December 09, 2008
Greetings and Salutations to everyone,
Cheers to the up coming CHRISTmas Holiday. Just wanted to update you all on a few things that have been going on with me.
Ok, (my e-mail so yes I CAN start an e-mail with Ok...DON'T JUDGE ME! LOL) so I do not know if I had mentioned it this summer but for a little while during my training I started to have some weakness in my left lower leg about three weeks before we had our Push Championships. I along with my trainers in Colorado were not sure why this was occurring but we assumed it was being caused by a pinched nerve somewhere in my hip, back or knee. Thinking this was the problem I began to do therapy 3 times a day to get my leg better before I really needed to use it in Push Championships. My trainers had me doing specialized exercises to help me regain strength in my lower leg, placing my leg in a cold tub, having ice and stem (electric stem machine sends low pulses of electricty down your leg to stimulate your muscle which helps with the healing proccess) formed on my leg basically doing everything I could do to get better. By the time Push Championships came I was definitely a lot better off then a few weeks earlier.
This brings me to today, a few weeks ago I began to experience the same symptoms again with my leg. Now I am getting mad! I am looking at my leg like "Seriously Leg! Are you Kidding Me,This Is What I Get Are You Serious"! My leg said nothing back of course, which made me more mad! (Its ok if I am a little crazy and come on...I throw myself down a sheet of ice at 90 plus miles an hour on a regular basics......we all knew something was not right upstairs! lol)
I let my trainers here in Placid know what's going on and the history of my leg, and they too figured it was a pinched nerve so once again I began the same treatment proccess as before. But this time I was not completely convinced that it was only a pinched nerve. Fortunately for me though this time my symptoms happened to occur right when we had a group of specialist come in to provide all the World Cup Athletes with a base line health examination. We had and EKG taken to look at our, blood drawn to check protein and cholesterol levels, our team doctor/arthroscopic surgeon Dr. Byrne, impact pact analysis done which examined our concussion history, Ultrasound Specialist looking at any known problem issues for each athlete, and a neurologist.
While being examined by the Neurologist I informed him about what was going on with me, he immediately began looking at my leg. He noticed that I was suffering from some muscle atrophy in my left leg in correlation to my right leg, along with some loss in strength. After our examinations were done I told my Trainers and Dr. Byrne what the neurologist had said, Dr. Byrned suggested that I have another Ultra Sound done in my leg and hip area again just to make sure nothing was missed. Once those results came back negative he suggested that I have X-Rays of my legs, back and hips to make sure no nerves were being pinched in any area. After all those X-Rays came back negative I had an MRI done on my back and hip to look a little bit deeper. The MRI was also negative making the situation more frustrating because I knew something is wrong but nothing was showing up!
I continued to talk to Dr. Byrne about what I was feeling in my leg, as Dr. Byrne listened to me, one more test popped up in his head. He decided that I should be tested for Compartment Syndrome http://www.cnn.com/HEALTH/library/DS/00789.html. Now here comes the fun part......to test for Compartment Syndrome it requires that they take a base line numbers from four different spots on each of your legs, 8 spots total. This required them to stick a needle, about the thickness of a writing pen stem into my lower leg in four different spots on each leg. The needle is attached to a gage that displays the pressure at each point. The normal persons baseline is usually around 15-20.....guess I am not normal my baseline started off at 30-35, yeah not good! lol When Dr. Byrne saw this he knew immediately that he was on the right track, but we still needed to complete the testing to make sure. After my baseline was taking Dr.Byrne had me run on a treadmill and several drills to cause my symptoms flared up. Once my legs were fatigued and flared up, Dr.Byrne had only a minute to do the needle test again on my legs. Dr.Byrne expected my the numbers to increase a little bit but me being the special person I am my numbers jumped up to 105, 85, 90 and mid 50's in some spots! Just for the record that is not a good thing at all with a potential to be dangerous.
What does this mean you ask?...well I shall tell you..... STOP BEING SO DEMANDING OF ME GEESSS its hard to arrange these thoughts! lol It means that in my lower legs, when blood starts to pump strongly causing my muscles to expand there is not enough room for them to do so, because the fascia which in-cases my muscles restricts the expansion to much. So at the end of the season I will have surgery where Dr.Byrne will go in and cut away some of this fascia enabling my muscles to expand the way they need. And I know some of you are thinking that I have gotten too big for my body but that's not the case so throw away all those jokes going though your heads....Amy, Rebbecca, Bobby Mac and the rest of you. lol
The truth is for some reason this condition occurs in some people regardless of athletic background, age, or muscle maturity, and the only way that has proven successful in resolving this issue is through surgery.
Of course when I found out this is what was going on I was relieved and stressed at the same time. Because at least now I knew what the source of my pain and strength loss was and at least if I have it taken care of then I do not have to worry about it aggravating me anymore while I train, but on the other hand who really likes to have surgery be it mild or massive. Keep the knives to yourself Doc I have enough in the kitchen! At least that is the way I see it. The surgery will be good though because if gone untreated the worse case scenario is that my legs could explode open from the build up in pressure which would really set me back in training a little. But I do not think that God has brought me this far to allow that to happen. In the mean time now that I know what it is I will just keep an eye on it making sure I pay more attention to how I am feeling and continuing to ice down after every practice, lifting session, and running session.
On a more personal note I stepped back and looked at my entire situation at look at the fact that my leg bothered me right before some of the most important bobsled test in my life. But I think it was God's way of getting my attention because if I was in Europe right now I would continue to push through the pain and have no clue what was going on with my leg and who knows what tragedy could have happen. Goes back to God works in Mysterious ways!
Other than that things have been going good with running, lifting, and sliding and God Continues to surround with me with good people which I am thankful for!!!! Wishing you all the Best!!!
GOD BLESS!!
Jesse
http://www.jessebeckom3.com/
http://www.jessebeckom.blogspot.com/
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Lake Placid AC Update
November 26, 2008
Good Morning Everyone,
It is almost Turkey day so be sure to have that bird marinating the night before, to ensure the seasoning mixes with the bird just right. For those of you going out to eat.....WE SALUTE YOU FOR YOU ARE AT THE MERCY OF STRANGERS!!! LOL
This past weekend was a Golden Success for my teammates and I. We won all four of the America's Cup races that were held!!!
Since there were two days of 2-man racing I split the pushing responsibility with Corey Buckner another one of the push athletes on my team, meaning that he pushed one race day with our driver and I pushed the other race day. However, when it comes to racing 2-man and determining who gets to race the driver or even a brakemen will call for a race-off against another person to see who is the fastest of the two......Yeah this time me and the other two brakemen decided to use a more scientific method to determine who will race.
I called my buddies at NASA and gave them all of our weights, body measurements, heights, dietary information, lung capacity, and temperature at the top of the track. They then took this information ran it through a few supper computers that analyzed the data taking into consideration the smallest variables. This data was designed to tell us with all things being equal which one of us would be the most efficient pusher in these weather conditions. Of course you know I am joking we all just decided to flip 3 quarters and the odd man out did not race!! LOL Come on you know I got you with the NASA Story though........You all were probably like WOW NASA helps out with Bobsled! LOL I am GOOD! It's ok Dean you can laugh buddy cause I got you too!
On another note during our race it was COLD!! 4 degrees to be exact! I know I have been in a lot of colder weather but this was the first day of it being real COLD and the first day of that kind of temperature is no fun for anyone! But through Cold, Rain, Snow, Fog we will be on that heel racing if the schedule calls for it. The amazing thing is that no matter how cold it is on the hill while I am warming up once I get to the start block all that cold is somehow blocked out, the only thing that is of consequence to me is the start time and the finish time. I go in that zone where all I hear and see is myself, my teammates and the sled. Now after we cross the finish line at the bottom the cold sets in again and I can not wait to get inside a warm building and throw my warm-up gear back on.
After the races were over a medal ceremony was held on the finish dock where bot the men's and women's teams receive their medals. I was a nice sight to see three American flags been hoisted up on the poles which represent the country of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place finishers. Once the flags are raised to their height according to ranking the National Anthem of the winning nation is played for all to hear and respect. STARS AND STRIPES WAS PLAYING ALL WEEKEND!!! I have posted pictures from this weekend on my web-page for you all to view www.jessebeckom3.com
Now that the races here in Lake Placid are over my team and I will continue to slide, weight train, and sprint as we prepare for World Championship Race off that will be held the first week of January.
I wish you all a Happy Holiday season and God Bless
Sincerely,
Jesse
Good Morning Everyone,
It is almost Turkey day so be sure to have that bird marinating the night before, to ensure the seasoning mixes with the bird just right. For those of you going out to eat.....WE SALUTE YOU FOR YOU ARE AT THE MERCY OF STRANGERS!!! LOL
This past weekend was a Golden Success for my teammates and I. We won all four of the America's Cup races that were held!!!
Since there were two days of 2-man racing I split the pushing responsibility with Corey Buckner another one of the push athletes on my team, meaning that he pushed one race day with our driver and I pushed the other race day. However, when it comes to racing 2-man and determining who gets to race the driver or even a brakemen will call for a race-off against another person to see who is the fastest of the two......Yeah this time me and the other two brakemen decided to use a more scientific method to determine who will race.
I called my buddies at NASA and gave them all of our weights, body measurements, heights, dietary information, lung capacity, and temperature at the top of the track. They then took this information ran it through a few supper computers that analyzed the data taking into consideration the smallest variables. This data was designed to tell us with all things being equal which one of us would be the most efficient pusher in these weather conditions. Of course you know I am joking we all just decided to flip 3 quarters and the odd man out did not race!! LOL Come on you know I got you with the NASA Story though........You all were probably like WOW NASA helps out with Bobsled! LOL I am GOOD! It's ok Dean you can laugh buddy cause I got you too!
On another note during our race it was COLD!! 4 degrees to be exact! I know I have been in a lot of colder weather but this was the first day of it being real COLD and the first day of that kind of temperature is no fun for anyone! But through Cold, Rain, Snow, Fog we will be on that heel racing if the schedule calls for it. The amazing thing is that no matter how cold it is on the hill while I am warming up once I get to the start block all that cold is somehow blocked out, the only thing that is of consequence to me is the start time and the finish time. I go in that zone where all I hear and see is myself, my teammates and the sled. Now after we cross the finish line at the bottom the cold sets in again and I can not wait to get inside a warm building and throw my warm-up gear back on.
After the races were over a medal ceremony was held on the finish dock where bot the men's and women's teams receive their medals. I was a nice sight to see three American flags been hoisted up on the poles which represent the country of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place finishers. Once the flags are raised to their height according to ranking the National Anthem of the winning nation is played for all to hear and respect. STARS AND STRIPES WAS PLAYING ALL WEEKEND!!! I have posted pictures from this weekend on my web-page for you all to view www.jessebeckom3.com
Now that the races here in Lake Placid are over my team and I will continue to slide, weight train, and sprint as we prepare for World Championship Race off that will be held the first week of January.
I wish you all a Happy Holiday season and God Bless
Sincerely,
Jesse
Race Update
November 19, 2008
Good Afternoon everyone!
I hope you all are having a great day. Even though my team will not be going over to Europe this first half we do have four America's Cup races here in Lake Placid this week. We have a 2-man race on Thursday and another one on Friday. One of my teammates will race on Thursday and I will race Friday with our Driver, then on Saturday and Sunday we will have a 4-man race. Unfortunately you will not be able to see the results live but you can see the finished results at www.fibt.com
However, these races do count towards our world ranking and can substituted for races on World Cup that we will miss. These race results will be important for my team as we go into our second round of Team Trials in January. Once we win the race-off for second half we will be eligible to race World Championships, the ranking we have going into World's will determine when what start number we have going into the race. World Championships is also the most important race of the season and is what the USOC (United States Olympic Committee) uses to determine our federations funding and individual funding as well.
I am continuing to train, working on my pushing and running technique to ensure that my and I ready to kick some butt going into World Championships! This will another chance for me to prove that I am one of the best in the world!
God Bless
Jesse
Good Afternoon everyone!
I hope you all are having a great day. Even though my team will not be going over to Europe this first half we do have four America's Cup races here in Lake Placid this week. We have a 2-man race on Thursday and another one on Friday. One of my teammates will race on Thursday and I will race Friday with our Driver, then on Saturday and Sunday we will have a 4-man race. Unfortunately you will not be able to see the results live but you can see the finished results at www.fibt.com
However, these races do count towards our world ranking and can substituted for races on World Cup that we will miss. These race results will be important for my team as we go into our second round of Team Trials in January. Once we win the race-off for second half we will be eligible to race World Championships, the ranking we have going into World's will determine when what start number we have going into the race. World Championships is also the most important race of the season and is what the USOC (United States Olympic Committee) uses to determine our federations funding and individual funding as well.
