nathancrumpton

You were a multi-event track & field athlete at Cornell, and still hold the Ivy League record. How did that prepare you for bobsled? And why has Princeton won so many more Ivy League T&F titles than Cornell? ;)

Taking my first run from the top of Whistler, the 2010 Olympic track which claimed the life of luger Nodar Kumaritashvili. It's not just the fastest track in the world (top speed of just over 90mph during the Olympics), but extremely technical too. Luckily the run went really well, and I became much more relaxed after that.

Yes, a concussion on my first day going from the top of the Lake Placid track (where I started the sport). I was unable to slide for 2 weeks. Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is the most common serious injury in the sport. There's also an emerging debate about the long term effects of sliding, even if you don't hit your head. The long term effects on one's head when subjected to 4 & 5 g's of force for years on end are unknown, but some of the anecdotes from veterans and retired sliders are disconcerting.

This is a great question. I'll answer in full soon. I'm meeting a potential sponsor right now....wish me luck. Edit: I'm back. This requires a multi-part answer: 1) The long term effects are still unclear from regular sliding, and most people seem to be fine. It's not quite like boxing where you're being repeatedly bludgeoned and your head goes through really jarring movements. (Bobsled is kind of like that though...watch the video at the top. I'd be happy to never take a bobsled ride again.) Most of skeleton sliding is really smooth, and g-forces are supposed to be limited to a max of 5gs for a period of 3 seconds, I believe. IE - track designers do take this aspect into account. 2) That being said, it's mostly a "big hit" that worries me. A teammate - Katie Uhlaender, the 2012 World Champion and 2 time Olympian - had a bad concussion earlier this season in training. She is still sliding competitively, but without the world-leading results she expects. Watching her go through the process is definitely disconcerting. 3) Ultimately it's a sport that I really enjoy, and I feel it enriches my life more than it detracts from it. If and when that flip flops, then it's time to hang up the spikes and maybe find something new. Nonetheless, I'm keeping close tabs on how my head handles things in the long term.

Ha! Incidentally, not at all. Part of the key to sliding fast is relaxing as much as possible, and just "melting into the sled." The goal is to be loose and relaxed. Tensed muscles upset the sled and scrub speed.