USA Bobsled/Skeleton

Why I love the sport of bobsled

BY Codie Bascue

Bobsledding is unique. It is unique in the obvious ways, like the fact that you are flying down an icey slope at up to 90 miles per hour, wearing nothing but spandex, spikes, and a helmet inside pounds on pounds of metal and fiberglass. 

But I’m not talking about that; I’m talking about the amazing parts of this beautiful sport that not everyone knows about. I’m talking about the point when we are standing at the start line getting ready to unleash all of the anger and frustration and crazy that we have been holding in up to this point. Once that light turns green and it’s time to go, it’s hard to keep it all in. Once you run forward and your hands hit the bar though, you let it all go and put all of that into pushing the sled as hard as you possibly can. I am usually a very laid-back person so when most people see me get as crazy as I do at the start line, they are usually so surprised and don’t even think that it’s me. 

But, as soon as you jump in the sled and your hands grab the D-rings, it’s time to get more focused than you have ever been in your life and focus solely on driving the sled fast and safe down the track. This is why I say that the sport of bobsledding is so unique. The fact that you get to go to both extremes as far as totally losing your mind and then going straight to meditation type focus is unlike any sport or situation that I can think of. The feelings of both extremes are out of this world and unlike anything else I have ever experienced. The fact that I get to go through this on a regular basis is why I love the sport of bobsledding.

*Athlete blog entries are the sole opinion of each individual author and may not be representative of the USBSF or its athletes.