I am continuing to train, working on my pushing and running technique to ensure that my and I ready to kick some butt going into World Championships! This will another chance for me to prove that I am one of the best in the world!
God Bless
Jesse
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Joint Chiefs of Staff
November 5th 2008
Hello everyone sorry I am a little behind in my e-mails but I have been traveling a little bit. I will be sending you a couple of e-mails in the next week, don’t worry they will not be as long as the ones I sent a while back! lol
Occasionally at the bobsled track we have team sponsors, business people and or family who come up and receive bobsled rides to, in our actual race sleds. Well on this particular day we had the privilege of Meeting Admiral Mike Mullen Chairman Of the United States Joint Chiefs of Staff, and his counter parts from Germany, Italy, Great Britain and France. It was a great experience and honor to meet these men, something I never even thought of being able to say I have done.
There were security details all over the place; you had guys in really loose two piece suits (the suits are loose because it allows them to grab their guns quicker if need be) with wired ear pieces strategically placed along the track, the start and the finish dock. Also, as you drive up the road that leads to the start of the bobsled track there are little gravel side roads that maintenance trucks use on occasion. But...not on this particular day, on this day you saw black Lincoln Town cars parked off in the entrances to these roads with a federal agent sitting in them or just the empty car by itself. I understood the agent in the car but I thought it was weird that some of the cars were empty (I will tell you why later)....so I just thought oh well guess the guy is off in the woods adding to the circle of life or something! lol
My teammates and I were at the top of the hill/track talking with the security detail as we waited for the VIP's (The Joint Chief of Staffs for the various countries) to come up so they can see a full speed 4-man push-n-load into a sled. Before the VIP's came up a shuttle with members of the media arrived with about twenty reporters in it. They all get out with their cameras and note pads...they wanted to interview me, but I was like Listen People I have been doing interviews all day and my voice needs to rest.....I mean come on I am not a machine, but I signed a few autographs and they were happy! lol just playing! But the reporters were there, just not for me!
The VIP's were driven up to the track in four all black Ford or Mercury trucks with deep blacked tinted windows! I felt like I was watching a movie and the president was pulling up or something! After they watched the guys push and load into the four-man they all went down to a lower start where we could just sit them in a sled and push them off. This was do to avoid anyone from hurting themselves trying to actually load in a sled. As we place them in the sled we instructed them on how to position themselves, how to secure their head to prevent it from whipping back and forth, how to bump the driver's heading (Its usually a good thing if the driver can see where they are going), and where they can look up. We only put two people in the sled since we need a real bobsledder to drive and to pull the brakes of the sled at the end of the ride. After we had them situated in the sleds one of my teammates pushed the sled off for them.
Even though it was just a fun event, it was turned into a competition between the nations. However and surprisingly enough Admiral Mullen sled happened to have the fastest down time making him the winner! Who could have called that?!......LOL GO AMERICA!!! There was a medal ceremony set up and each country was awarded medals according to their finish. After the ceremony we had a chance to talk to the different Chief of Staffs and of course take a few pictures. Ironically the level of excitement and respect we had in meeting these men was reciprocated by their desire to meet us! Considering the world climate I could not help but think I am standing here joking and relaxing with some of the most powerful individuals on the planet as they take bobsled rides. This was probably a much needed break for these men and their staff though, and considering what they are in charge of who could really blame them.
I have posted a few pictures from the event on my site www.jessebeckom3.com under the media section if you want to take a look.
God Bless
Jesse
www.jessebeckom3.com
Hello everyone sorry I am a little behind in my e-mails but I have been traveling a little bit. I will be sending you a couple of e-mails in the next week, don’t worry they will not be as long as the ones I sent a while back! lol
Occasionally at the bobsled track we have team sponsors, business people and or family who come up and receive bobsled rides to, in our actual race sleds. Well on this particular day we had the privilege of Meeting Admiral Mike Mullen Chairman Of the United States Joint Chiefs of Staff, and his counter parts from Germany, Italy, Great Britain and France. It was a great experience and honor to meet these men, something I never even thought of being able to say I have done.
There were security details all over the place; you had guys in really loose two piece suits (the suits are loose because it allows them to grab their guns quicker if need be) with wired ear pieces strategically placed along the track, the start and the finish dock. Also, as you drive up the road that leads to the start of the bobsled track there are little gravel side roads that maintenance trucks use on occasion. But...not on this particular day, on this day you saw black Lincoln Town cars parked off in the entrances to these roads with a federal agent sitting in them or just the empty car by itself. I understood the agent in the car but I thought it was weird that some of the cars were empty (I will tell you why later)....so I just thought oh well guess the guy is off in the woods adding to the circle of life or something! lol
My teammates and I were at the top of the hill/track talking with the security detail as we waited for the VIP's (The Joint Chief of Staffs for the various countries) to come up so they can see a full speed 4-man push-n-load into a sled. Before the VIP's came up a shuttle with members of the media arrived with about twenty reporters in it. They all get out with their cameras and note pads...they wanted to interview me, but I was like Listen People I have been doing interviews all day and my voice needs to rest.....I mean come on I am not a machine, but I signed a few autographs and they were happy! lol just playing! But the reporters were there, just not for me!
The VIP's were driven up to the track in four all black Ford or Mercury trucks with deep blacked tinted windows! I felt like I was watching a movie and the president was pulling up or something! After they watched the guys push and load into the four-man they all went down to a lower start where we could just sit them in a sled and push them off. This was do to avoid anyone from hurting themselves trying to actually load in a sled. As we place them in the sled we instructed them on how to position themselves, how to secure their head to prevent it from whipping back and forth, how to bump the driver's heading (Its usually a good thing if the driver can see where they are going), and where they can look up. We only put two people in the sled since we need a real bobsledder to drive and to pull the brakes of the sled at the end of the ride. After we had them situated in the sleds one of my teammates pushed the sled off for them.
Even though it was just a fun event, it was turned into a competition between the nations. However and surprisingly enough Admiral Mullen sled happened to have the fastest down time making him the winner! Who could have called that?!......LOL GO AMERICA!!! There was a medal ceremony set up and each country was awarded medals according to their finish. After the ceremony we had a chance to talk to the different Chief of Staffs and of course take a few pictures. Ironically the level of excitement and respect we had in meeting these men was reciprocated by their desire to meet us! Considering the world climate I could not help but think I am standing here joking and relaxing with some of the most powerful individuals on the planet as they take bobsled rides. This was probably a much needed break for these men and their staff though, and considering what they are in charge of who could really blame them.
I have posted a few pictures from the event on my site www.jessebeckom3.com under the media section if you want to take a look.
God Bless
Jesse
www.jessebeckom3.com
Monday, October 20, 2008
A funny thing happened this morning
October 17, 2008
Good afternoon everyone,
A funny thing happened this morning after I sent out that e-mail letting you all know that I would not be able to race today. Yesterday Jacob, one of the guys on Mike Kohn's (USA 2 Driver after Team Trials last year) had some pretty bad back spasm's yesterday after their first training run. Jacob figured that it would go away in the morning, so he got some anti-inflammatory meds from the trainers in sports med. I guess he woke up this morning and he could barley walk, bend over let alone run and take a trip down a bobsled run in a race.
Now, my plan was to leave out at 9:30am to finish helping Todd and the rest of the guys get ready to race since I could not race today...or so I thought. At 9:10 am I get a call from Mike asking me if I was racing, I said no and he asked me if I wanted to race with him, so of course I said YES! I am thinking ok, God not sure what the plan is but I guess you meant for me to race and so here I am!! lol Its funny because I have just had a feeling that something was going to happen and some how I would be racing. I have also been trying to calm myself down by repeating the one verse in the bible that tells you "Not to worry because if God clothes the flowers in the fields with such beautiful pedals, and feeds the birds in the air, and how much important God considers us to be then those things, then how much more will he take care of us. Of course I my wording of the verse which I now know is Matthew 6:25 was not word for word in my head but hey I got the gist of in my head....and yeah that works for me! lol And I have just been trusting God to work things out for me and he continues to do so!
So I got to race today! Now keep in mind I have never practiced with this crew, the sled we used was a good 17yrs old if not older (because Mike did not do that good in 2-man last week and was allocated This Big Red Old German sled), this sled has been getting worked on for the last week by our coaches and Mike to attempt to get it race ready! Well in this sled that no one thought we had a chance in we took second behind USA 1 today and blew a lot of peoples mind today because we were fast!!!! This Big Red Clifford the DOG looking sled was fast!!! LOL it was a good day...and I was thrilled that I got to race today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The KID (yes I know I am 30yrs old but in a good story I refer to myself in the the third person as the KID! lol that's just what I do) is feeling pretty good today the BIG MAN has my back and I am going to roll with it!!!!
Hope everyone has a great weekend and God Bless
Jesse
Good afternoon everyone,
A funny thing happened this morning after I sent out that e-mail letting you all know that I would not be able to race today. Yesterday Jacob, one of the guys on Mike Kohn's (USA 2 Driver after Team Trials last year) had some pretty bad back spasm's yesterday after their first training run. Jacob figured that it would go away in the morning, so he got some anti-inflammatory meds from the trainers in sports med. I guess he woke up this morning and he could barley walk, bend over let alone run and take a trip down a bobsled run in a race.
Now, my plan was to leave out at 9:30am to finish helping Todd and the rest of the guys get ready to race since I could not race today...or so I thought. At 9:10 am I get a call from Mike asking me if I was racing, I said no and he asked me if I wanted to race with him, so of course I said YES! I am thinking ok, God not sure what the plan is but I guess you meant for me to race and so here I am!! lol Its funny because I have just had a feeling that something was going to happen and some how I would be racing. I have also been trying to calm myself down by repeating the one verse in the bible that tells you "Not to worry because if God clothes the flowers in the fields with such beautiful pedals, and feeds the birds in the air, and how much important God considers us to be then those things, then how much more will he take care of us. Of course I my wording of the verse which I now know is Matthew 6:25 was not word for word in my head but hey I got the gist of in my head....and yeah that works for me! lol And I have just been trusting God to work things out for me and he continues to do so!
So I got to race today! Now keep in mind I have never practiced with this crew, the sled we used was a good 17yrs old if not older (because Mike did not do that good in 2-man last week and was allocated This Big Red Old German sled), this sled has been getting worked on for the last week by our coaches and Mike to attempt to get it race ready! Well in this sled that no one thought we had a chance in we took second behind USA 1 today and blew a lot of peoples mind today because we were fast!!!! This Big Red Clifford the DOG looking sled was fast!!! LOL it was a good day...and I was thrilled that I got to race today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The KID (yes I know I am 30yrs old but in a good story I refer to myself in the the third person as the KID! lol that's just what I do) is feeling pretty good today the BIG MAN has my back and I am going to roll with it!!!!
Hope everyone has a great weekend and God Bless
Jesse
Friday, October 17, 2008
Lake Placid October Update
October 17, 2008
Good Morning Everyone!!!!
You all should be smiling because today is FRIDAY!!!!
These couple of weeks have been kind of crazy with the way things have been going. We are finally done with our physical performance testing, and I have attached a spread sheet of those results. The testing included a 60meter sprint with timing eyes placed at the 20m, 30m, 45m and 60m mark, a vertical jump, shot put test, and a sled pull test. The sled pull was omitted because the numbers were to erratic since earlier that day it had rained and some people had the advantage of pulling the sled on a wet track which cut down the friction/drag, while others pulled the sled on a dry track which increased the friction. This difference in friction led to a huge discrepancy in numbers making the timed data from the test irrelevant.
We also did some weight testing which involved the Squat and the Clean. To max out the squat you only had to do 220kilos (495lbs) for a set of 3, this is kind of light for me and I decided to just do it as part of my workout so I did 3 sets of 3. Yeah you have to put down a exclamation mark sometimes when you can!! lol I was like 220 THAT'S IT COACH?! are you serious!! Yeah I am going to go ahead and knock that out for you right quick!! LOL Just playing I did not say that but I was thinking it. But hey you have to think that sometime!
Now when it came to the Clean I am still working on some technique issues and I tested out at 160kilos(360lbs). The weight felt pretty light when I pulled it so I tried to go up in weight but I tend to let the weight get to far away from my body and my elbows bend a little to earlier at times so I was unable to pull the weight properly and I was unable to get the 165kilo I tried. Yeah NOT HAPPY ABOUT THAT!!! But hey I will keep working at cause eventually I want to get 180 kilos. But the weight I got was still one of the highest weights lifted.
