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Lyndon Rush is pilot for Canada’s Olympic bobsled team. He and brakeman Lascelles Brown won their first two-man
bobsled World Cup event January 16. They finished in a dead heat, sharing the
gold medal with their German rivals. Rush offers some thoughts on faith.
WHEN I was young, I played every sport that you could imagine. Growing up in the
small town of Humboldt, Saskatchewan (5,000 people), that’s all there was to do.
After playing university football for five years, I got a call asking if I would like to try out for the Canadian Bobsled team.
I went to a camp where they select bobsled teams. I got timed and evaluated on
how well I pushed a wheeled sled.
Unfortunately, I pulled my hamstring, and I didn’t make any of the push teams. Then it was suggested that I try driving the
bobsled. I used to race bikes, so I was very excited to try this out.
They start beginner drivers at the halfway mark – so you will only get to about 80 km.
It was fast enough to be fun, but it wasn’t that scary. It was like the best go-cart ride I’d ever gone on. I enjoyed it so much that when I got to the bottom, I wanted to
go again. And then they said, “Well, we’ll take you up to the top now.”
Starting from the top . . . now you’re going really fast. There’s no way to slow down, so you’re going as fast as gravity is taking you – 180 km plus, with no control over the speed.
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It’s really scary at first, and I actually crashed on my first run from the top. I
panicked, and we dumped it. That’s where I learned that you have to be in control of your fear – because the start of the race is so important.
February 2010
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