Olympic Bobsled Tryouts Come to Poughkeepsie
Open tryouts for the Olympic Bobsled Team are coming to Poughkeepsie and Team USA's coach explains how you can make the cut.
Unlike most other Olympic sports, athletes rarely pursue bobsledding from an early age. There are actually only two bobsled courses in the country, making it hard for young athletes to be exposed to the sport or even try it out. In fact, most Olympic bobsledders are discovered later in life at open auditions.
It's very possible that someone from the Hudson Valley who attends the tryout could be training for the team next month...
On Friday, August 14 you can find out if you have what it takes to be an Olympic Bobsledder. Team USA will be holding a combine test at Northstar Sports on Page Park Drive in Poughkeepsie starting at 10am. Anyone can try out for the team by just stopping in and showing the coaches what you've got.
USA Skeleton coach Brian McDonald explained to us that the team is looking for athletes, not weekend warriors. People who have experience playing football, basketball and other traditional or non-traditional sports could potentially have the skills needed to become a gold medal winner.
Speed is the key. McDonald says that applicants will be tested by running 30, 45 and 60-meter sprints. Another part of the test consists of a weight toss and broad jump, which measures an athlete's "explosiveness." Bobsledding is all about exploding out of the gate and pushing a sled as fast as possible in the shortest amount of time.
Fishkill resident Colin Campbell was recently discovered by the team during open tryouts and is one of the bobsledders that is now being looked at as possibly being a part of the 2018 games.
Athletes who are lucky enough to pass the open tryouts will be invited to rookie camp in Lake Placid where they will learn to push a real bobsled on a track. McDonald says that it's very possible that someone from the Hudson Valley who attends the tryout could be training for the team next month and competing for a championship in Europe a few months after that.
More details on the recruitment process are available at the USA Bobsled and Skeleton website or by stopping by the tryout on Friday.
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