An American's Dream
7/4/2017 10:47:52 AM | General, Blog
Shaking off the loss of a legend, Sam McGuffie and his USA Bobsled teammates prepare for the 2018 Olympics
As he stood on the podium in Pyeongchang,South Korea in March clutching a crystal globe signifying a third place finishin the four-man bobsled 2017 World Cup standings, Sam McGuffie had every reasonto imagine himself in a similar position less than a year later when the WinterOlympics return to this same venue.
In less than two years, the former Rice standout hadworked himself into the brakeman's job on America's top sled, piloted by thelegendary Steve Holcomb, a two-time Olympic medalist whose success had vaulteda sport into a greater national recognition.
McGuffie, the one-time viral sensation for his highschool exploits who dazzled on both the football field and track at Rice, wasnow one third of a new team of explosive athletes whose main function was toblast the new BMW sled from a standing start and then settle in behind thetwo-time Olympic medalist who then used his vast experience to guide themthrough the twists, turns and bumps towards the finish line in a sport wheredreams of medals can be crushed by thousands of a second.
Over the course of his second season with the team,McGuffie found himself becoming more accustomed to the experiences of blastingdown the course, to the point where he could instantly recognize the quality ofthe run without looking to the clock for their time.
"In the beginning it was all a lot getting shaken around thewhole way down and always felt like I was riding in a crash as we went down thehill," McGuffie recalled. "But now I've learned what a clean run feelslike. It's very subtle because on someof the courses, a clean run does not mean you make it down without a tap hereand a tap there. You need those taps toset you up for the next turn."
He was also charged to deliver more than just a blast ofexplosive energy before jumping on board. As the brakeman, he was also tasked with bringing in the push bars usedfor the start as well as applying the brakes at the end of the run.
He picked up a pair of medals during the year, winning asilver medal at the Lake Placid World Cup stop in December and a bronze in Igls,Austria in February. Both medalsrepresented Holcomb's first in the four-man event since 2014, a year that sawhim win the USA's first Olympic medal in the two-man event in 62 years.
"We were on such a high at the Worlds with ourperformances," McGuffie said. "It was a great way to end the year and Icouldn't wait to get back and start training for next year."
"These guys on the teamhave heard stories about our winning seasons and it's almost like a myth tothem, so to have them see the crystal globe and see it come to fruition infront of them and know that we can win is huge," Holcomb said at the time. "Ihope it carries over into next season as we ramp up for the Olympic season."
Nothing in the future was assured, as the selectionprocess for the 2018 national team--from which the eventual lineup for theOlympics would be chosen--would include the return of several past Olympians inaddition to the latest hopefuls from the same summer combines that McGuffie usedto eventually earn a spot on the podium.
What was assured was the US team had closed strongly toend the 2017 season. Holcomb had driven the US sleds to third place finishes inthe four-man and combined events and second in the two-man event, ending a yearthat began with him struggling and contemplating retirement with a surge ofmomentum that seemed to point to potential medals in South Korea in 2018.
But that surge of expectation took a sudden and tragicswerve off the track less than two months later when Holcomb passed away at age37. Suddenly the man who was the face ofthe sport and the core of a team's hopes and aspirations for the comingOlympics was gone.
Less than two months later, McGuffie and his teammatesfound themselves back at the Olympic Training Center in Lake Placid, New Yorkfor a week of team building exercises and media training. The focus was onpreparing for the 2018 season, but also on continuing to come together afterthe loss of their undisputed leader.
"It's been hard on the whole team and we've all been onan emotional roller coaster," he said. "Steve was so experienced and knew everyquirk on every track. We all knew if wepushed strong, Steve would always take care of the rest. We felt that way going into the Worlds lastyear."
Now the team must spend the run-up to the Olympics tryingto identify its top driver in addition to finding the best combination ofathletes to join him in pursuit of the podium.
"Justin Olsen was a gold medalist pushing for Steve andhas so much talent as a driver," McGuffie noted. "It's just a sport where youcan't substitute for the experience. Ittook Steve five years of driving to start getting results and Justin is in hissecond year. We all believe in Justin, CodieBascue, who has been driving sleds since he was 12 and Nick Cunningham, who is two-timeOlympian."
From the outside, the combination of driver and histeammates might appear to be something that can be as simple as computing starttimes and putting the fastest three behind the driver. But McGuffie knows from his own experiencesthat the reality is far less defined.
"It's all about finding the best combinations and a lot ofwhat seems to make sense on paper does not translate to the track. There is alot of synchronization that needs to come together and it's kind of kooky howthe teams line up. It's hard to explainhow it comes together, but there is a feeling you get when you know you are insynch with a group of guys."
The hype for the Olympics will continue to build over thecoming months as the US team completes offseason training and the 2018 team isnamed. It then moves on to the provinggrounds of the World Cup circuit and the eventual announcement of the US teamfor South Korea.
McGuffie's success and experience are countered by theknowledge of the level of competition ahead of him in order to hear his namecalled as a member of the team. Each isdriven by their own desire for success, but also by the determination to notlet Holcomb's passing derail their pursuit.
"We all take it on ourselves that what he'd want from all ofus is to go hard. Steve was all about America and the opportunity to wear thatUSA on his back while he was driving a sled. I always felt pride to wear the name of my school or team when Icompeted, but to put that USA on is one of the coolest things I have done in mylife."