Day 4 of Training camp

Day four was D day. This was the day that I was going to be tested to see if I advance to the next level and join the US skeleton team. I had been practicing all week for this pinnacle day and my nervous were shot.

My usually routine was to grab some breakfast and prepare for meetings, but this day was different from most. I could barely eat my banana and clear my mind. All I could think about was the testing that was going to be happening earlier in the morning. I had to be prepared for the worst just in case I do not pass.

The testing came and I felt pretty comfortable at where I stood. I had to squat three set max, Clean lift and shot toss a certain length. The coaches would assess a certain point system to each of the events. In my case I needed to score 600. When all was said and done I had made the cut. I could not believe I had passed the threshold and I was going to be invited to continue. I was now on the US Skeleton developmental team and had a brand new tee-shirt and hoodie to show for it.

I was on cloud nine. I could not believe I had just made the next level and would continue my dream. I knew that later on that night I was going to be sliding with a huge smile because it would not be my last.

That night we were sliding from stop 1 which is the very top of the track. This would be the first time we would be sliding the whole mile on this curvy course. We had plenty of battle wounds to show from our pervious runs, such as nice large bruises and some nicks here and there, which we displayed to anyone who asked. They were a bit painful when you did brush up on a curve navigating through the course.

THIS WAS THE DAY WE FOUND OUT WHAT THE DUCT TAPE WAS FOR. Since we are quite beginners and we did not have the suits the other athletes had, we would take the yoga mat and duct tape it as bumpers. This helped form a layer of protection from the ice. We were the redneck version of a slider.

I do have to say that the duct tape worked like a charm. Who would have known that a yoga mat and duct tape would be something you would be wishing for in a time like this? I know that I would never have thought of it.

By the end of the night I had completed my 2 slides and was heading to the after party. It was our last night together as a training class and we headed down to the local pub. They were a wonderful group of people that I had grown really close with in such a short amount of time. We had a fun time remembering every bump in the ice and every weight we lifted.

Day 3 of training camp

On day 3, I felt like a truck had run me over.  I think exhaustion hit and my body had finally caught up to me.  It was Wednesday and I knew, I didn’t have to borrow anyone’s shorts today because today was the day my package would arrive.  I felt bad I had to borrow my teammates shorts, but you do what you have to do to make the US National team right?

The day started out with a nice healthy breakfast and my daily routine at the gym.  I continued to work very hard at all the different combine events such as the flying sprints, the shot toss and clean lifts.  I was making progress and noticed that the coaches were in the corner watching from a distance.  I tried not to be nervous, but you just can’t help feeling their eyes burning on your back as you start your routine.   Eventually they ventured over to me.  They hadn’t pulled me aside before, but I am assuming it’s because I had pants and now I was wearing the borrowed shorts and they saw the massive calves I had. 

The Coaches said I had a lot of potential for the skeleton and that I should start focusing on that because I did not have the height for the bobsled.  They said that I could continue with the bobsled routine however it would take me much longer to get to the point the other girls were at because they had 2-3 inches of muscle to push the 600 pound sled. 

Since I had done the skeleton and felt as if I was in control, I had to agree with them.  This was my way to get on the national team and do it all on my own.  At the back of my mind I still wanted to try the bobsled to see if perhaps it would inspire me to stay with the program

After Lunch I had some time to run by to see if my package had arrived.  I desperately needed my shorts because my testing was to begin tomorrow and I wanted to feel like a whole person again.  Sure enough there was my package from FED-EX waiting for me to open.  To my surprise a card fell out of the bag along with my shorts.  I anxiously peeled the card apart and there in the letter was a big picture of Michelle and Piper (my dog) with the lettering “Anja’s #1 Fan.”  That wasn’t the end of it…… As I open the card Tina Turner belted out “You are simply the best.”

 I turned several shades of red since I had no idea what was happening.  The group I was with could not contain themselves.  Michelle had done it again.  She always has a way to find the right way to calm me down in stressful situation and this one hit a straight to my heart.  With my new found motivation I changed and readied myself for the skeleton

Once we arrived at the track I was ready to slide.  I had finally memorized the track and felt much more comfortable then the two previous days.  They had also moved us back two more stops so I would be sliding for a much longer time period.  Since I was further back I had the need for speed and I sure did.  I was at a cursing speed of 60 miles an hour.  A couple of curves, I barely nudged the lip of the track and came out wearing some neat bruises but it show that I had a good time. 

