol):

I'll be sure to post videos after we learn it!  Happy Dancing!

2nd Place

Here's what Versus has to say about second place, and I agree!  Striving every day for the GOLD!

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