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
Bobsled Experience http://www.whiteface.com/activities/bobsled-experience
View Bobsled Experience https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJlq-9rT0JU
Calgary Olympic Bobsled Crash https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hITRkroHGgI
Jamaican Bobsled Team https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nm4DjRcmoPY
Lake Placid Olympics https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1980_Winter_Olympics