U.S. Bobsled teams leave Games with silver
By Tom LaDue // U.S. Bobsled and Skeleton Federation // March 1, 2006
Cesana Pariol, Italy – The United States bobsled teams came into the 2006 games having won three medals in 2002 but four years later the team could only capture a silver in the women’s race as the track caused each driver his/her own troubles.
The highlight for the American team was when the team of Shauna Rohbock (Orem, UT) and Valerie Fleming (Foster City, CA) won the silver medal in the women’s race. Just four years Shauna lost in a push off to 2002 Olympic Gold Medalist Vonetta Flowers (Birmingham, AL) before the Salt Lake City Games to be in Jill Bakken’s sled. It didn’t get her down that she had to watch from the sidelines. How ironic that Rohbock decided to jump into the driver’s seat to capture her own medal. For the second games in a row the United States women’s bobsled team has mined a medal at the Olympic Winter Games. In 2002 the U.S. won the inaugural gold medal in Salt Lake City, Utah, now the team of Rohbock and Fleming have added their names to the list of women’s bobsled medalist.
When asked about winning a medal Rohbock replied, "It's amazing. You work so hard for a moment like that and you dream of it."
Also competing for the women was the team of 2002 Olympian Jean Prahm (Waterford, MI) and 2002 Olympic Gold Medalist Vonetta Flowers (Birmingham, AL). Prahm and Flowers finished in sixth place and enjoyed every minute of the team’s success.
"I never thought I would be so pleased with a sixth-place finish," Prahm said.
The two-man race would see the top American sled of 2002 Olympic 4-man silver medalist Todd Hays (Del Rio, TX) and Pavle Jovanovic (Tom’s River, NJ) finish in seventh overall.
“I think we got beat on every aspect of the game,” replied Hays after the race. The good news is that it wasn’t even close.”
The second sled of Steve Holcomb (Park City, UT) and 2002 Olympic 4-man Silver Medalist Bill Schuffenhauer (Salt Lake City, UT) finished in fourteenth place in Holcomb’s first Olympics.
“I can not be upset with the results. I looked at this as a step up the ladder. At the World Championships last year in Calgary I was eighteenth and now at the Olympics fourteenth so I am moving in the right direction,” Holcomb said after the race.
The two-man results would give each driver something to build on and that just what each one of them did.
The United States four-man bobsled put up valiant efforts but could not manage more than a sixth and seventh place finish. The biggest news from the race still had to be that the face of U.S. bobsled since 2002 is hanging up his spikes after a twelve year career that started in 1994. 2002 Olympic 4-man Silver Medalist Todd Hays (Del Rio, TX) announced after the first two runs on Feb, 24th that he was done racing and was looking to get into coaching football maybe even with his brother at Baylor.
Hays tried his hardest to keep his word and get his teammates the medal he so wanted to get them for all they have done for him over the last four-seasons where they have accumulated, twenty medals (5 gold, 10 silver and 5 bronze), including a silver at the 2003 four-man World Championships in Lake Placid, New York, but came up short.
The team of 2002 Olympic 4-man Silver Medalist Todd Hays (Del Rio, TX), Pavle Jovanovic (Tom’s River, NJ), Steve Mesler (Buffalo, NY) and Brock Kreitzburg (Akron, OH) was not even the top American sled as they finished in seventh behind Steve Holcomb.
“It feels great. I came to compete. I came to represent the United States. I did all those things. The only thing you can ask for in life is a chance. I had that today,” replied Hays. “I had it the last two Olympics. I got to win a silver medal in my home country. Unfortunately, I just didn't get it done for my team. It's not going to be a sad thing. It's just part of life and I certainly can deal with it.”
When asked about the future of the United States program Hays replied, “We have a great program with a great coaching staff. Our equipment is on the rise and I think in Vancouver, we should put together a real nice team.”
When asked about Hays retirement announcement Jovanovic responded, “I wasn't so, so sure that he would actually officially say that. Now, it's become a reality. For me, it's really exciting and also kind of upsetting because I thought he'd at least give it one more shot because the world championships are in St. Moritz next year and we won that race a few weeks ago. I thought he'd stick around for at least one more season, but I understand where he's coming from.”
The top American team sled was that of Steve Holcomb, 2002 Olympic Silver Medalist Bill Schuffenhauer (Salt Lake City, UT), Curt Tomasevicz (Shelby, NE) and Lorenzo Smith III (Kankakee, IL). Holcomb in his first Olympic Games finished in sixth position and fitting had the torch passed to him by Hays’ retirement.
“I was happy with the way things ended up. Sixth place in the Olympics is a great place to start a career. This is awesome. We came out here hoping to do well. I thought if I drove well, had a great push and had great equipment, we could be fast,” replied Holcomb after the race. “I don't think my driving was there 100 percent, but the push was there, the runners were fast, the sled was very aerodynamic and we finished sixth. I'm pretty happy with that.”
“I don’t think it’s sunk yet. We were still competing today, but I think the torch was passed,” said Holcomb when asked about Hays’ retirement.
In a true show of his character after Hays made his way through the mix-zone he said to the media, “I want to thank all of you guys for coming out. I know how the food chain works and without you guys we would not have the Olympics. I just want to thank all of you for reporting on me and the crazy winter stories and especially for standing out here freezing all of your tails off. I appreciate it. Thanks.” He also shook each reporters hand and gave them pats on the back.
History was also made in the sport of bobsled at the Games as Germany’s Andre Lange swept the gold medals by completing the 2-man and 4-man sweep. It was the second Games in a row that Lange has captured the gold in the four-man. Lange also completed a feat which has only been done four times before Saturday in the history of the sport, winning gold in both the two-man and four-man at the same games. The last time it was done was in 1984 by Wolfgang Hoppe. Others to complete the feat were Andrel Ostler in 1952, Eugenio Monti in 1968 and Meinard Nehmer in 1976.