Now this is where things get a little bit complicated and why I am a little bit frustrated this week. After the two man race where my driver Todd Hays(2002 Olympic Silver Medalist) and Teammate Alex sprague ended up wining by more then a second 4-man sleds were allocated out to the different drivers by our coaches. These Bodyn sleds that we use range from 210kilos to 220kilos. Now the rule is that the combined four man crew can not be more than 630 kilos. After a day of training we weighed but we got the math wrong and we thought we were only a few pounds overweight, we weighed again the next day and realized that we were 20lbs over weight. At this point it is two days before the race and the possibility of us being able to loose the body weight and keep the strength we needed to push fast and hard would happen. Some guys on the team were already light and needed to gain a few pounds, but me and another guy have been sitting in the sauna and eating less to try and make weight. We tried using a different sled but the sled was to tight for our particular crew to fit in. So unfortunately for me since I was 225lbs, and my team can not afford to just take a zero for the race I will be switched out for this race ONLY with a guy who is 205lbs. My team will loose time at the start because I am not pushing I have tested above the guy that is replacing me but hopefully my driver will drive out of his mind and the crew will push well. Yeah it would have been nice if we were able to trade sleds with a lighter crew but for some reason (which I still do not understand why not) this was not done. TIB (This Is Bobsled) I guess!
Once we get to Park City, Utah next week we will have the opportunity to get into a lighter sled, plus I have already dropped down to 218 pounds and will be 215 by the time I race out there making weight no longer a factor. I also talked to my coach about the situation and he told me that when I race in Park City the fact that I did not race in Lake Placid will not be an issue, since my performance and ability is not in doubt! It was a little comforting to hear that but at the same time I would rather be racing this week!! But this is the situation and I have to make the best of if for this one day.
My training is still going GREAT with both my strength and speed increasing and I look at it this way 215lb is the weight I was when I played football and I will just rock that weight again and get the job done!!!
Have a Great Weekend and God Bless!
Jesse
www.jessebeckom3.com
www.jessebeckom.blogspot.com
Good Morning Everyone!!!!
You all should be smiling because today is FRIDAY!!!!
These couple of weeks have been kind of crazy with the way things have been going. We are finally done with our physical performance testing, and I have attached a spread sheet of those results. The testing included a 60meter sprint with timing eyes placed at the 20m, 30m, 45m and 60m mark, a vertical jump, shot put test, and a sled pull test. The sled pull was omitted because the numbers were to erratic since earlier that day it had rained and some people had the advantage of pulling the sled on a wet track which cut down the friction/drag, while others pulled the sled on a dry track which increased the friction. This difference in friction led to a huge discrepancy in numbers making the timed data from the test irrelevant.
We also did some weight testing which involved the Squat and the Clean. To max out the squat you only had to do 220kilos (495lbs) for a set of 3, this is kind of light for me and I decided to just do it as part of my workout so I did 3 sets of 3. Yeah you have to put down a exclamation mark sometimes when you can!! lol I was like 220 THAT'S IT COACH?! are you serious!! Yeah I am going to go ahead and knock that out for you right quick!! LOL Just playing I did not say that but I was thinking it. But hey you have to think that sometime!
Now when it came to the Clean I am still working on some technique issues and I tested out at 160kilos(360lbs). The weight felt pretty light when I pulled it so I tried to go up in weight but I tend to let the weight get to far away from my body and my elbows bend a little to earlier at times so I was unable to pull the weight properly and I was unable to get the 165kilo I tried. Yeah NOT HAPPY ABOUT THAT!!! But hey I will keep working at cause eventually I want to get 180 kilos. But the weight I got was still one of the highest weights lifted.
Now this is where things get a little bit complicated and why I am a little bit frustrated this week. After the two man race where my driver Todd Hays(2002 Olympic Silver Medalist) and Teammate Alex sprague ended up wining by more then a second 4-man sleds were allocated out to the different drivers by our coaches. These Bodyn sleds that we use range from 210kilos to 220kilos. Now the rule is that the combined four man crew can not be more than 630 kilos. After a day of training we weighed but we got the math wrong and we thought we were only a few pounds overweight, we weighed again the next day and realized that we were 20lbs over weight. At this point it is two days before the race and the possibility of us being able to loose the body weight and keep the strength we needed to push fast and hard would happen. Some guys on the team were already light and needed to gain a few pounds, but me and another guy have been sitting in the sauna and eating less to try and make weight. We tried using a different sled but the sled was to tight for our particular crew to fit in. So unfortunately for me since I was 225lbs, and my team can not afford to just take a zero for the race I will be switched out for this race ONLY with a guy who is 205lbs. My team will loose time at the start because I am not pushing I have tested above the guy that is replacing me but hopefully my driver will drive out of his mind and the crew will push well. Yeah it would have been nice if we were able to trade sleds with a lighter crew but for some reason (which I still do not understand why not) this was not done. TIB (This Is Bobsled) I guess!
Once we get to Park City, Utah next week we will have the opportunity to get into a lighter sled, plus I have already dropped down to 218 pounds and will be 215 by the time I race out there making weight no longer a factor. I also talked to my coach about the situation and he told me that when I race in Park City the fact that I did not race in Lake Placid will not be an issue, since my performance and ability is not in doubt! It was a little comforting to hear that but at the same time I would rather be racing this week!! But this is the situation and I have to make the best of if for this one day.
My training is still going GREAT with both my strength and speed increasing and I look at it this way 215lb is the weight I was when I played football and I will just rock that weight again and get the job done!!!
Have a Great Weekend and God Bless!
Jesse
www.jessebeckom3.com
www.jessebeckom.blogspot.com
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Elmhurst Trip Intro
October 2, 2008
Helloooooooooo Bobsled Fans!!!!
Cheers to having a great weekend! Ok just as a warning this blog may be a little long so it’s ok if you need to take a bathroom, water or television break (for my gamers TV break includes all video games) LoL but just remember to finish reading the blog cause this is good stuff!!!! This Blog is actually in six parts so please continue to read all the blogs titled Elmhurst Trip.
God continues to bless me with opportunities on numerous levels. After 16 months I was finally able to make it back home to Chicago for six days (normally if I get a chance to get home it’s only for a few hour lay-over at O’Hare, so this was huge) thanks primarily to International Contractors Inc, http://www.iciinc.com/ one of my new sponsors who brought me in and Dr. John Jevitz my chiropractic friend from Elmhurst who set things up for me!
The story begins in a small town of Radiator Springs (direct reference to the movie Cars) where the evil Ogre had been attacking this village for more than a thousand years…..Oh sorry wrong story it is way to late for me to be typing this!!! LoL
Seriously now, this is how my recent trip to Elmhurst began. Every year the USA Olympic Training Centers rotate athletic trainers, massage therapist, and chiropractors, in and out of the facilities for approximately two week stints each rotation. This is actually a good learning experience for these medical professions and a sacrifice, since they are not paid to be there. On this particular rotation I had the pleasure of meeting John Jevitz (Doc Jev) a Chiropractor from Elmhurst, Illinois. Elmhurst is the Number One ranked suburb outside of Chicago (45 minutes from the city), and if you ever visit you will understand why it’s such a GREAT place!! I honestly met some really great hardworking blue collar minded people. Everyone I met welcomed me with open arms and their sincerity was true! It did not matter if I was talking to a waitress or CEO of a company there was no arrogance unwillingness to talk with me, the people I met in Elmhurst had good hearts and were quality people. But I digress, so while Doc Jev was working on the tendonitis occurring on my right patella tendon we began talking about where we were from and our background. This of course when we realized we were both from the Chicago area. We got to talking about football and how I got into bobsledding, and Doc Jev’s office and things, you know friendly convo.
Doc Jev asked me when the next time I would be in Chicago (this was Ironic cause I had been thinking of a way to get back home before team trials to see my family and friends), I informed him that the last time I was in Chicago was about 16 months ago and that was on a 18hr layover I booked just to see my family. I explained how erratic my travel/training schedule is every making it hard for me to get home and that I have to decide between the trips I want to take and the ones I need to take primarily due to funding. Doc Jev told me that he may be able to help me out but I need to get him some dates that I could come into the Chicago Area. Doc Jev thought it would be a great I deal if while I was home visiting family that I could talk at a few schools and groups in the area about bobsledding, commitment, team work, faith and work ethic. I thought that would be a great ideal especially since not many people know about the sport of bobsledding, and I liked the idea of informing people about my sport. I told Doc Jev that due to testing the only dates I could possibly be in the area were September 18-23. Doc Jev told me he would see what he could set up between now and then!
Just for the record in dealing with the level of sports that I have been in the majority of my life I have run into hundreds of people who say they want to do this, or have me do that, and this should be easy and so on and so forth! So honestly I thought this was another one of those times. Doc Jev seemed sincere enough but I was a little skeptical (sorry Doc Jev but I had my doubts). I say this with strong conviction Doctor John D. Jevitz OF ELMHURST http://www.docjev.com/ IS WORTH HIS SALT!!! THROUGH AND THROUGH. Doc Jev calls me a week later and tells me “Jesse I did not have that much time to set up things, and that he is still working on some things but this is what I have for you so far!” I am thinking ok that’s cool and expect him to say one or two things, NOT THE CASE he tells me about TEN different things in a minute as far as places that want to hear me speak and people who would like to meet me and not only that but that one of his friends Bruce Bronge President of International Contractors, Inc would be able to take care of my flight!!! Yeah that’s what I thought… I was amazed!!! I was like thanks God, you are doing your thing for me, big Time.
The next couple of weeks Doc Jev and I were on the phone every few of days confirming the schedule. I was also talking to several other people and business about appearances I was going to make!!! YEAH THAT’S RIGHT I MAKE APPERANCES NOW..LOL! I let them know what you need and I will have my people talk to your people who in turn talk to their people’s people! LoL. Seriously, though they wanted to know what I needed for my presentation and demonstrations that I would be doing, what time I would be there and so forth.
Doc Jev and I continued to talk even while I was up in Canada training just to make sure we were still on the same page. After Push Championships I was able to get in a good week of training in Colorado Springs before I needed to fly to Chicago/Elmhurst on the 17th. The flight to O’Hare went well and I landed in Chicago about 7:30pm. I then waited around for the Avis bus to come pick me up and take me to my rental car. Now I think picking up a rental car is very easy for most people. Uhm yea….I am not most people when it comes to travel and the easy things!
First of all I have two huge bags with me, a carryon bag that rolls and my laptop! Now since I am not a preferred Avis member I do not get dropped off in front of my car, instead I get dropped off at the regular car pick up. And of course when I get of the bus there are no carts for me to place my bags on, so I have to run back and forth till all my bags are together (this was really fun, I recommend it if you are bored! NOT!!) Then guess what after I get everything over I see a cart inside the building…Exactly! This is when you just smile and say “Yup that’s about right”! Ok, so now I have my cart with my bags on it, I finished up my paperwork then headed out to get my car in the sea of vehicles which is the rental lot! I began my journey to the place where my car is supposed to be. One problem there is a mini-van in the spot. (WHAT ARE YOU KIDDING ME WHAT IS THIS!!! That’s what was going through my head) I did not request a mini-van by the way. I run back to the rental counter pushing my cart of bags with me (just a little push training), they then tell me the correct number where my car…hey thank you so much now I can actually leave! No…I did not say it but I wanted to!
I leave the rental place about 9pm and head to my parents house, oh and did I mention I NEVER TOLD MY PARENTS I WAS COMING HOME! SURPRISE! LOL I ring the door bell and my father looks out he looks twice (not sure if he could not believe it was me or because it was dark out….lol I am kind of hard make see at that time of night J, I have been working on my tan). As my father is looking through the door I see he realizes it me and in the background I hear my mom asking him who’s at the door. My father says “I am not sure, I can’t see” he then lets me in; I walk up the stairs to my mother’s surprise and give her a hug! It was pretty cool actually my mom and pops were smiling from here to there! I gave my pops a manly embrace, talked a bit and went downstairs to sleep.
Helloooooooooo Bobsled Fans!!!!
Cheers to having a great weekend! Ok just as a warning this blog may be a little long so it’s ok if you need to take a bathroom, water or television break (for my gamers TV break includes all video games) LoL but just remember to finish reading the blog cause this is good stuff!!!! This Blog is actually in six parts so please continue to read all the blogs titled Elmhurst Trip.
God continues to bless me with opportunities on numerous levels. After 16 months I was finally able to make it back home to Chicago for six days (normally if I get a chance to get home it’s only for a few hour lay-over at O’Hare, so this was huge) thanks primarily to International Contractors Inc, http://www.iciinc.com/ one of my new sponsors who brought me in and Dr. John Jevitz my chiropractic friend from Elmhurst who set things up for me!
