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INDPETH: CHRIS HARRISBobsleigh
Idol: The athletes
It's safe
to say bobsleigh flies well below even the most hardcore sports fan's
radar.
Canadian kids dream of scoring a Stanley Cup-winning goal or clubbing
a homer in Game 7 of the World Series. Shoving a fiberglass-and-steel
sled down an ice track doesn't normally register.
It made me wonder – what type of athlete turns up for a bobsleigh
tryout? How does a rather inaccessible and relatively obscure winter
sport attract top athletic talent from across the country?
From a 40-year-old plumber attempting a bobsleigh comeback to an ex-track
star hoping to rebound from a serious groin injury, the answers were
as diverse as the wide spectrum of the eight personalities who showed
up at a recent Bobsleigh Canada recruitment
session in Toronto.
Here's a look at five people who attended the tryout.
Al Hough, 40, Kirkland Lake, Ont.
Al Hough looks every bit a bobsleigh athlete. His massive shoulders
and thick calf muscles nearly burst out of his tight workout garb.
The salt-and-pepper splash of hair above his ears gives him the experienced
look of a national team coach or trainer. He's neither.
It turns out Big Al is attempting a return to competitive bobsleigh
at age 40. The lifelong track and field athlete is a previous development
camp success story.
Hough, who now resides in Newmarket, Ont., has spent most of the past
two decades in the plumbing business, a profession he took up following
his collegiate track career at Louisiana State University. He still
found time to train hard and compete on a national level in decathlon,
discus, hurdles and shot put, among other disciplines.
He turned up at the Toronto tryout two years ago and impressed his
way through all the trials to eventually land a spot in Pierre Lueders'
four-man Canadian World Cup crew in 2003-04.
Then, after just one year on the tour, Big Al retired. With a mortgage
to pay and a family to support, Hough found it too financially demanding
to continue his bobsleigh career. Plumbing proved more lucrative than
pushing a sled.
"I wanted to settle down a little more. We had just bought a new house,
and basically, I wanted to make some money," Hough said.
"It's not a sport where you make a lot of money, so the first year
I did it, I went into debt. If I was by myself, it wouldn't be a problem,
but when you've got dependents, it's different."
Big Al has been lured back into bobsleigh by the prospect of representing
Canada at the 2006 Olympics in Turin. It's his lifelong dream and
he's hungry.
"A medal, that would be nice," Hough said. "But making the [Olympic]
team is a big goal. All my life, that's all I've trained for."
Liam Card, 25, Paisley, Ont.
Bobsleigh could spoil Liam Card's plans for a beach holiday this summer.
"If I get the call [to attend the summer development camp], I'm going
to have to cancel the two-week vacation in Bermuda and schedule my
summer plans around the two weeks in Calgary," said Card, a former
NCAA sprinter on an athletic scholarship.
Card has never pushed a sled in his life, yet he's in Toronto giving
it his all with hopes of making the winter sport his ticket back into
high-performance athletics.
The two-time Canadian junior 400-metre champion hung up his competitive
track spikes last August after graduating from the University of North
Carolina and failing in his bid to crack the 2004 Athens Olympic team.
One of his coaches later forwarded him the Bobsleigh Canada invite,
and Card – a guy always game for a new challenge – accepted.
"I continued lifting [weights] and I continued jogging and stayed
fit," said Card. "[My track coach] said, 'Liam, you're too young to
stop training, especially at the level you were at. Why don't you
come out and try for this?'"
Card's dedication to fitness also helped him land full-time employment
outside his sporting life. While preparing for Athens, he worked as
a personal trainer for a senior vice-president at CIBC Wood Gundy.
"We got along famously. He said, 'Liam, if it doesn't work in Athens,
I think you should think about the investment business and I'd be
willing to hire you as a rookie,'" Card said.
Card took him up on the offer and has worked in Toronto as an associate
at CIBC Wood Gundy since September. Now he must wait to see if bobsleigh
is about to take him down yet another path.
Ryan McConnell, 26, London, Ont.
Ryan McConnell appears much more at ease than his fellow bobsleigh
recruits, displaying no evidence of nerves. He even cracks jokes with
development coordinator Matt Hindle.
There's good reason for his cool demeanour. McConnell is another national
program success story who already has a season of international bobsleigh
under his belt.
McConnell's introduction to the sport came at a whirlwind pace. The
London, Ont., native received an e-mail from his track coach shortly
before a Toronto tryout last year. Two days later, he drove to the
city and began a journey that eventually took him across Europe.
"I got into bobsleigh through a couple friends. I decided to try out
after finishing my track career and education at (the University of
Western Ontario)," said McConnell.
"I did pretty well in my testing, made the team, and then eventually
just built up my strength, speed and experience pushing the sled and
got to go on the Europa Cup," bobsleigh's version of the minor leagues.
McConnell spent last year traveling through Germany, Austria and Switzerland,
representing Canada on the Europa Cup circuit. He also competed in
the two-man and four-man events at the world junior championships
because, at 26, it was his last year of eligibility for the event.
