Wednesday, January 11, 2017

Day 186 Bobsled Experience-Lake Placid

Ready for the bobsled experience!

 I took  my  philosophy  of celebrating life by “keeping some type of forward trajectory”  expressed in Day 185 literally  when I ventured on a bobsled  at the Olympic Sports Complex in Lake Placid. I love watching the bobsled  races during the Winter Olympics. I marvel at the skill it takes to get the sled over  80 mph with only gravity and the manpower of teammates pushing it on a  narrow, banked, concrete, ice covered, twisting course.   It is dangerous, exciting, and fast. This is the perfect way to start my 2017 year of new experiences!
Great experience with my son



Reflection
 During the Calgary  Olympics, I recall watching the US bobsled team crash and thought that  this was way  too dangerous for me. Now  I was with my son ready to “brave it.”  At Lake Placid, although it’s a little slower at about 50 mph, you  can  experience the feeling of  being catapulted down a twisting iced course. It felt  like a roller coaster going right, up the bank, and to the left with the simultaneous  swoosh of  wind and the sound of scraping ice.  You  feel the speed. Even though  the ride is only a few minutes, I exited  feeling tipsy  and a little off balance but smiling none the less.  My son and I walked away with that “wow feeling!”   (view video of bobsled)



There are only a few places where you can do this and Lake Placid is one of them. I will admit that on the day that we were there,  we felt rushed through the process and there was little dialogue from our drivers as we were hurried along. I am told that this is usually not the case because it is really all about the experience since the ride is so quick.  After you sign the waver, the cost is $95 a turn and you get a tee-shirt, pin, and picture.   
End of ride with our brakeman and runner 
Just like the Jamaican Olympic team, I felt the trill of being in an unlikely environment  with the Bobsled Experience. I would definitely  do it again. Maybe in 2018 I will keep trying new things with  the Skeleton Experience!

Spiritual Reflection
But forget all that-it is nothing compared to what I am going to do. For  I am about to do a brand-new thing.  See, I have already begun! (Isaiah 41:18-19)

Other sources
Calgary Olympic Bobsled Crash https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hITRkroHGgI