User:Steven Holcomb
Steven Holcomb (born April 14, 1980) is an 8 year veteran of the U.S. Bobsled team and a athlete on the 2006 Olympic team in Torino, Italy.
A driver on the World Cup circuit in the two- and four-man, Utah's Steve Holcomb made his Olympic debut in both events in Torino where he finished 14th in 2-man and 7th in 4-man. Holcomb emerged as a top-10 four-man driver last season when he finished seventh in the overall standings and placed eighth at the 2005 World Championships. In addition, he beat Todd Hays' #1 ranked four-man sled at the 2005-06 U.S. World Cup team trials. Holcomb finished the 2005-06 World Cup season 13th in 2-man and ninth in 4-man.
Curt Tomasevicz , Bill Schuffenhauer and Lorenzo Smith III were Holcomb's brakemen in Torino, whose track is Holcomb's favorite. He says is it's difficult, and that the winning team will need to have a good driver, a good start and good equipment. Good drivers, Holcomb says he's been told, have "hands of a surgeon and eyes of a hawk." Rather, he insists, "We're just phenomenal athletes." He also jokes that he can't see more than six feet in front of him.
In reality, Holcomb can't see more than six feet in front of him without contacts. "Actually, I'm legally blind without corrective lenses," he says. "I wear contacts and if I don't wear my contacts, it's comparable to opening your eyes under water. I mean, I really can't see that well, so I rely a lot on my other senses to get me down the track." He explains that there are technical drivers who need to know a track's every turn, and those who drive by feel and are able to adjust if they're a little off. Holcomb puts himself in the feeler category, saying it's a sensation that's hard to teach or explain.
He began his career with the United States Bobsled and Skeleton Federation in 1998. Steve started out as a downhill ski racer for eight years before deciding to switch to the sport of bobsledding. In 1998 Steve followed his dreams and switched to bobsledding and has not looked back since. Steve has turned a lot of heads this past season as he has emerged as one of the best young and
up and coming drivers in the world.
Holcomb claims he got his "lucky break" in 1998, when he nearly got the alternate position on the U.S. