I think I'm addicted to the Winter Olympics. I originally wrote a post writing about why I wouldn't be watching the Olympics this year, yet I look up and discover that I've watched more of this Olympics than I have of any other Winter or Summer Olympics.

With that being said, I do go back and forth on whether or not some of these events are "athletic events." I was watching the Bobsled races and I found myself thinking that this is basically a contest for gravity. Granted, I know you have to have a good start which requires running, but once you get into that sled, it's basically just a matter of hoping gravity pulls you down the hill faster than the other contestants.

Being 12 years old in 1989 means that I've seen "Cool Runnings" more than a few times. I know that every bobsledding team has a "driver." But calling this person a "driver," is like calling someone who plays "Halo" a Marine. There are basically two levers that you pull at opportune times, but it's not like you have total control of that sled and can throw it into reverse at will.

I've always wondered what the people who sit behind the driver are thinking. Despite what I wrote above, I know that there's a skill to driving a sled. But the people in the back, they're just there for extra weight. All they do is help you get started, then just tuck their heads down for a fun ride. I wouldn't mind getting a gold medal for doing that.

Being on a Bobsled team is really nothing more than being on a Roller Coaster team. Have you seen the way those bobsleds get thrown around? It must be a pretty hard core ride.

I would imagine the people who sit behind the driver repeat a mantra of some kind. Mine would be, "Don't crash! Don't crash! Don't crash! Don't crash! Don't crash!" I might even chant this to the driver.

One thing that really tickles me as funny, is that bobsledding is what these people DO! This is more or less their job. They get nice lucrative contracts from...ummm...bobsledding, helmet, and lycra companies. That must be pretty cool. But anyways, this is what they DO! Can you imagine a job like that?

But I began to wonder. We've all had days where we weren't really feeling that well. Maybe you had too much to drink the night before. Maybe you are on the tail end of the flu. Maybe you have a migraine. We've all gone to work with such ailments, and we've all made it to the end of the day just fine.

But what do you do if your job involves riding what is basically an ice roller coaster? If you went to *that* job with a hangover, or a migraine, I'd imagine that you'd find yourself with a helmet full of vomit. It's one thing to skip out of practice, but I'd imagine that some people have these same ailments during competition play. I guess if one were to vomit in their helmet, they'd just have to stick it out until they got to the bottom of the hill. Nothing's more refreshing than being cold and having a helmet full of last night's bean tacos.

What gets me about the bobsledding race is that it really does seem like a contest about which sled gravity can pull down the fastest. I know that there's so much more to this, but when the first and sixteenth place are separated by a second, it really seems like it's just a matter of luck.

But what do I know about bobsledding? Not much!

matt out