Thursday, February 3, 2022

Day 378- 2022 Winter Olympic Opens- Your own Olympic Adventure Awaits in Lake Placid NY - remembering then bobsled

 



Today is the opening for the 2022 Winter Olympics.  The winter games are a showcase of  winter adventures. We get to view the  sharp serpentine turns in alpine skiing, rat- a- tat bounce of mogul skiing, air in freestyle and long jump, grace in figure skating, endurance in cross country skiing and the trajectory speed in the bobsled and skeleton races. There is just so much action except maybe for curling- the jury is still out about that one.  Lake Placid NY, which was home of the 1980 winter games, is a place where you can venture on  your own Olympic experience.

The Adirondack Mountains  (Whiteface Mountain) and Lake Placid New York is a doable drive 8.5 hours from Pittsburgh.  Once you reach the Adirondacks, you will experience the mountain beauty and some of the best alpine skiing in the east at Whiteface Mountain Ski Resort  (see Day 187). 

The negative digit temperatures of February's east artic blast can be mitigated by visiting the  Olympic Sports Complex . There is a museum and a tour that will recreate the drama of the 1980 US Hockey win over the Russians, forever coined as the "Miracle on Ice." You can skate indoors where the figure skaters competed or enjoy the outside oval of the Olympic speed skating track. You will marvel at size of the jumps up close and watch the jumpers at the ski jump complex. There is plenty of  cross country skiing  but for the brave, a ride on the bobsled track is the pinnacle of an Olympic adventure.  

Reflection
In 2017, I took  my  philosophy  of celebrating life by “keeping some type of forward trajectory” literally  when I ventured on the bobsled. I always marveled 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 a new year of new experiences!
Great experience with my son



 Over the years, I have watched bobsled teams crashes (see US bobsled team crash).  The bobsled  seemed  way  too dangerous even if it was a "ride."  Now I was with my son ready to “brave it.”  

At Lake Placid, although it’s a little slower at about 55 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 but smiling nonetheless.  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. It really is a ride full of anticipation.  
Get a picture with brakeman and runner  at end to prove that you made it. 

Just like the Jamaican Olympic bobsled team, I felt the thrill of being in an unlikely environment  with the Bobsled Experience.  When watching the power house action of the 2022 Olympics consider taking your own adventure in Lake Placid and don't forget the bobsled.

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
Whiteface web cam https://whiteface.com/mountain/webcams/
Bobsled Expereince https://mtvanhoevenberg.com/todo/lake-placid-bobsled-experience/
View video Bobsled Experience https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJlq-9rT0JU 
Calgary Olympic Bobsled Crash https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hITRkroHGgI