The story begins in a small town of Radiator Springs (direct reference to the movie Cars) where the evil Ogre had been attacking this village for more than a thousand years…..Oh sorry wrong story it is way to late for me to be typing this!!! LoL
Seriously now, this is how my recent trip to Elmhurst began. Every year the USA Olympic Training Centers rotate athletic trainers, massage therapist, and chiropractors, in and out of the facilities for approximately two week stints each rotation. This is actually a good learning experience for these medical professions and a sacrifice, since they are not paid to be there. On this particular rotation I had the pleasure of meeting John Jevitz (Doc Jev) a Chiropractor from Elmhurst, Illinois. Elmhurst is the Number One ranked suburb outside of Chicago (45 minutes from the city), and if you ever visit you will understand why it’s such a GREAT place!! I honestly met some really great hardworking blue collar minded people. Everyone I met welcomed me with open arms and their sincerity was true! It did not matter if I was talking to a waitress or CEO of a company there was no arrogance unwillingness to talk with me, the people I met in Elmhurst had good hearts and were quality people. But I digress, so while Doc Jev was working on the tendonitis occurring on my right patella tendon we began talking about where we were from and our background. This of course when we realized we were both from the Chicago area. We got to talking about football and how I got into bobsledding, and Doc Jev’s office and things, you know friendly convo.
Doc Jev asked me when the next time I would be in Chicago (this was Ironic cause I had been thinking of a way to get back home before team trials to see my family and friends), I informed him that the last time I was in Chicago was about 16 months ago and that was on a 18hr layover I booked just to see my family. I explained how erratic my travel/training schedule is every making it hard for me to get home and that I have to decide between the trips I want to take and the ones I need to take primarily due to funding. Doc Jev told me that he may be able to help me out but I need to get him some dates that I could come into the Chicago Area. Doc Jev thought it would be a great I deal if while I was home visiting family that I could talk at a few schools and groups in the area about bobsledding, commitment, team work, faith and work ethic. I thought that would be a great ideal especially since not many people know about the sport of bobsledding, and I liked the idea of informing people about my sport. I told Doc Jev that due to testing the only dates I could possibly be in the area were September 18-23. Doc Jev told me he would see what he could set up between now and then!
Just for the record in dealing with the level of sports that I have been in the majority of my life I have run into hundreds of people who say they want to do this, or have me do that, and this should be easy and so on and so forth! So honestly I thought this was another one of those times. Doc Jev seemed sincere enough but I was a little skeptical (sorry Doc Jev but I had my doubts). I say this with strong conviction Doctor John D. Jevitz OF ELMHURST http://www.docjev.com/ IS WORTH HIS SALT!!! THROUGH AND THROUGH. Doc Jev calls me a week later and tells me “Jesse I did not have that much time to set up things, and that he is still working on some things but this is what I have for you so far!” I am thinking ok that’s cool and expect him to say one or two things, NOT THE CASE he tells me about TEN different things in a minute as far as places that want to hear me speak and people who would like to meet me and not only that but that one of his friends Bruce Bronge President of International Contractors, Inc would be able to take care of my flight!!! Yeah that’s what I thought… I was amazed!!! I was like thanks God, you are doing your thing for me, big Time.
The next couple of weeks Doc Jev and I were on the phone every few of days confirming the schedule. I was also talking to several other people and business about appearances I was going to make!!! YEAH THAT’S RIGHT I MAKE APPERANCES NOW..LOL! I let them know what you need and I will have my people talk to your people who in turn talk to their people’s people! LoL. Seriously, though they wanted to know what I needed for my presentation and demonstrations that I would be doing, what time I would be there and so forth.
Doc Jev and I continued to talk even while I was up in Canada training just to make sure we were still on the same page. After Push Championships I was able to get in a good week of training in Colorado Springs before I needed to fly to Chicago/Elmhurst on the 17th. The flight to O’Hare went well and I landed in Chicago about 7:30pm. I then waited around for the Avis bus to come pick me up and take me to my rental car. Now I think picking up a rental car is very easy for most people. Uhm yea….I am not most people when it comes to travel and the easy things!
First of all I have two huge bags with me, a carryon bag that rolls and my laptop! Now since I am not a preferred Avis member I do not get dropped off in front of my car, instead I get dropped off at the regular car pick up. And of course when I get of the bus there are no carts for me to place my bags on, so I have to run back and forth till all my bags are together (this was really fun, I recommend it if you are bored! NOT!!) Then guess what after I get everything over I see a cart inside the building…Exactly! This is when you just smile and say “Yup that’s about right”! Ok, so now I have my cart with my bags on it, I finished up my paperwork then headed out to get my car in the sea of vehicles which is the rental lot! I began my journey to the place where my car is supposed to be. One problem there is a mini-van in the spot. (WHAT ARE YOU KIDDING ME WHAT IS THIS!!! That’s what was going through my head) I did not request a mini-van by the way. I run back to the rental counter pushing my cart of bags with me (just a little push training), they then tell me the correct number where my car…hey thank you so much now I can actually leave! No…I did not say it but I wanted to!
I leave the rental place about 9pm and head to my parents house, oh and did I mention I NEVER TOLD MY PARENTS I WAS COMING HOME! SURPRISE! LOL I ring the door bell and my father looks out he looks twice (not sure if he could not believe it was me or because it was dark out….lol I am kind of hard make see at that time of night J, I have been working on my tan). As my father is looking through the door I see he realizes it me and in the background I hear my mom asking him who’s at the door. My father says “I am not sure, I can’t see” he then lets me in; I walk up the stairs to my mother’s surprise and give her a hug! It was pretty cool actually my mom and pops were smiling from here to there! I gave my pops a manly embrace, talked a bit and went downstairs to sleep.
Elmhurst Trip Day 1
DAY 1 Thursday September 18, 2008
The next morning I woke up a 4am to arrive in Elmhurst (45 minutes away distance wise two hours away depending on Chicago traffic) by 5:45am. This is where the blitz of excitement starts! Doc Jev takes me by a morning Rotary Meeting where I meet a good bunch of business men and women. I get introduced and speak a bit about myself and bobsledding the who, what when, where and why. It went really good, everyone seemed to be really intrigued. After rotary we head over to Hawthorne Elementary where I was scheduled to speak in the school’s gym to 50 plus 4th graders. I had a power point presentation with a ton of pictures that explains the sport of bobsledding.
It was Great the way it was all set up, I was hiding in the principal’s office while the teachers brought in their fourth grade classes. The teachers had all the kids chanting USA! USA! As I come running in! There was a cameraman from Comcast Cable Company recording the whole thing. Comcast was there to record footage for a TV show I was scheduled to do with Senator Dan Cronin the following Monday. As the kids are shouting I come running in chanting USA! With them which made them shout louder! I HAD THE KIDS STAND UP AS THEY CONTINUED TO SHOUT USA! THEY WERE JUMPING UP STOMPING THEIR! FEET THEY WERE REALLY EXCITED WHICH MADE ME MORE EXCITED!! IT WAS SPECTACTULAR!! I then settle the kids down and thank them and the teachers for having me come out. I then tell the kids that before we start I will have to stretch and do a light workout before we get started. I have all the kids stand up and shake their arms and legs out. And they went Crazy Again shaking their whole body, they were jumping and laughing and having a good ole time, I could not stop laughing myself it was really amusing.
After we stretched I told the kids that I needed some help with my pushups because I am use to doing pushups with weight and asked for some volunteers that would like to help me. All the kids are raising their hands jumping up and down screaming ME! ME! ME! I picked three kids out of the crowd, I get down in the push up position and their teacher sit all three on my back while I do my pushups. While doing the pushups I am facing the rest of the kids and they are doing them with me as we count to ten and finish. The kids on my back are waving their hands up and down like they are on a rollercoaster ride. Oh by this time I have taken off my regular shirt and have a sleeveless under armor shirt on under it! (Yeah the kid broke out the GUN SHOW and Tickets Were NOT On Sale!!!! But it was a SOLD OUT SHOW! LOL) I then started picking kids out of the crowd asking them what stretches they knew and what we should do next! Whatever stretch they suggested they helped me to lead the workout, surprisingly these kids knew a lot of good stretches. I used the stretches as a lead segment into my talk informing kids that the stretches they demonstrated were actually stretches we did before practice in bobsledding. I spoke them about, maintaining their health via working out and eating healthy, doing their best in everything, having a strong work ethic, working with others, being respectful, and the importance of a strong education. Next, I began speaking about bobsledding, the places I have been blessed to travel and how it feels to represent my country all over the world!
I then passed around some of my bobsled gear for the kids to look at (my helmet, speed suit, gloves, burn vest and shoes). Their faces lit up light Christmas trees in response to everything that was going on. Next I began to pick random children out of the crowd to be a part of my bobsled team. I lined them all up in the correct position and we reenacted the bobsled start and pretended we were loading into a bobsled! We all had a good time, and they hung on to every word I said. I did this demonstration with three different groups of children. I talked for over an hour and they were still intrigued. Towards the end of my presentation I opened it up for questions, and I tell you what…fourth graders have a lot of questions to ask. I answered as many questions as I could but my time was up and the kids needed to go back to class. At the end the teachers circled the kids up around me and we gave a loud GO USA!!! Shout! As all the classes left the gym they went out in a single file line and I gave everyone a hi-Five. The little guys were funny they were trying their best to show how strong a hi-Five they could give by running up and slapping my hand as heard as they could. I had a blast and so did all the kids and even the teachers. Later all the kids made me individual thank you cards from construction paper. The cards were personalized with drawings of me, bobsleds, bobsled tracks and gold medals thanking me for coming, wished me luck and told of their favorite parts of the presentation.
From there Doc Jev dropped me off at the Metra train station so I could head to downtown Chicago to give a speech on team work to Hub International Insurance Services http://www.hubinternational.com/. From talking to fourth graders to working men and women 5 to twenty years my senior, talk about switching gears. The interesting thing about this is that it was really impromptu to speech. It came about after I spoke at the morning rotary when I was asked by David Martin to come speak to his group. I finished up talking to HUB hopped back on the train to Elmhurst and met back up with Doc Jev. We then went to another afternoon rotary where I was not scheduled to speak, but was allowed to say a few words about who I am and what I do. Afterwards I answered question and autographed pictures of myself for rotary members and their families for those who wanted them.
We then went over to Courts Plus Health Club (www. epd.org/courts/index.asp) where I worked out. During my workout the camera man from Comcast recorded segments of my workout for later use, it was an awesome feeling because as I was running around doing my warm up and my lifts the camera followed me. There were fliers of me hung up around Courts Plus promoting a talk and workout session I would be leading on Saturday. People working out on the elliptical machines were looking at me as to say HEY IT’S THE BOBSLED GUY FROM THE FLIERS!!! It just gave me chills because it feels good when people know who you are and excited that you came to see them, it just adds to your energy level. Definitely Fun!!! (Yes everyone I tend to use definitive and short statements throughout my e-mails)
From working out at courts plus we then headed over to Edison School where I spoke to 30 or more third and fourth grade students. I used the same presentation format as when I gave my presentation at Hawthorne Elementary. At this presentation they had a news reporter there; here is the link to the article http://www.pioneerlocal.com/elmhurst/news/1178070,em-WEBbeckom-092208-s1.article that was written up on my appearance. Later all the kids all signed a giant thank you card mad from construction paper. They all signed it and made drawings of bobsleds and bobsled tracks.
Doc Jev and I then headed over to talk with the Immaculate Conception High school Varsity Football Team before their game against Marian Central Catholic School. I spoke to the team about my own experiences of working hard and overcoming the odds when people expect you to fail. And how to dig deep down and to keep fighting for what is important to you no matter what the odds are against you. I went a little deep into my football mindset and as I continued to talk about playing The Game, and Playing hard!!! I tell by the look in the players and the coaches eyes that I had gotten through to them. I dapped the fellas and coaches up wishing them good luck in their game. They won their game 14-7 and this small 2A team held a bigger 5A team to -14 yds rushing for the whole game!!! They played out of their minds from what I was told by the coaches!! The coaches invited me to come speak to the team anytime I was in town.
From there we went over to Timothy Christian High School where I spoke to the men’s soccer team. I talked to them about having faith and playing sports, proper nutrition, sportsmanship, playing with intensity and how those principals crosses over to everyday life. The players responded well to what I was saying as I related stories from my personal life to things that occur as you enter manhood. I was amazed by the way parents who were just standing around heard me speaking and came closer to hear what I was saying. By the nodding of parents heads I could see that they agreed with my message.