Anja's need for Speed

Day 2 of Lake Placid Training camp

The morning started out as a daze. I had woken up a few times and not known where I was. It was probably from all the nervousness of the day before or my lovely roommate who kept eating throughout the night all the food I stocked in the fridge. Needless to say I was up and ready to find the cafeteria and grab a quick bite before I headed to the gym.

The routine was something I was used to. I did some Olympic Squats (it’s different than normal squat and much harder to do) lots of running drills and some clean lifts. This is all the routine stuff you have to do off the ice in order to perfect the art of Skeleton. I decided to train with a guy because the Amazon girls were very intimidating and I knew that he could push me further to just make the team. After of 3 hours of training, I headed to lunch where I had A LOT of fruit to pick from. If you know me well enough I love my fruits and could not live without them.

After some quick safety meetings and paper work to fill out, we were off to slide. The sheer thrill of having them hand you a sled along with the awesome tunnel of ice was very exhilarating. I was ready to see what all the fuss was about and find out if I really could hang with the big kids. For safety reason they made us walk the track so we can see first-hand where we were sliding. This will also help when I am planning the best route to take when I am flying down the track at 60 miles an hour.

That night was my new awakening. The first slide was not pretty but I had such a rush that I had to do it again. My second run I felt like a pro. After all was said and done I had the fast time in the group. This was including all the guys. I couldn’t help having a smile on my face that night as I went to bed. I found my new passion.

DAY 1 of US training Camp

The faithful day arrived in March where I was packing my stuff to go to US training center to see if I could be one of the few and the proud to make it to the team.  The ticket was bought and I had a list of supplies that they gave to me that I happily ran to my local Sports Authority to buy.  A couple pairs of slider pants, some elbow pads, knee pads, some extra shorts, a yoga mat and duct tape.  Now everything on the list sounded like something you would need BUT the yoga mat and duct tape.  I was very curious to find out what I was going to use that for, but I thought perhaps I misunderstood them.  Oh well at least I would have it just in case

It took me the whole evening to pack all my stuff. I had piles of things lying around me and I kept trying to stay organize.  I could only bring one bag because these airlines are charging an arm and a leg to bring a second bag and besides I was only going to be gone a week right?  After packing and repacking I was satisfied with what I had and was ready to go for the next day. 

Upon my arrival to the Albany airport, I realized that after packing all day I did not pack ANY of my shorts.  I was panicking and the one person I knew would be up would be Michelle.  She said she would overnight my shorts and I should have them really soon.  Thank god for having someone at home ready to ship things when I need them.

Once I had my nerves settled I sat and waited for the other people who were trying out to arrive.  The airport was quite small however, I knew immediately who they were; Large Amazon looking woman walking toward me with a huge grin. These people without a doubt were going to be on the one way stop to Lake Placid.  They all seemed super tall compared to my 5’4 statured. 

Out of nowhere a voice on the intercom was announcing where we needed to go.  “Will the athletes waiting for the Olympic Training please meet in the baggage claim.”  You could hear a pin drop at the airport as everyone turned to stare at our athletic group of people.  I could tell you I felt like I was one of the famous people that people didn’t know their name.  All I could do was follow my group to the next location.

Once we arrived at the center they processed us and gave us our credentials.  You needed to have a badge at all times while at the center.  I was on my way to seeing if this was what I really wanted to do. 

The Layout was like a school dorm where there three people to a room. It was equipped with a private bathroom some closet space and a twin size bed.  It was connected to a living room which sported a flat screen TV and several couches.  They of course had a large gym adorned with Olympic rings and varies gym equipment for the athletes staying there.  Cardio room was open 24 hours just in case you cannot sleep and wanted to keep working on your Olympic dream in the middle of the night.

The night ended with a few meetings with the Bobsled and Skeleton Coach speaking about the training program.  They also and setup the expectation of our training for the next several days.  Today was ours to relax and PREPARE for what was next.