We have 5 brakewomen and 3 drivers on the National Bobsled team, so there will always be two brakemen as alternates on standby. As a rookie brakemen I won't get many chances to compete this season and will mainly be an alternate (which is still an amazing experience). However, I had the opportunity to race in two races of the Europa Cup this week in Königssee, Germany. It was awesome!
On Friday I raced with Jazmine Fenlator and we finished on the podium in 5th place! Then on Saturday I raced with Elana Meyers and we fought to finish with the gold in 1st place! This was definitely all Gods doing! Especially considering how close Saturdays race was.
Its funny how we take things for granted and forget that our american holidays are not always celebrated around the world. In fact, the rest of the world thinks that half of the stuff we americans do is just plain craziness.
We celebrated Thanksgiving in Germany as one big bobsled family. The people at the hotel restaurant even did a fabulous job at using Google to look up exactly how to make things like mashed potatoes, stuffing, and cranberry sauce.
Bobsled Thanksgiving in Koenigsee, Germany
Earlier in the week a few of us took a journey to discover some old WWII Nazi tunnels. It was crazy to think that such a peaceful country was terrorized by this horrible war and genocide just a few decades ago. Several people around this area even still have vivid memories of it all.
Whether you are a sports fan or not, you have probably heard about the recent firing of the legendary football coach, Joe Paterno, from Penn State University. Neither Joe Paterno or the Penn State University President were directly involved with the abuse that took place on their campus. They were not guilty of committing the crime. They didn't do anything, and that is precisely the problem. They did nothing.
It is easy for us to point fingers at this tragedy and think to ourselves, "How could someone just allow that to happen?" However, the sad reality of the situation is that we are all facing similar situations in our lives. The question is, will we do something about it, or will we do nothing?
Think about it. How many times have we as individuals simply done nothing when someone else needed a friend, a bite to eat, someone to listen, or simply someone to stand up for them.
I've been in Austria for six days now and keep thinking about the horrible holocaust that took place here several years ago. The history of this place constantly reminds me of the current slavery, human trafficking, and genocide taking place around the world at this very instant. Situations like the holocaust are alive and growing. More than 27 million people are in slavery today. About 1.5 million children are homeless in the good ole' USA. And what are we doing about it?
The point I'm trying to make out of this is that we will all still be held accountable and found guilty for simply doing nothing. God calls us to seek justice, and be a voice for the voiceless. Refuse to do nothing.
Saturday may have been the longest day of my life, literally. After a long trip from Lake Placid, NY we finally arrived in Munich, Germany. From there we unloaded our crates full of sleds and equipment into big Mercedes vans and drove to Austria. The crazy thing is that the vans are stick shift and none of us really have any experience driving a stick, especially not through the Alps. But we made it safely to Igls, Austria, unloaded our crates, and then recovered from the jet lag. Check out our video from the day below:
Eight months ago, if you would have told me that tomorrow I'd be leaving to bobsled around Europe as a part of the US National Team I dont know if I would have believed you. Even one month ago I would have been skeptical. But thanks to God, it's really about to happen! Here is the schedule for the first half of the season!
11/11 - 11/20 Igls, Austria
11/21 - 11/27 Konigssee, Germany
11/28 - 12/4 Igls, Austria
12/5 - 12/11 LaPlange, France
12/12 - 12/18 Winterburg, Germany
It seems like God tends to enjoy displaying His power and glory by using average people to do extraordinary things. He loves a good underdog story. After all, He used a small shepard boy named David to defeat a giant warrior and He used Gideon to lead a tiny army to a huge victory.
I've just had one of those experiences where the only possible expalaniation to my underdog victory is simply God's graceful awesomeness. Let me explain:
Bobsledding is set up kind of like baseball. Just like professional baseball has the minor leagues, bobsledding has the Americas Cup. Then you have Major League Baseball which is an entirely different ballgame, and the equivilent to MLB in bobsledding is the World Cup.
It didnt seem like there was a chance in the world for me to make the World Cup Team this season. Especially considering that I am viewed as the smallest and weakest athlete in the womens bobsled program. So when I was asked to go on the Americas Cup tour after Push Championships in September, I said YES! I was pretty stoked about it. Heck, I even quit my job for it.
But I wanted more. When I came to Lake Placid for Team Trials in early October I decided not to accept the expectations set for me. I knew I wasn't going to have many chances to prove myself and that when my opportunity came I had to make every moment count. Afterall, I had nothing to loose.
I made the most of my opportunities, and praise the Lord, I was moved up to the National World Cup Team! The only possible explanation for all of this is God. Its all because of His grace and I truely believe He has placed me on this team for a reason. According to the bobsled world, I was not supposed to be on the National Team this season. However one thing is for sure, you can expect the unexpected with God.
There is still a long road ahead. The dream is not finisished and there is still work to be done. I don't know how long or far this bobsled road will last, but as long as I'm following Christ it will be an amazing adventure.
If you've seen the movie "The Rookie" then you've basically heard my story. Just like in the movie, I was a coach who taught my athletes to dream big. Then I left my girls for my dreams. I just pray that others are motivated by my experience.