We left timothy Christian about 5:30 pm and Doc Jev continued taking me around town to different business, and homes introducing me to a bunch of people he knows. And just for the record Doc Jev knows a lot of people….a plethora lot of people!! It was amazing how many people were looking forward to me coming and just wanted to meet me and hear my story. I was taking pictures and signing autographs all day!! It was amazing and exhausting but I was appreciative of just having the opportunity to be able to reach out to children and adults about what I have learned so far. After all was said and done we were finished at 8:30 pm.
The next morning I woke up a 4am to arrive in Elmhurst (45 minutes away distance wise two hours away depending on Chicago traffic) by 5:45am. This is where the blitz of excitement starts! Doc Jev takes me by a morning Rotary Meeting where I meet a good bunch of business men and women. I get introduced and speak a bit about myself and bobsledding the who, what when, where and why. It went really good, everyone seemed to be really intrigued. After rotary we head over to Hawthorne Elementary where I was scheduled to speak in the school’s gym to 50 plus 4th graders. I had a power point presentation with a ton of pictures that explains the sport of bobsledding.
It was Great the way it was all set up, I was hiding in the principal’s office while the teachers brought in their fourth grade classes. The teachers had all the kids chanting USA! USA! As I come running in! There was a cameraman from Comcast Cable Company recording the whole thing. Comcast was there to record footage for a TV show I was scheduled to do with Senator Dan Cronin the following Monday. As the kids are shouting I come running in chanting USA! With them which made them shout louder! I HAD THE KIDS STAND UP AS THEY CONTINUED TO SHOUT USA! THEY WERE JUMPING UP STOMPING THEIR! FEET THEY WERE REALLY EXCITED WHICH MADE ME MORE EXCITED!! IT WAS SPECTACTULAR!! I then settle the kids down and thank them and the teachers for having me come out. I then tell the kids that before we start I will have to stretch and do a light workout before we get started. I have all the kids stand up and shake their arms and legs out. And they went Crazy Again shaking their whole body, they were jumping and laughing and having a good ole time, I could not stop laughing myself it was really amusing.
After we stretched I told the kids that I needed some help with my pushups because I am use to doing pushups with weight and asked for some volunteers that would like to help me. All the kids are raising their hands jumping up and down screaming ME! ME! ME! I picked three kids out of the crowd, I get down in the push up position and their teacher sit all three on my back while I do my pushups. While doing the pushups I am facing the rest of the kids and they are doing them with me as we count to ten and finish. The kids on my back are waving their hands up and down like they are on a rollercoaster ride. Oh by this time I have taken off my regular shirt and have a sleeveless under armor shirt on under it! (Yeah the kid broke out the GUN SHOW and Tickets Were NOT On Sale!!!! But it was a SOLD OUT SHOW! LOL) I then started picking kids out of the crowd asking them what stretches they knew and what we should do next! Whatever stretch they suggested they helped me to lead the workout, surprisingly these kids knew a lot of good stretches. I used the stretches as a lead segment into my talk informing kids that the stretches they demonstrated were actually stretches we did before practice in bobsledding. I spoke them about, maintaining their health via working out and eating healthy, doing their best in everything, having a strong work ethic, working with others, being respectful, and the importance of a strong education. Next, I began speaking about bobsledding, the places I have been blessed to travel and how it feels to represent my country all over the world!
I then passed around some of my bobsled gear for the kids to look at (my helmet, speed suit, gloves, burn vest and shoes). Their faces lit up light Christmas trees in response to everything that was going on. Next I began to pick random children out of the crowd to be a part of my bobsled team. I lined them all up in the correct position and we reenacted the bobsled start and pretended we were loading into a bobsled! We all had a good time, and they hung on to every word I said. I did this demonstration with three different groups of children. I talked for over an hour and they were still intrigued. Towards the end of my presentation I opened it up for questions, and I tell you what…fourth graders have a lot of questions to ask. I answered as many questions as I could but my time was up and the kids needed to go back to class. At the end the teachers circled the kids up around me and we gave a loud GO USA!!! Shout! As all the classes left the gym they went out in a single file line and I gave everyone a hi-Five. The little guys were funny they were trying their best to show how strong a hi-Five they could give by running up and slapping my hand as heard as they could. I had a blast and so did all the kids and even the teachers. Later all the kids made me individual thank you cards from construction paper. The cards were personalized with drawings of me, bobsleds, bobsled tracks and gold medals thanking me for coming, wished me luck and told of their favorite parts of the presentation.
From there Doc Jev dropped me off at the Metra train station so I could head to downtown Chicago to give a speech on team work to Hub International Insurance Services http://www.hubinternational.com/. From talking to fourth graders to working men and women 5 to twenty years my senior, talk about switching gears. The interesting thing about this is that it was really impromptu to speech. It came about after I spoke at the morning rotary when I was asked by David Martin to come speak to his group. I finished up talking to HUB hopped back on the train to Elmhurst and met back up with Doc Jev. We then went to another afternoon rotary where I was not scheduled to speak, but was allowed to say a few words about who I am and what I do. Afterwards I answered question and autographed pictures of myself for rotary members and their families for those who wanted them.
We then went over to Courts Plus Health Club (www. epd.org/courts/index.asp) where I worked out. During my workout the camera man from Comcast recorded segments of my workout for later use, it was an awesome feeling because as I was running around doing my warm up and my lifts the camera followed me. There were fliers of me hung up around Courts Plus promoting a talk and workout session I would be leading on Saturday. People working out on the elliptical machines were looking at me as to say HEY IT’S THE BOBSLED GUY FROM THE FLIERS!!! It just gave me chills because it feels good when people know who you are and excited that you came to see them, it just adds to your energy level. Definitely Fun!!! (Yes everyone I tend to use definitive and short statements throughout my e-mails)
From working out at courts plus we then headed over to Edison School where I spoke to 30 or more third and fourth grade students. I used the same presentation format as when I gave my presentation at Hawthorne Elementary. At this presentation they had a news reporter there; here is the link to the article http://www.pioneerlocal.com/elmhurst/news/1178070,em-WEBbeckom-092208-s1.article that was written up on my appearance. Later all the kids all signed a giant thank you card mad from construction paper. They all signed it and made drawings of bobsleds and bobsled tracks.
Doc Jev and I then headed over to talk with the Immaculate Conception High school Varsity Football Team before their game against Marian Central Catholic School. I spoke to the team about my own experiences of working hard and overcoming the odds when people expect you to fail. And how to dig deep down and to keep fighting for what is important to you no matter what the odds are against you. I went a little deep into my football mindset and as I continued to talk about playing The Game, and Playing hard!!! I tell by the look in the players and the coaches eyes that I had gotten through to them. I dapped the fellas and coaches up wishing them good luck in their game. They won their game 14-7 and this small 2A team held a bigger 5A team to -14 yds rushing for the whole game!!! They played out of their minds from what I was told by the coaches!! The coaches invited me to come speak to the team anytime I was in town.
From there we went over to Timothy Christian High School where I spoke to the men’s soccer team. I talked to them about having faith and playing sports, proper nutrition, sportsmanship, playing with intensity and how those principals crosses over to everyday life. The players responded well to what I was saying as I related stories from my personal life to things that occur as you enter manhood. I was amazed by the way parents who were just standing around heard me speaking and came closer to hear what I was saying. By the nodding of parents heads I could see that they agreed with my message.
We left timothy Christian about 5:30 pm and Doc Jev continued taking me around town to different business, and homes introducing me to a bunch of people he knows. And just for the record Doc Jev knows a lot of people….a plethora lot of people!! It was amazing how many people were looking forward to me coming and just wanted to meet me and hear my story. I was taking pictures and signing autographs all day!! It was amazing and exhausting but I was appreciative of just having the opportunity to be able to reach out to children and adults about what I have learned so far. After all was said and done we were finished at 8:30 pm.
Elmhurst Trip Day 2
Day 2 Friday September 19, 2008
Once again I left the house at 4:30 am for Doc Jev’s office in Elmhurst. This morning I sat in Doc Jev’s office for a while autographing my picture for the 3rd and 4th kids I had spoken to, to different business I was privileged to meet, and some of Doc Jev’s close friends and family. I think the entire time I was there I signed at least 400 pictures to people….that is the same thing I thought WOW 400 plus people would like a picture of me, I thought I was in the twilight zone or something!!!! LoL or people were looking for some extra packing paper. The pictures that Doc Jev had printed up were really nice, one was a photo comp composed of eight smaller pictures, one was the main picture from my web-site, and the last picture was a black and white head shot of me printed up by Courts Plus.
After I was done signing some of the pictures we left and headed over to the Community Bank of Elmhurst http://www.communityelmhurst.com/ to speak with one of Doc Jev’s mentors Bill Gooch Chairman of the Bank. While at the bank I met some other great people who work there including Richard Reichert (CEO) , Nancy Brook (Senior VP), Nicole Radosky (Marketing) and others. We joked around a bit and took a few pictures and evidently Nancy had heard that I had been doing sit-ups with children on my back so she insisted that I try doing a few with her on my back, I was completely caught by suprise!!! LoL OK….so maybe Bill bet me that I could not do it…. and maybe Nicole and Doc Jev coaxed Nancy…. and maybe Nancy was a good sport and participated in it even though she was turning really red… but that is a lot of maybes! Hahaha.
Finished with the office shanagains Bill invited Doc Jev and I into his office to talk. It was a private conversation so I will not go into detail about it. But I will say this Bill Gooch left me with a good impression of who he is as a person, as man, and as a Christian. I firmly believe you can see a person’s soul if you look deep into their eyes and the truth will appear. I do it to everyone I meet because lets face it you can find yourself surrounded by a lot of false and crooked people in this world if you are not careful. Bill told me a few different stories but one one statement he made really resounded in my mind. Bill told me to always keep your faith and family before work and anything else! Because if you think about it you can lose a hundred jobs in your life but you will only truly be ruined if you lose your faith which makes you who you are and your family who you love and supports you no matter what. I do not know about you but for me that is good advice!!!!! After the office visit we went and met Bill’s daughter and granddaughters just to say hello, it was fun and they were really chill people.
Next on our Elmhurst tour was a talk to the York High School Women’s Tennis Team!!! This might be the one speech I was really nervous about. Remember none of the speeches I have been giving the last two days have been written down or rehearsed it was just me talking from what I know and my experiences. Needless to say I have never been a teenage girl lol Nor a tennis player!!! But how ironic is life I do have four older sisters, and a bunch of female friends who talk to me about everything under the sun about being a woman! Then for the past two years I have been friends with both the Men’s and Women’s Tennis Teams at Wake Forest University!!!!! So guess what I was prepared to give this speech before I even realized it!!! That’s God doing not mine! From the response I got from the team I can tell it went well. I talked about the usual sport topics such as working hard, finishing a match strong, digging out that last set (my boy Corey Par at Wake knows all about that) off season workouts and eating right. I then touched on the subject of peer pressure in high school, college, and the professional world from friends and their male counterparts. I spoke on society’s distorted perception of what a beautiful woman should look like as it is portrayed in some of these teen and other popular magazines. I stressed being comfortable with who you are especially since most women who play sports tend to be built a little more muscular and heavier than those who do not participate in sports. I also talked about some of the female athletes’ that I know personally and the obstacles they face in earning respect for what they do and their willingness to keep fighting no matter how tuff a battle they face. The team and the coach thanked me for coming to speak with them and me and Doc Jev were off to another adventure!!! UP! UP! UP! AND AWAY!!!!!!!!!!!!! LOL (THAT’S FUNNY RIGHT THERE, I DON’T CARE WHERE YOU ARE FROM THAT’S FUNNY!)
After leaving the ladies of York we went to go speak with our friends over at International Contractors, Inc. This talk was solely on me and the sport of Bobsledding, since the people I was addressing were composed of designers and engineers I was able to get into more of the technical aspects of the sport. Detailing some of the testing that we do in wind tunnels for better aerodynamics, the different dimensions our runners are cut into and the rock and pitch of the runners. How the chemical reaction between the steel and Ice affect if runners are fast or slow. At the end of my speech I was given a gift bag with some company shirts and a couple of really nice gift cards for some of the best restaurants in the Chicago, New York, and Wisconsin!!!! Needless to say I enjoyed the gift bag! J
Our day was winding down but we had one more school to stop by. We went over to Brooke Forest Elementary where Doc Jev’s wife Laura teaches 2nd class. For these kids I held off the huge presentation because I did not know how responsive they would be to it but I did bring in my gear and talked to them about the sport and developing good work habits. I felt like Gulliver from Gulliver’s Travels, these kids were little beyond little they were tiny! It was fun and a little more random questions and statements then what I had been use to. This one little guy told me about a guy that worked for his father for more than 15 years….lol…not sure what that had to do with bobsledding but he made his point! What the point was I am still not sure but he made it!
