Development Training Week 2: “I guarantee it will be a rough ride”

Up until now, I had been sliding on a school sled made of steel. These sleds are able to take a beating and provide a relatively safe ride for new sliders. I had always had good runs...many of which were rough, but I never felt like I was going to lose my sled.

This week, I began sliding on my new racing sled...a used Parker sled that I had bought from a national team athlete that’s about my size. Racing sleds are made from fiberglass and much more flexible and responsive to movement from the slider. Additionally, I had new runners on the sled that I had bought from another national team athlete.

Steve helped me get the sled together and made sure I understood that the ride was going to be quite different from all my previous rides. His comment was “Do you have padding, because I guarantee this is going to be a rough ride.” Quite a statement as a new slider is about to go down a run...but I appreciated the warning.

His promise did not disappoint. I got on the sled just fine, but immediately coming out of turn one the sled went into a power-slide...basically it fishtailed. And that began the roughest pin-ball ride down the track I’d ever had. At one point I was on my side sliding through the turns. At another point the sled was entirely in front of me and I was desperately trying to pull myself back on. It was a jarring experience, but all I could do was laugh at the bottom. I had made it down in one piece...albeit one very bruised piece. From my chin to my ankle, the sides of my body turned various shades of black and blue...and some bruises were green which I can’t explain. Must be a skeleton thing.

The 2nd run went somewhat better, but 2 rides that rough were about all my body could take for one day. Back at it tomorrow.

Tomorrow came a little too soon for my bruised body, but the rides were better...still more rough than anything I’d experienced previously, but better nonetheless.

It was good for me to get on the racing sled early in training so that I can work to get more comfortable with it.

While two days of sliding isn’t enough per week...this week, I was happy to only have two days. Now, I recover!