Tuesday, February 17, 1998 The journey began innocently enough - Paul Pruszynski, Vice President of the FIBT (the governing body of bobsledding), met me at my hotel. We drove up to Spiral where the bobsled and luge events are held. It was a very curvy 40 minute drive. On the way up, Paul began to prepare me for my upcoming ride. At this point, I was very calm - I had yet to comprehend the feat that I was about to undertake. Paul explained that at the beginning of the ride, I will have a sense of where I am in relation to the sled and the track but that as we get moving, I will have a hard time knowing which way is up. I was beginning to wonder what I'd gotten myself into. Paul gave me some basic facts about the sport. He told me each bobsled costs between $25,000 - $35,000 US. The track in Nagano cost approximately $18 million US to build and $1 million per year to maintain. It has 15 turns and two inclines. Most tracks have a spiral to control speed but this one utilized inclines instead in order to conserve space and preserve the environment. Speeds reach 135 km/hour and it takes about 54 seconds to get to the bottom. Once we got to the track, we had a hassle getting accreditation sorted out. The language barrier can present quite a problem at times. Before I knew it, we had at least six people working on the problem - as you can see from the expression on my face - this is a somewhat frustrating process! Anyway, we finally got going. Because of the accreditation hassles, we didn't have much time once we got to the top so things started to happen very fast - probably a good thing...didn't give me time to think. I was going in a sled that was being sent down by CBS with a small POV (point of view) camera mounted to the top. This footage will be inter-cut with actual race day footage the day of the event. There were at least 15 people around me giving me instructions - explaining where to sit, what to hold onto, how the centrifugal force would affect the sled etc. We did a test load-in to make sure we would all fit. Moments before the real ride was to begin, somebody passed me a Release Form to sign - "I Brett Lindros..." After I signed my life away, it was time for the real show. My driver was Japanese - they kept telling me how well he knew the track. (I hoped) I was in the number two position of four. My last instructions were "If the sled flips - which it probably won't - keep your head down and stay inside." Not reassuring last words. At this point, I have to admit that I was pretty nervous - there was such a commotion around me - I was at the mercy of people that I'd never met - didn't even know their names. It was exciting although at the same time I was wanted this experience over with. Don't get me wrong, I mean how many people get to ride down a mountain in a bobsled - let alone during the Olympics? Instead of the running start, we loaded in and got a push by some of the other bobsledders. At the beginning I felt like I was on a roller coaster at Canada's Wonderland. This sensation was brief. After the second turn we suddenly started to pick up momentum - I felt the sled get sucked down. The pressure was unbelievable - I felt my body get pressed down to the base of the sled. Turn 5 or 6 - I'm losing track by now. Even through my helmet - the noise was intense. Here is a comparison of the feeling inside the sled -you know the feeling inside a sports car when it hugs the road and you are pushed down into your seat -CANDY! Multiply by 50. They told me I was pulling 4 g`s in the corners-not enough to make you sick but enough to get you thinking about it. Some other interesting facts- when the sled is going high in the corners it feels as though you are horizontal even though you are vertical accelerating through the turns. In competition, the guys behind the driver keep their heads down to reduce drag but I kept my head up the entire time for the full effect. After you really get going it is difficult to anticipate the turns and so I ended up being tossed around. By the end of the ride I was getting used to the speed but the corners were killer and before I knew it, I heard the sound of the brakes hitting the ice. This is the job of the fourth guy in the sled. The gold medal winner will have a time of around 53 seconds and it took us 57 sec.- not bad with my cranium hanging out! At the end of the ride, I felt very funky; it took me a while to get my bearings. The guys in my sled were laughing at me- we shook hands as I tried to collect myself. To be honest, I thought bobsledding was glorified tobogganing, but with the rate of speed we traveled and the split second timing of the drivers this sport is anything but. I don't think you can appreciate the steepness and angle of the curves on TV. I got a lift back to the top and had a chance to watch the teams practice . It was cool to see the real guys in action . We walked down the pathway that runs along the side of the track - good thing that we did this after my run. It was amazing to see the bobsleds come screaming by - I can't believe that I had just done the same thing. Needless-to-say, this was an incredible experience. I think it will take a few more days until it really sinks in. Can't wait to show my buddies the video when I get back home...
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