From Brooke Forest we went out to a few more of Doc Jev’s friend’s houses and businesses. I was still amazed at the positive reception that I received from everyone. I know Doc Jev had a lot to do with that but it was still nice to find common ground with all those I talked with. I find myself searching for words to describe how I felt while all this was going on but even the most extravagant or eloquent word could not communicate the joy I was feeling at this opportunity I have been given.
Once again I left the house at 4:30 am for Doc Jev’s office in Elmhurst. This morning I sat in Doc Jev’s office for a while autographing my picture for the 3rd and 4th kids I had spoken to, to different business I was privileged to meet, and some of Doc Jev’s close friends and family. I think the entire time I was there I signed at least 400 pictures to people….that is the same thing I thought WOW 400 plus people would like a picture of me, I thought I was in the twilight zone or something!!!! LoL or people were looking for some extra packing paper. The pictures that Doc Jev had printed up were really nice, one was a photo comp composed of eight smaller pictures, one was the main picture from my web-site, and the last picture was a black and white head shot of me printed up by Courts Plus.
After I was done signing some of the pictures we left and headed over to the Community Bank of Elmhurst http://www.communityelmhurst.com/ to speak with one of Doc Jev’s mentors Bill Gooch Chairman of the Bank. While at the bank I met some other great people who work there including Richard Reichert (CEO) , Nancy Brook (Senior VP), Nicole Radosky (Marketing) and others. We joked around a bit and took a few pictures and evidently Nancy had heard that I had been doing sit-ups with children on my back so she insisted that I try doing a few with her on my back, I was completely caught by suprise!!! LoL OK….so maybe Bill bet me that I could not do it…. and maybe Nicole and Doc Jev coaxed Nancy…. and maybe Nancy was a good sport and participated in it even though she was turning really red… but that is a lot of maybes! Hahaha.
Finished with the office shanagains Bill invited Doc Jev and I into his office to talk. It was a private conversation so I will not go into detail about it. But I will say this Bill Gooch left me with a good impression of who he is as a person, as man, and as a Christian. I firmly believe you can see a person’s soul if you look deep into their eyes and the truth will appear. I do it to everyone I meet because lets face it you can find yourself surrounded by a lot of false and crooked people in this world if you are not careful. Bill told me a few different stories but one one statement he made really resounded in my mind. Bill told me to always keep your faith and family before work and anything else! Because if you think about it you can lose a hundred jobs in your life but you will only truly be ruined if you lose your faith which makes you who you are and your family who you love and supports you no matter what. I do not know about you but for me that is good advice!!!!! After the office visit we went and met Bill’s daughter and granddaughters just to say hello, it was fun and they were really chill people.
Next on our Elmhurst tour was a talk to the York High School Women’s Tennis Team!!! This might be the one speech I was really nervous about. Remember none of the speeches I have been giving the last two days have been written down or rehearsed it was just me talking from what I know and my experiences. Needless to say I have never been a teenage girl lol Nor a tennis player!!! But how ironic is life I do have four older sisters, and a bunch of female friends who talk to me about everything under the sun about being a woman! Then for the past two years I have been friends with both the Men’s and Women’s Tennis Teams at Wake Forest University!!!!! So guess what I was prepared to give this speech before I even realized it!!! That’s God doing not mine! From the response I got from the team I can tell it went well. I talked about the usual sport topics such as working hard, finishing a match strong, digging out that last set (my boy Corey Par at Wake knows all about that) off season workouts and eating right. I then touched on the subject of peer pressure in high school, college, and the professional world from friends and their male counterparts. I spoke on society’s distorted perception of what a beautiful woman should look like as it is portrayed in some of these teen and other popular magazines. I stressed being comfortable with who you are especially since most women who play sports tend to be built a little more muscular and heavier than those who do not participate in sports. I also talked about some of the female athletes’ that I know personally and the obstacles they face in earning respect for what they do and their willingness to keep fighting no matter how tuff a battle they face. The team and the coach thanked me for coming to speak with them and me and Doc Jev were off to another adventure!!! UP! UP! UP! AND AWAY!!!!!!!!!!!!! LOL (THAT’S FUNNY RIGHT THERE, I DON’T CARE WHERE YOU ARE FROM THAT’S FUNNY!)
After leaving the ladies of York we went to go speak with our friends over at International Contractors, Inc. This talk was solely on me and the sport of Bobsledding, since the people I was addressing were composed of designers and engineers I was able to get into more of the technical aspects of the sport. Detailing some of the testing that we do in wind tunnels for better aerodynamics, the different dimensions our runners are cut into and the rock and pitch of the runners. How the chemical reaction between the steel and Ice affect if runners are fast or slow. At the end of my speech I was given a gift bag with some company shirts and a couple of really nice gift cards for some of the best restaurants in the Chicago, New York, and Wisconsin!!!! Needless to say I enjoyed the gift bag! J
Our day was winding down but we had one more school to stop by. We went over to Brooke Forest Elementary where Doc Jev’s wife Laura teaches 2nd class. For these kids I held off the huge presentation because I did not know how responsive they would be to it but I did bring in my gear and talked to them about the sport and developing good work habits. I felt like Gulliver from Gulliver’s Travels, these kids were little beyond little they were tiny! It was fun and a little more random questions and statements then what I had been use to. This one little guy told me about a guy that worked for his father for more than 15 years….lol…not sure what that had to do with bobsledding but he made his point! What the point was I am still not sure but he made it!
From Brooke Forest we went out to a few more of Doc Jev’s friend’s houses and businesses. I was still amazed at the positive reception that I received from everyone. I know Doc Jev had a lot to do with that but it was still nice to find common ground with all those I talked with. I find myself searching for words to describe how I felt while all this was going on but even the most extravagant or eloquent word could not communicate the joy I was feeling at this opportunity I have been given.
Elmhurst Trip Day 3
Day 3 Saturday September 20, 2008
Today was my Courts Plus appearance day!!!!!!!!!!!!! I actually got to sleep in since I did not have to be in Elmhurst until 9am. Brian McDermott and his associates at Courts Plus went out of their way in making me feel welcomed! Weeks before I arrived in Elmhurst they ran several articles in news papers announcing that I was coming, they posted fliers up around the club and they printed of pictures for me to sign. They set up a great schedule I signed autographs and met people from 9:15-10am, a motivational speech from 10:30-11:15am, group workout from 11:15-12noon and a fully Bobsled presentation from noon-1pm.
The event went off as planned the crowd was smaller than I had imagined, but it was probably better that way because I was able to spend a little more one on one time with the kids and parents that were there. I showed them how to stretch and warm up before they lift, and also the proper way to execute several weight lifting exercises.
Once I was done at Courts Plus Doc Jev picked me up and we went buy the Princeton House which is part of the Ray Graham Association For People With Special Needs. The guys we met were pretty excited that we came by. They were a cool bunch of guys, they talked about what they were doing and how their day was going. One of the guys named Ray was upset because he had just come to the house and his parents forgot to bring him his toys so he had nothing to play with. It was a humbling experience meeting these guys, forcing me to realize how much we tend to take things for granted in life. I am not even sure I can explain the feeling but it one of those things that just make you think! I signed some pictures for them and we wished them a good night.
We made a few more runs around town where Doc continued to introduce me to people he knew. We stopped by one of his friends houses who were celebrating their son’s 21st birthday. They invited us in for dinner like we were long lost cousins, it was amazing the food was GREAT, I could have eaten there all evening but I had to go workout. Which is what I did, after we ate Doc Jev went home and I went to go workout. By the way it is not a good ideal to lift weights after gorging yourself on food five minutes before you hit the gym! LoL Yeah I was definitely feeling the repercussion of my actions! But the way the food tasted I would do it again.Hahaha
Today was my Courts Plus appearance day!!!!!!!!!!!!! I actually got to sleep in since I did not have to be in Elmhurst until 9am. Brian McDermott and his associates at Courts Plus went out of their way in making me feel welcomed! Weeks before I arrived in Elmhurst they ran several articles in news papers announcing that I was coming, they posted fliers up around the club and they printed of pictures for me to sign. They set up a great schedule I signed autographs and met people from 9:15-10am, a motivational speech from 10:30-11:15am, group workout from 11:15-12noon and a fully Bobsled presentation from noon-1pm.
The event went off as planned the crowd was smaller than I had imagined, but it was probably better that way because I was able to spend a little more one on one time with the kids and parents that were there. I showed them how to stretch and warm up before they lift, and also the proper way to execute several weight lifting exercises.
Once I was done at Courts Plus Doc Jev picked me up and we went buy the Princeton House which is part of the Ray Graham Association For People With Special Needs. The guys we met were pretty excited that we came by. They were a cool bunch of guys, they talked about what they were doing and how their day was going. One of the guys named Ray was upset because he had just come to the house and his parents forgot to bring him his toys so he had nothing to play with. It was a humbling experience meeting these guys, forcing me to realize how much we tend to take things for granted in life. I am not even sure I can explain the feeling but it one of those things that just make you think! I signed some pictures for them and we wished them a good night.
We made a few more runs around town where Doc continued to introduce me to people he knew. We stopped by one of his friends houses who were celebrating their son’s 21st birthday. They invited us in for dinner like we were long lost cousins, it was amazing the food was GREAT, I could have eaten there all evening but I had to go workout. Which is what I did, after we ate Doc Jev went home and I went to go workout. By the way it is not a good ideal to lift weights after gorging yourself on food five minutes before you hit the gym! LoL Yeah I was definitely feeling the repercussion of my actions! But the way the food tasted I would do it again.Hahaha
Elmhurst Trip Day 4
Day 4 Sunday September 21, 2008
This was my day off and I spent it visiting family and friends around Chicago and the suburbs, it was good times catching up with everyone. Unfortunately though I was not able to see everyone I had intended to see but hopefully I will be able to do so on my next trip home.
This was my day off and I spent it visiting family and friends around Chicago and the suburbs, it was good times catching up with everyone. Unfortunately though I was not able to see everyone I had intended to see but hopefully I will be able to do so on my next trip home.
Elmhurst Trip Final Day
Final Day Monday September 22, 2008
It had been a great few days out in Elmhurst but unfortunately it was my last day in town and even though I was exhausted from all the running around it was extremely fun for me. Doc Jev and I had a few more things to finish up and that would be it.
If you recall I mentioned that a camera man from Comcast had been videoing my talk with the 4th graders and of me working out. The reason he was recording was because they were going to use it as part of an interview that was scheduled today between Senator Dan Cronin and myself on his TV show. Unfortunately, the senator was called to Capitol Hill to help with work on some problems with the Ethics Bill and the taping had to be cancelled. It would have been nice to tape the show but sometimes things come up that are more important and they need immediate attention, which is completely understandable. However Barb from Senator Cronin’s office kept me thoroughly informed on the possible cancelation/postponement of the show, which was great on her part! The good thing is that there is still an opportunity for us to do the show at a later date. Hopefully that later date will be during or two week break from sliding for Christmas and New Years! So if you would say a prayer that it works out for me to do the show, because I am still really excited to do it.
On this day Batman and Superman (not robin because neither one of us is a sidekick lol) were broken up. Doc Jev had to tend to some of his clients and I was invited out a Lions Club meeting for lunch by Richard Reichert President and C.E.O of the Community Bank of Elmhurst. The Lions Club members welcomed me with open arms and were wondering why Richard had brought his security guard with him! Lol The atmosphere was really relaxed, with everyone making friendly jokes about one another. It was refreshing to see that these business men and women still had a good sense of humor and not to caught up in what they do as professionals. Once again I was surrounded by a group of great people who were doing their part to give back and help their community. At the end of the meeting I talked with some of the members and autographed a few pictures for them and their family members.
Once the Lions Club meeting was over Batman and Superman were off to another adventure!! This time I had the pleasure of meeting some of Elmhurst’s every day superheroes. We stopped by a couple of the Fire Stations in town where I had the pleasure of meeting some of the guys. We also went by City Hall to drop off some autographed pictures for the Mayor, Police Chief and other City Officials and workers. I think we finished up about 5:30pm this day giving me enough time to head home and repack my things for my flight in the morning.
I can’t stress enough how blessed I was to come in contact with Doc Jev and the opportunities that God set up for me through him. It was these opportunities that allowed me to head home see family, and be a good witness and role model for children and even some adults. There were no scripts no planned speeches but it all just seemed to work out and I was blessed with the right words to say during my talks at that time! It is remarkable how events have occurred in my life or that I was born into helped shape me into a person with the ability to find some form of common ground with the majority of people that I meet. Those times when I have been in the middle of the storm wondering why this happening to me is or even just the randomness of some events in my life are starting to come together and make sense. I know there is still a grove of knowledge and experiences out there that I may not be able to fathom but I look forward to them and can only imagine how they will continue to shape me and allow me to shape others.
