North America
Having been selected to represent Great Britian as part of GB3, Team Golder, our races took us to compete in the North Americas Cup (NAC). Travelling out to Canada for the first time in my life was an unbelievable opportunity and one which I fully intended to make the most of. Once at the hotel it became apparent that the effects of jet lag would soon be a tough challenge. Constantly trying to stay awake and stay in bed in the morning was tough, not aided by a notable reduction in temperature.
Canada
Calgary is a wonderful place and everyone I met was extremely friendly and helpful. Being allowed to slide another new track and one which has had a lot of history, mainly from the 1988 Olympic games. Funding my own training at various gyms and tracks in order to maintain physical condition was a challenge but is always exciting to explore new facilities and see how other nations compare.
Training on and off the track went well and I was selected for the second 2 man race with my driver Will Golder. On November 15th 2013 a respectable start time on the first run and a good drive we made it into the top 20 for the second run. As a brakeman it is always a personal challenge to go quicker on the second run, something that Will and I managed to do. I finished my first race of the season in 19th place. Following from 2 man are the blue ribbon 4 man races. The crew I was part of worked well and we pushed well together, having qualified for the race on the 16th November 2013 and with good times/speeds we were confident in a result. However when pushing to limits to go quicker a small mistakes resulted in a crash at corner 12 at around 80mph. Despite this small slip we finished the race in 22nd place.
USA
Straight after the 4 man race sleds had to be loaded for transport to the states, we also needed to sort out our kit for travel to Salt Lake city in Utah, America. There are some treats every now and then, to our surprise team Golder had seats in 1st class. A rare experience for me along with having free wifi on the plane!!Salt Lake was home to the 2002 winter Olympics so a great privilege to be able to represent Team GB at such a prestigious venue. The track is at an altitude of 1800m so extra time was required for adaptation and warming up.
With no niggles or injuries I was able to push quick in training and was again selected for the second 2 man race. The race took place on a very chilly 22nd November 2013. With my start times both exactly the same for both runs, Will and I finished up in 16th place. This was a special day for me as not only was I able to represent my country but was also informed that I had passed my Masters degree in Sport and Exercise Science from Brighton University.
As the Team GB motto states, better never stops. This was true of the 4 man race schedule for the days that followed 2 man. 3 races were to be completed in less than 24 hours. A tall order for all FIBT officials, track workers, coaches and athletes. 4 man races commenced on the 26th November, following intense sled preparation the previous evening. At the end of race 1 we finished 8th out of a field of 22. Race 2 followed soon after lunch and a rest where we finished 7th. At the end of the day we returned to the hotel for food, hot tub, recovery and sled preparation again. The last race of the campaign in NAC was on the 27th November. With a shaky start on the first run we were in 8th place, the second run consolidated that position. However with two sleds who were placed above us we finished in 6th place, we made it onto the podium.
I would like to say a special mention to the support staff from GB Bobsleigh; Lee Johnston, Gary Anderson, Katy Fagge (physio) who all helped me in hard times. Also Will Golder, Jim Galvin and Henry for being truly awesome team mates.
Wait and see what Christmas and the New Year bring on the road to Sochi 2014…..