"Next season, my goals are either to get back onto the Europa Cup
or maybe even the World Cup. To get on the World Cup is the pinnacle
of any sport," said McConnell. "Just competing with those guys would
be something great to achieve."
Chinedu Amadi, 27, Hamilton
Watching Chinedu Amadi sprint is a spectacular sight. He explodes
off the start line and his lean, muscular figure swiftly transforms
into a streaming blur.
Amadi's speed is all the more impressive considering the physical
challenges he's battled over the past couple years.
"In 2002, I was ranked No. 1 in Canada in 60 metres. I got invited
to try out for the Olympic team, but unfortunately I had a terrible
groin injury and it's still lingering today," said Amadi.
Amadi continues to rehab his injury by working with some of the best
doctors and physiotherapists in the country.
"I just wanted to come today and show my stuff. I'm glad [Bobsleigh
Canada development coordinator Matt Hindle] was proud of me and what
I did today so we'll see what happens from here," said Amadi.
"I just need to get healthy and fired up."
Amadi, a University of Guelph graduate, has dabbled in various sports
including soccer, football and track over his athletic career. An
audition with the national bobsleigh team proved too intriguing to
pass up.
"I'm very spontaneous," said Amadi. "I said why not bobsleigh? I got
the invitation, so there must be a reason why they wanted to invite
me. I figured why not try it?"
Amadi spends a lot of time devoted to training and fitness but he's
also found professional passion as a sales and finance consultant
with Dell Canada.
Mike Ransky, 34, Grimsby, Ont.
In a one-on-one conversation, Mike Ransky is articulate, soft-spoken
and focused. But put a barbell in his hands, and this Bruce Banner
transforms into The Hulk right before your eyes.
Ransky, a professional trainer, is a high-performance athlete best
defined by one word – intensity. The Grimsby, Ont., native has
competed in track and field most of his life and he's earned a top-100
world ranking in discus, his most recent discipline of choice.
Ransky found out about the bobsleigh tryout through Al Hough, a fellow
camp attendee and workout partner. He was inspired by Hough's experience
of parlaying a previous tryout into a berth on Canada's World Cup
team.
"I've always wanted to try out for the team," said Ransky. "I've heard
about bobsledding through Al, I've watched it on TV, and I thought
I had what it took – speed and power."
Ransky wasn't afraid to put those athletic attributes on display at
the recruitment session, attempting national-team weightlifting records
in both the bench press and power clean.
This intensity is one of the attributes that's helped elevate Ransky
above most of the competition in his athletic career. But he admits
the hunger to shatter new ground can sometimes get in the way of results.
"If you've got the ability and have done the training, you're gonna
get a good result," said Ransky. "That's how I've failed in my athletic
career. I've been chasing, expecting, instead of letting it happen
and enjoying the ride. I don't always have to break all the records
… Let your talent speak for itself and the results will come. Don't
fight yourself. It took me years to learn that. That's advice I was
given when I was 19.
"I think the testosterone is coming down a bit [with age]. I swear,
when it starts to come down, it opens your eyes."
Now, with the 2006 Torino Games around the corner, Ransky is more
focused than ever and has his sights set on something that's eluded
him so far in his sporting career.
"I want to go to the Olympics. I want to represent the country, that's
important to me. That's every athlete's dream."
Hey Chris! Awesome story!
I've always wondered about bobsledding. I know I've sort of thought of it as a big sledding track and how much fun it would be to bobsled. Also how I've said to myself many times, "I could do that!" But now after reading your article I can [say] that it's more than meets the eye.
This was a very interesting exposé into the beginnings of a bobsledding team. And now that I know there are tryouts for this thing, I think I'll try my hand at it next year or something! So it's off to the gym ...
Brian Mortotsi
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Chris Harris joined CBC.ca in 1999. His web travels
have taken him from election and Stanley Cup coverage to a three-year stint with
CBC4Kids. Chris joined Sports Online as a writer/editor in 2002, shortly after
working on the Salt Lake City Olympics. Chris holds a High Honours B.A. in Film
Studies from Carleton University and a Print Journalism diploma from Sheridan
College.
How it works
Athletes from other sports are invited to try out for the national
bobsleigh team. Impress the recruiter enough and you could snag a
figurative golden ticket to Calgary to participate in the summertime
national development training camp. There, athletes are put through
the paces of Bobsleigh 101, learning everything from pushing to sled
maintenance. Those who perform well are invited to the national team
selection races for a shot to crack the Canadian World Cup or Olympic
squad.
The testing
Bobsleigh Canada performs five tests in its search for speedy, powerful
and explosive athletes. They are:
1. 30-metre and 60-metre sprints
2. 15-kg resistance pull
3. Power clean (weightlifting)
4. Front squat (weightlifting)
5. Bench press (weightlifting)
Related links
Bobsleigh
Canada: Learn more about the recruitment sessions and competitive
standards
FIBT: The official
website of bobsleigh's international governing body
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