I thank God for allowing me to make this trip and for all the good people in Elmhurst I was honored to meet, because this was not of my doing but the Big Man putting things in place for me!!
God Bless
Jesse
It had been a great few days out in Elmhurst but unfortunately it was my last day in town and even though I was exhausted from all the running around it was extremely fun for me. Doc Jev and I had a few more things to finish up and that would be it.
If you recall I mentioned that a camera man from Comcast had been videoing my talk with the 4th graders and of me working out. The reason he was recording was because they were going to use it as part of an interview that was scheduled today between Senator Dan Cronin and myself on his TV show. Unfortunately, the senator was called to Capitol Hill to help with work on some problems with the Ethics Bill and the taping had to be cancelled. It would have been nice to tape the show but sometimes things come up that are more important and they need immediate attention, which is completely understandable. However Barb from Senator Cronin’s office kept me thoroughly informed on the possible cancelation/postponement of the show, which was great on her part! The good thing is that there is still an opportunity for us to do the show at a later date. Hopefully that later date will be during or two week break from sliding for Christmas and New Years! So if you would say a prayer that it works out for me to do the show, because I am still really excited to do it.
On this day Batman and Superman (not robin because neither one of us is a sidekick lol) were broken up. Doc Jev had to tend to some of his clients and I was invited out a Lions Club meeting for lunch by Richard Reichert President and C.E.O of the Community Bank of Elmhurst. The Lions Club members welcomed me with open arms and were wondering why Richard had brought his security guard with him! Lol The atmosphere was really relaxed, with everyone making friendly jokes about one another. It was refreshing to see that these business men and women still had a good sense of humor and not to caught up in what they do as professionals. Once again I was surrounded by a group of great people who were doing their part to give back and help their community. At the end of the meeting I talked with some of the members and autographed a few pictures for them and their family members.
Once the Lions Club meeting was over Batman and Superman were off to another adventure!! This time I had the pleasure of meeting some of Elmhurst’s every day superheroes. We stopped by a couple of the Fire Stations in town where I had the pleasure of meeting some of the guys. We also went by City Hall to drop off some autographed pictures for the Mayor, Police Chief and other City Officials and workers. I think we finished up about 5:30pm this day giving me enough time to head home and repack my things for my flight in the morning.
I can’t stress enough how blessed I was to come in contact with Doc Jev and the opportunities that God set up for me through him. It was these opportunities that allowed me to head home see family, and be a good witness and role model for children and even some adults. There were no scripts no planned speeches but it all just seemed to work out and I was blessed with the right words to say during my talks at that time! It is remarkable how events have occurred in my life or that I was born into helped shape me into a person with the ability to find some form of common ground with the majority of people that I meet. Those times when I have been in the middle of the storm wondering why this happening to me is or even just the randomness of some events in my life are starting to come together and make sense. I know there is still a grove of knowledge and experiences out there that I may not be able to fathom but I look forward to them and can only imagine how they will continue to shape me and allow me to shape others.
I thank God for allowing me to make this trip and for all the good people in Elmhurst I was honored to meet, because this was not of my doing but the Big Man putting things in place for me!!
God Bless
Jesse
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Push Championships
September 8, 2008
Greetings all,
Hopefully your weekend was a good one and you were all able to survive Monday!
I am just returning from the USA Push Championship that were held in in Calgary, Canada this past week. It was a pretty productive weekend for me and I am excited going into team trials. Nothing like the smell of competition to get your blood going. It was a very competitive camp this year and it showed in the closeness of the results. On the first day of testing we had individual testing, where each push athlete (24 total guys) took turns pushing from the Right, Left, and Brakes of a Bobsled. As you can see from the results below in the attached document finished 7Th overall after the first day of pushing. Of course I was hoping to take first overall after the first day but it did not happen that way, but I am still in great position to be racing on one of the top sled heading into team trials starting in October.
After the first day of pushing I went back and looked at the video of my pushing and I realized where I had lost the time. When it comes to pushing a bobsled there are two different phases of the push. The first phase is your drive phase which happens in the first twenty or so meters of the push, the second phase is your more traditional sprint phase and comes as you cross over the crest of the hill. As I watched film I began to kick myself in the butt after realizing that I stayed in my drive phase over the crest, not really ever getting up into my sprinting phase and not allowing myself to reach that foot speed or turnover that I am capable of. "Yeah I know right!!" It is a race to be perfect at that exact moment and to keep that perfection every time you touch the sled, it needs to be unconscious to the point where you can do it in your sleep, when you are sick, if you are injured or tired, that is the perfection I am chasing and I will achieve when its all said and done. From the results you will see how a few hundredths of a second separate the top ten USA Push athletes. These hundreths of a second translate to the difference between having one foot out of position on one step or even two that has made difference in the final result.
On the second and third days of pushing we began our three man (a brakemen at each pushing position of the sled) and four-man combination's ( a complete sled 3 brakemen and a driver). These two days of combination allowed me two more days to show my abilities. During these days the team I was on posted the second and third fastest times on both days! My personal film review aided me well, allowing me to correct my first day mistakes by opening up my stride over the crest, applying more force, and speed as I pushed. I definitely held some drivers and coaches attention from my performance which is what I needed to do. I am very confident that I will continue to improve and make small correction's each time that I step on the ice!
Below is the the videos of me from Push Championships. Please take a look at this video so that you may and get a better ideal of what I am talking about when I refer to the drive phase and crest of the hill.
God Bless and thank you all for your support!
Sincerely,
Jesse
Greetings all,
Hopefully your weekend was a good one and you were all able to survive Monday!
I am just returning from the USA Push Championship that were held in in Calgary, Canada this past week. It was a pretty productive weekend for me and I am excited going into team trials. Nothing like the smell of competition to get your blood going. It was a very competitive camp this year and it showed in the closeness of the results. On the first day of testing we had individual testing, where each push athlete (24 total guys) took turns pushing from the Right, Left, and Brakes of a Bobsled. As you can see from the results below in the attached document finished 7Th overall after the first day of pushing. Of course I was hoping to take first overall after the first day but it did not happen that way, but I am still in great position to be racing on one of the top sled heading into team trials starting in October.
After the first day of pushing I went back and looked at the video of my pushing and I realized where I had lost the time. When it comes to pushing a bobsled there are two different phases of the push. The first phase is your drive phase which happens in the first twenty or so meters of the push, the second phase is your more traditional sprint phase and comes as you cross over the crest of the hill. As I watched film I began to kick myself in the butt after realizing that I stayed in my drive phase over the crest, not really ever getting up into my sprinting phase and not allowing myself to reach that foot speed or turnover that I am capable of. "Yeah I know right!!" It is a race to be perfect at that exact moment and to keep that perfection every time you touch the sled, it needs to be unconscious to the point where you can do it in your sleep, when you are sick, if you are injured or tired, that is the perfection I am chasing and I will achieve when its all said and done. From the results you will see how a few hundredths of a second separate the top ten USA Push athletes. These hundreths of a second translate to the difference between having one foot out of position on one step or even two that has made difference in the final result.
On the second and third days of pushing we began our three man (a brakemen at each pushing position of the sled) and four-man combination's ( a complete sled 3 brakemen and a driver). These two days of combination allowed me two more days to show my abilities. During these days the team I was on posted the second and third fastest times on both days! My personal film review aided me well, allowing me to correct my first day mistakes by opening up my stride over the crest, applying more force, and speed as I pushed. I definitely held some drivers and coaches attention from my performance which is what I needed to do. I am very confident that I will continue to improve and make small correction's each time that I step on the ice!
Below is the the videos of me from Push Championships. Please take a look at this video so that you may and get a better ideal of what I am talking about when I refer to the drive phase and crest of the hill.
God Bless and thank you all for your support!
Sincerely,
Jesse
Monday, August 25, 2008
Training Hard In Colorado
午安 (wǔān) Good afternoon,
Hopefully, everyone is having a great weekend and getting a chance to have a little fun. My training in Colorado continues to go well as I prepare for USA Push Championships September 1-6. This is the first big test of the season for me and I am ready to ROCK!! This off-season has been extremely long I have been waiting to mix it up a little and put steel to ice. I feel that hint of chill in the air and that means it about GO TIME (Jerry Sinfeld refference) LET THE SNOW FALL AND THE ICE FREEZE HARD AND FAST THE KID IS COMING!!!! I joke about it but seriously I am licking my chops right now IMMORTAL is here!
On another note I trust that everyone has had a chance to walk some of the Summer Olympic games. They have been really fun and sad to watch at times, but hey not all Olympic stories can have a happy ending. But one story I did think that was pretty great was a story about 21 year old Henery Cejudo who won a gold medal in freestyle wrestling at the 55kg weight class. You have to read the story http://www.nbcolympics.com/wrestling/news/newsid=233761.html#cejudo+slides+into+golden+role it is great!
Also, I have been thoroughly impressed and inspired by watching some of the Paralympic athlete's here train as they get ready to go over to Beijing for the Paralympic Games http://en.paralympic.beijing2008.cn/. Some of these athletes are missing anywhere from one to four limbs and they are in the weight room, the gym, the track, and in the swimming pool working just as hard if not harder then non-paralympic athletes! They are getting it done BIG TIME!!
Just a random Jesse note; the weather out here in Colorado Springs is a little crazy at times to say the least. It could be sunny and not a cloud in the sky and all of a sudden you look up and its starting to rain. I know we are close to the military base and I am starting to think the clouds around here have stolen some stealth cloaking technology cause no one ever sees these bad boys coming! However, I still can not help to laugh a little when I see people going to layout at the pool and about five minutes into it you see them running to their rooms.....because someone forgot to check the weather forecast! No no let's not point fingers, I am not the only one who has ever laughed at someones slight misfortune..lol its the small things that make us laugh in life. And to everyone's life a little rain shall fall not sure who said it first but they could have been watching someone run out of the rain when they came up with it......Yeah...think about it. lol
I almost forgot their is a link on the my website www.jessebeckom3.com that will tell you all the info you need to know about Vancouver 2010 just click on the link that is on my page and it will take you there!
Take care and God Bless
Jesse
Hopefully, everyone is having a great weekend and getting a chance to have a little fun. My training in Colorado continues to go well as I prepare for USA Push Championships September 1-6. This is the first big test of the season for me and I am ready to ROCK!! This off-season has been extremely long I have been waiting to mix it up a little and put steel to ice. I feel that hint of chill in the air and that means it about GO TIME (Jerry Sinfeld refference) LET THE SNOW FALL AND THE ICE FREEZE HARD AND FAST THE KID IS COMING!!!! I joke about it but seriously I am licking my chops right now IMMORTAL is here!
On another note I trust that everyone has had a chance to walk some of the Summer Olympic games. They have been really fun and sad to watch at times, but hey not all Olympic stories can have a happy ending. But one story I did think that was pretty great was a story about 21 year old Henery Cejudo who won a gold medal in freestyle wrestling at the 55kg weight class. You have to read the story http://www.nbcolympics.com/wrestling/news/newsid=233761.html#cejudo+slides+into+golden+role it is great!
Also, I have been thoroughly impressed and inspired by watching some of the Paralympic athlete's here train as they get ready to go over to Beijing for the Paralympic Games http://en.paralympic.beijing2008.cn/. Some of these athletes are missing anywhere from one to four limbs and they are in the weight room, the gym, the track, and in the swimming pool working just as hard if not harder then non-paralympic athletes! They are getting it done BIG TIME!!
Just a random Jesse note; the weather out here in Colorado Springs is a little crazy at times to say the least. It could be sunny and not a cloud in the sky and all of a sudden you look up and its starting to rain. I know we are close to the military base and I am starting to think the clouds around here have stolen some stealth cloaking technology cause no one ever sees these bad boys coming! However, I still can not help to laugh a little when I see people going to layout at the pool and about five minutes into it you see them running to their rooms.....because someone forgot to check the weather forecast! No no let's not point fingers, I am not the only one who has ever laughed at someones slight misfortune..lol its the small things that make us laugh in life. And to everyone's life a little rain shall fall not sure who said it first but they could have been watching someone run out of the rain when they came up with it......Yeah...think about it. lol
I almost forgot their is a link on the my website www.jessebeckom3.com that will tell you all the info you need to know about Vancouver 2010 just click on the link that is on my page and it will take you there!
Take care and God Bless
Jesse
Monday, July 14, 2008
Training In Colorado!
July 14, 2008
Good Evening Everyone,
As I have said before I send out these e-mails to update you all on how things are going with my travels, training, and life. My e-mails includes the highs and lows of what is going on in my world, the majority of the time things are going pretty good but sometimes there is a little bit of bad mixed in as well.
