After our successful runs from Start 4 yesterday, everyone was feeling pretty excited for everything else that lay ahead. A couple of the skeleton guys decided that we wanted to relax and kick back so we headed into town and drank a few beers and played some darts. It was Lionel, Dan, Blaine, Nick and I who experienced the Lake Placid "nightlife" and enjoyed its low-key style. They're all really good guys and I enjoy being around them both on the track and off of it.
We headed to the track today around 11, and the entire process of getting there and getting up to Start 3 was much much much smoother today than yesterday. As an added bonus, the Start House was much bigger, much nicer, and had a bathroom this time around. We had about an hour before we slid, so we all took pictures of the beautiful day and the gorgeous sites. They told us that from this start, which was about 4/5 of the way up, we should just let the sled and ice take us for a ride. Apparently, the ride they took me on was called "Destroy Ben's Shoulders in Every Way Possible." I probably hit the wall 10 times on that run, and each time wasn't a glancing blow but a full-on hit. I came back far from happy. The crazy thing was that I had the fastest time for the guys, but I definitely had the second-worst run in terms of hitting. Lionel ended up going down sideways for a bit which tore his Under Armour and shoulder apart along with his ankle. For the next run, I had Amanda Bird, one of our coaches, teach me a few different ways to steer so that I wouldn't hit so many walls. Before I left for my second run, I taped my knee pads to my shoulders so that it wouldn't hurt as much when I hit. I was pretty cautious on the second run and as a result it was much smoother but a full two seconds slower which put me behind almost all the other guys. While I was very happy with that, my natural competitiveness had me looking to find a happy medium where I would stay relaxed, but keep it under relative control. I fortunately found that happy medium and ran another fast time with only a few scrapes at the end. The third run ended up taking out my ankles, forearms and hands from when I hit the wall. I ended up getting ice burns on the back of my hands, and had to go to Sports Medicine with Lionel after we got back so we could get bandaged up. After we got bandaged up, we joined the other skeleton athletes and the two coaches in the gym for some practice with our push-starts and loading onto the sled. It was fun practicing the loads because you're told to just try and do "The Worm" dance move to get on your sled.
In other news, I look like a complete tool with all my bandages. I have bandages or something on my left ankle, both of my hands, my right forearm and my right shoulder. Everyone has injuries here or there, but I have the fortune of having my bandages being held up with stretchy lace material. SWEET.
Lionel and I had dinner with two of the bobsled girls and it was really cool hearing some of their war stories from bobsledding and living the life of a full-time athlete. I have to reiterate again how friendly everyone has been up here. Starting with Eric Bernotas and all the way to every single one of the athletes here, every single person has been outgoing and helpful. It makes the whole experience exponentially better.
We have to check out of our rooms and leave for the track by 8 AM tomorrow so that we can get a couple of hours on the track before we have to leave by noon. It should be awesome because we not only get to go from the top, but we get to do a running start since it's so late in the season. I'm not sure if I will have access to a computer tomorrow afternoon, but if I do I will make sure to write about how tomorrow goes. I'm really sad that we have to end tomorrow, because we're only just getting used to the track and starting to learn some things. At this point I'm trying not to think about that and just focus on having a good time. It's pretty easy when you get to do what I'm doing.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
6 comments:
Well apparently we should tell beck to sign up too...at least we know he'd be good at the getting on the sled part. Man up, stop complaining about your injuries, and have fun tomorrow you wuss. Oh and don't die. Call me.
<3 Fuzz
also...
Roger A. Medema, Funeral Service Associate
Roger joined our staff in 1965. Roger enjoys gardening with his wife, Mary. He is a singer and sings at many of our services. He is a member of Covenant United Reformed Church.
done and done.
i concur with fuzz, don't be a wuss!
come home and save me from my family soon...preferably in one piece
lake placid can never take your FRRRRREEEEEEDDDDDOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!
Ben "The Patriot Missile" Lieb posted the following in a post from a few days ago:
"Last night, I was treated to a healthy dinner of chicken wings and spinach & artichoke dip washed down by nothing but the finest tap water in all of Mechanicville".
Now whether The Patriot Missile was serious or slightly ironic is besides the point, but I wanted to set the record straight.
The City of Mechanicville's municipal water supply is consistently among the Top 10 public water supplies in all of New York State, placing high in all important categories: taste, clearness, sediment content and lack of chemicals and/or foul odors.
I am proud to say that I frequently drink Mechanicville straight from the tap, and I have retired my Brita filter. I, to date, have suffered no ill side effects from consumption of this water, nor have I come down with a case of Whooping Cough or The Palsy.
The Patriot Missile will make the United States Olympic Skeleton team and I fully believe the lifegiving and delicious waters of Mechanicville have given him the strength, courage and patriotism to do so.
UUUUU-S-A!
man.. this is so cool... every day i am here with luigi checking out your blog so proud and happy for you! Keep doing your best and just remember that injuries are sexy.. especially when the word olympics comes out.. haha! baci from meeeeee
Post a Comment