DO YOU B-LIEB IN MIRACLES!

We did it!! After a grueling two and a half months of training and a week of bruising skeleton runs and memorable times, I realized my dream and got invited to be on the US Skeleton Development Team. It's been an absolute wild ride so far and it only looks to get even wilder.

I apologize for not updating this sooner but we had to check out of our rooms on Friday at 7:30 AM and I didn't have internet access this weekend at the wedding. Friday started early, obviously, because the tryout ended at noon and we wanted to get in a couple of good runs so we had to head out to the track at 8 AM. Unlike previous days, we were going to the top of the track and doing the full run so we were all really excited to see what it was like. When we got to the top, it was an experience in and of itself. The view of the surrounding mountains and the track is breathtaking, and just being in the start house with all of the bobsledders and skeleton racers is exhilirating.

Once we had settled in, our one coach, Amanda Bird, a.k.a. Birdman, brought us out onto the deck and talked to us about the extra 4 turns that we had since we moved up, and gave us tips on how to negotiate those turns. Then her and Steve Peters, the other coach, gave us 4,207 suggestions on what to do, followed by a "Just relax and don't worry about anything" quip. Thanks guys, you really put us at ease with that one. A really unique part of our start from the top was the fact that we were able to do a running start on the track. A professional skeleton or bobsled racer has brush spikes which get amazing grip and don't damage the track. They don't have us buy those because they are very expensive. They do have us get outdoor track spikes so that we can practice on the Push Track which is made of rubber and helps you practices your push starts. Because of the weather, the Push Track was closed, so we thought we had all bought spikes for no real reason. However, since it was the end of the season, we were allowed to run on the ice and therefore we could do a running start.

At this point I'd like to emphasize a few points on the "Sink or Swim" experience the other skeleton racers and I were put in. In a normal tryout week, you have video review sessions of your runs and the coaches critique you on what you did wrong and what you need to fix or keep the same. We didn't have any video review sessions. In a normal tryout week, you get to practice your start and load at the Push Track. We didn't go to the Push Track. In a normal tryout week, you get about 12 runs in before you move to the top. We had gone on six runs since the storm had come through and cut out two of our track days. In a normal tryout week, you don't do a running start from the top since it's during the competitive season. We did get to do a running start. So in review, we had no video review sessions, no practice starts or loads, only half of the practice normal people get before going to the top, and we got to do a running start when we actually went to the top. In short, our coaches threw us into a Sink or Swim situation, where you either picked up their suggestions real fast, or you were screwed. The collective group not only all swam, we were doing what was effectively a butterfly stroke as beginner sliders. More on that later.

We were actually all pretty excited about the situation we were thrust into, because it gave us less time to think about what we were doing and just made us enjoy the moment and go out and do it. We all took our first push starts pretty easy and effectively jogged a couple of steps before we jumped on the sled. I had padded up as best I could from the day before, and was excited to finally go from the top. The ride was one of the coolest experiences of my life. There is no way to put into words the experience of sliding along a mile-long sheet of ice, going over 60 mph with G forces ripping at your body while you're 12 feet up, sideways, on Turn 10. Since we were going from the top, we were able to get really high on the turns and fully experience the run for what it's made of. Unfortunately, my previous day's injuries were determined to come back and haunt me. On that first run, I really tore up my arms. When I got down to the bottom, I couldn't lift my arms and I had blood seeping through my protective clothing in several areas. I got back up to the top, told Birdman that it was a thrilling experience, but I had to stop for the day. I refused to take off my padding though, because I didn't want to see the wounds until I was in front of proper medical attention. I hung around the rest of the session with the coaches and other sliders and took lots of pictures and videos while simultaneously icing my arms.

During my time with the coaches, I realized that it was getting late and we were supposed to have had our personal meetings with the coaches by that time to find out if we were invited to be on the Development team. I cornered Amanda and asked her "Are you guys going to e-mail us if we are invited back?" to which she replied, "Oh, you're definitely coming back." Since I had not had a meeting with anyone, and no one had said anything to me or anyone else that I had seen, I was perplexed. Naturally, I said, "Excuse me?" and she said "You're definitely invited back," like I was supposed to have known that already. I had run through this situation in my head a thousand times, and when I found out I was invited back it could not have been any more anti-climactic. That being said, I was ecstatic by her answer.

The more exciting part of the tryout was what I found out after she told me I was invited back. She told me that she is normally a really harsh critic of new sliders and that out of a group of 15 sliders who tryout in a session, she might think that 2 or 3 guys could be competitive on the Development team. For our group, she said we were probably the best recruitment group she's ever seen (she's been in the sport since 1997) and that we were not only all quite athletic, but we caught on to stuff a lot quicker than she ever expected. Her best example of this was our ability to recognize where we were on the track and where we were when we hit walls. She said that she still has people on the Development team who, after 3 or 4 weeks of sliding, still have trouble telling her where they hit the walls during their runs. We were ALL able to do this within a matter of 2 or 3 days. While she was amazed by this, none of us realized it was that special because we could all do it, and we just saw it as a necessity because we didn't have that many runs before we went up to the top. So, you either figured out where you were screwing up, or the next time you screwed up, it would hurt a lot more since you were going so much faster. The friendships we had all formed during this past week were great, and we were all happy to hear that the majority of us had been invited back to be on the Development team.

I have a lot more to say on the entire experience and my future but for now, my mother's birthday calls. We are about to head out to celebrate with family, so I must leave you hanging. Happy Birthday Mom! I love you!

Posts and Pics to come.