I arrived in Colorado last week on July 3rd in order to train at the Olympic Training Center (OTC) in Colorado Springs. On the Fourth of July I went sailing for the first time with my team mate Katie, her mom, and some of her friends. Katie's mother use to race sail boats for a club out in Colorado and she shared her knowledge with us. I learned about tacking, jibing, how to adjust the reef on the boat and etc.
The atmosphere here at the OTC is great!!! It is a campus style set up dedicated strictly to Olympic Sports! I am entrenched in the Olympic spirit everywhere I turn, you can not escape the positive vibe that exists here and I am loving every minute of it! Each sport has its own area or building dedicated for that specific discipline to train in.
Their are two weight rooms here, one weight room is designed specifically for the heavy Olympic weight lifters and another that all of the other athletes use. Both weight rooms have mounted video cameras and screens called "The Olympic Eye On Performance" that are used to record to us while we are training. The Olympic Eye cameras are set for a 30-45 second delay which allows a coach to critique our performance as it occurs, thereby making it easier for us to make needed adjustments.
Also, throughout the different buildings you have quotes from past and present Olympians which truly help to inspire, and keeps you focused on the goal and reason we are here! There is so much I can talk about but that would make for a really long e-mail, that is why I have posted pictures under the "Media" section under "Colorado Pictures" on my web page http://www.jessebeckom3.com/ so please have a look.
On the other side, this past Friday I received some truly tragic news. I found out that one of my younger cousin's who was a good man, a friend, and a person that I love (Robert White age 26) was shot and killed while he was sitting in a car, in a residential neighborhood back home in Chicago. Bobby had come back home to Chicago and was hanging out with a friend who he should have cut off a long time ago. He was unaware that this friend had gotten into an argument with a guy earlier that week, that same guy saw my cousin Bobby and his friend sitting in a car, and came after my cousin's friend and in the process shot and killed my cousin. The police know who the shooter is and hopefully they find him soon. It hurts more than I can express in words and I wish I could have done anything to stop it from happening but there is nothing I can do. I ask that all you pray for Robert's Grand Parents,Parents, his brother, his son, and the rest of my family.
There are many wars going on in our world and some of the biggest ones are here in our own country. Growing up in Chicago I have seen numerous friends shot and or killed and it still continues in many cities across America. The senseless violence in our streets needs to come to an end! We as individuals need to do more to counteract the violence and hate that exists in our society. We need to set better examples that show that this lack of respect for life and other crimes are not acceptable! There are more of us in this country who are doing good and helping others for us to be held hostage by those who feed of fear and intimidation. We can change our world through small and large examples and it is essential that we do!
God Bless you all!
Jesse
Good Evening Everyone,
As I have said before I send out these e-mails to update you all on how things are going with my travels, training, and life. My e-mails includes the highs and lows of what is going on in my world, the majority of the time things are going pretty good but sometimes there is a little bit of bad mixed in as well.
I arrived in Colorado last week on July 3rd in order to train at the Olympic Training Center (OTC) in Colorado Springs. On the Fourth of July I went sailing for the first time with my team mate Katie, her mom, and some of her friends. Katie's mother use to race sail boats for a club out in Colorado and she shared her knowledge with us. I learned about tacking, jibing, how to adjust the reef on the boat and etc.
The atmosphere here at the OTC is great!!! It is a campus style set up dedicated strictly to Olympic Sports! I am entrenched in the Olympic spirit everywhere I turn, you can not escape the positive vibe that exists here and I am loving every minute of it! Each sport has its own area or building dedicated for that specific discipline to train in.
Their are two weight rooms here, one weight room is designed specifically for the heavy Olympic weight lifters and another that all of the other athletes use. Both weight rooms have mounted video cameras and screens called "The Olympic Eye On Performance" that are used to record to us while we are training. The Olympic Eye cameras are set for a 30-45 second delay which allows a coach to critique our performance as it occurs, thereby making it easier for us to make needed adjustments.
Also, throughout the different buildings you have quotes from past and present Olympians which truly help to inspire, and keeps you focused on the goal and reason we are here! There is so much I can talk about but that would make for a really long e-mail, that is why I have posted pictures under the "Media" section under "Colorado Pictures" on my web page http://www.jessebeckom3.com/ so please have a look.
On the other side, this past Friday I received some truly tragic news. I found out that one of my younger cousin's who was a good man, a friend, and a person that I love (Robert White age 26) was shot and killed while he was sitting in a car, in a residential neighborhood back home in Chicago. Bobby had come back home to Chicago and was hanging out with a friend who he should have cut off a long time ago. He was unaware that this friend had gotten into an argument with a guy earlier that week, that same guy saw my cousin Bobby and his friend sitting in a car, and came after my cousin's friend and in the process shot and killed my cousin. The police know who the shooter is and hopefully they find him soon. It hurts more than I can express in words and I wish I could have done anything to stop it from happening but there is nothing I can do. I ask that all you pray for Robert's Grand Parents,Parents, his brother, his son, and the rest of my family.
There are many wars going on in our world and some of the biggest ones are here in our own country. Growing up in Chicago I have seen numerous friends shot and or killed and it still continues in many cities across America. The senseless violence in our streets needs to come to an end! We as individuals need to do more to counteract the violence and hate that exists in our society. We need to set better examples that show that this lack of respect for life and other crimes are not acceptable! There are more of us in this country who are doing good and helping others for us to be held hostage by those who feed of fear and intimidation. We can change our world through small and large examples and it is essential that we do!
God Bless you all!
Jesse
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Summer Push Training Park City, Utah June 2008
June 23, 2008
Hellllloooooooooooooooo Everyone!
I just got back from 10 days of push training at the push track out in Park City, Utah, where I stayed with one of my team mates and his girlfriend.
The push track allows me to practice my pushing and loading techniques in the summer. The push track is about 200 meters of laid railroad or grooved track, where we are able to place a modified two-man or four-man bobsled that have been fitted with wheels to run along these tracks.It was great to get out there and train with some of the guys! We went to the push track twice a day for about two hours of practice, for the week we had at least 100 trips down the push track, uhmm yeah... my legs are a little bit tired.
I worked on my pushing technique/angles from all sides (left side, back, and right side) of the sled. Practicing from the sides of the sled helps me prepare for when I am racing four man. I work on my initial hit and my side load which can be tricky at time. Because, when loading from the side its a full out sprint and then a crossover step to get into the sled. For example, when loading from the left side, after the initial push off the block while running full speed my left legs crosses over my right foot onto the bunk of the sled while simultaneously reaching my right hand across and grabbing a hold of the right side of the sled as I proceed to hope in the sled. When loading from the right side of the sled its the right foot that crosses over and the left had that reaches over. Now if you are unlucky.....which has happened to many a athlete you could miss the bunk fall on your face and do the walk of shame up the ice (I have never had to do that one), or you could slip and fall upside down ( ok I admit this happened once or twice but it was at practice and in the Ice House. lol) into the sled or backwards neither one will result in a fast down time! Or one of the greatest ones I have seen is when your foot hits the bunk of the sled you fall, and one of your team mates grabs a hold of you drags you into the sled. But since everyone else has already gotten in you become their seat cushion cause that's the only way you fit in! lol Once again this has never happened to me, but I saw it and it was funny as all get out! especially cause they made it down safe.
Loading from the back of the sled is a lot easier but you could still take a wrong step and find yourself being dragged down the ice. AND NO THAT HAS NEVER HAPPENED TO ME BEFORE.....come on people give me a break here I am a trained professional!!! I load in MY SLEEP LOL. I like a NINJA with it! It's like when someone screams "LOAD" and I'm like yall gonna get in already cause I loaded 10 minutes ago and I was wondering if I was racing by myself! One time I beat the driver in and had to scoot back, at the bottom he looked at me like I was wrong....I know right, I told him he needs to hurry up and get in cause we got a race to win and we do not have time to wait for him to get in all the time! LOL
Take care and God Bless!
Jesse
Hellllloooooooooooooooo Everyone!
I just got back from 10 days of push training at the push track out in Park City, Utah, where I stayed with one of my team mates and his girlfriend.
The push track allows me to practice my pushing and loading techniques in the summer. The push track is about 200 meters of laid railroad or grooved track, where we are able to place a modified two-man or four-man bobsled that have been fitted with wheels to run along these tracks.It was great to get out there and train with some of the guys! We went to the push track twice a day for about two hours of practice, for the week we had at least 100 trips down the push track, uhmm yeah... my legs are a little bit tired.
I worked on my pushing technique/angles from all sides (left side, back, and right side) of the sled. Practicing from the sides of the sled helps me prepare for when I am racing four man. I work on my initial hit and my side load which can be tricky at time. Because, when loading from the side its a full out sprint and then a crossover step to get into the sled. For example, when loading from the left side, after the initial push off the block while running full speed my left legs crosses over my right foot onto the bunk of the sled while simultaneously reaching my right hand across and grabbing a hold of the right side of the sled as I proceed to hope in the sled. When loading from the right side of the sled its the right foot that crosses over and the left had that reaches over. Now if you are unlucky.....which has happened to many a athlete you could miss the bunk fall on your face and do the walk of shame up the ice (I have never had to do that one), or you could slip and fall upside down ( ok I admit this happened once or twice but it was at practice and in the Ice House. lol) into the sled or backwards neither one will result in a fast down time! Or one of the greatest ones I have seen is when your foot hits the bunk of the sled you fall, and one of your team mates grabs a hold of you drags you into the sled. But since everyone else has already gotten in you become their seat cushion cause that's the only way you fit in! lol Once again this has never happened to me, but I saw it and it was funny as all get out! especially cause they made it down safe.
Loading from the back of the sled is a lot easier but you could still take a wrong step and find yourself being dragged down the ice. AND NO THAT HAS NEVER HAPPENED TO ME BEFORE.....come on people give me a break here I am a trained professional!!! I load in MY SLEEP LOL. I like a NINJA with it! It's like when someone screams "LOAD" and I'm like yall gonna get in already cause I loaded 10 minutes ago and I was wondering if I was racing by myself! One time I beat the driver in and had to scoot back, at the bottom he looked at me like I was wrong....I know right, I told him he needs to hurry up and get in cause we got a race to win and we do not have time to wait for him to get in all the time! LOL
Take care and God Bless!
Jesse
Monday, June 23, 2008
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Summer update
Guten Morgan/Good Morning Everyone!
I trust that everyone had a nice relaxing Memorial Day weekend, I did and my summer training is going Great. God is continually putting good positive people in my life for which I am truly thankful.
This summer my sprint coach took on a new partner named Kevin, which was very fortunate for me. Not only is Kevin a great trainer and motivator but he also has an uncle named Johnathan that is a professional welder. This was excellent news for me because I needed to have a push cart built that I could use for my training. I talked to Kevin about what i needed and gave him some pictures and schematics of the sled, he then gave them to his uncle Johnathan. I spoke with his uncle Johnathan to clear up a few details on the cart and BAM!!! I GOT MY PUSH CART BUILT!!!! Yeah just a little excited over here!!. Having this push cart is going to fill a gap that I have had in my summer training.
While in placid we train and test with this type of push cart all the time,I no longer have to wait an entire year before I can practice my pushing technique now, NOW I HAVE MY OWN! I have included some pictures of the push cart for you to see. In the picture you will also see a piece of wood with some nails and spikes stuck through it. This piece of wood is used to mimic the starting block that we push off of on every race track around the world, and the nails prevent the board from slipping when I am pushing off of it.
Have a great week and thank you for all of your support!
Jesse
I trust that everyone had a nice relaxing Memorial Day weekend, I did and my summer training is going Great. God is continually putting good positive people in my life for which I am truly thankful.
This summer my sprint coach took on a new partner named Kevin, which was very fortunate for me. Not only is Kevin a great trainer and motivator but he also has an uncle named Johnathan that is a professional welder. This was excellent news for me because I needed to have a push cart built that I could use for my training. I talked to Kevin about what i needed and gave him some pictures and schematics of the sled, he then gave them to his uncle Johnathan. I spoke with his uncle Johnathan to clear up a few details on the cart and BAM!!! I GOT MY PUSH CART BUILT!!!! Yeah just a little excited over here!!. Having this push cart is going to fill a gap that I have had in my summer training.
While in placid we train and test with this type of push cart all the time,I no longer have to wait an entire year before I can practice my pushing technique now, NOW I HAVE MY OWN! I have included some pictures of the push cart for you to see. In the picture you will also see a piece of wood with some nails and spikes stuck through it. This piece of wood is used to mimic the starting block that we push off of on every race track around the world, and the nails prevent the board from slipping when I am pushing off of it.
Have a great week and thank you for all of your support!
Jesse
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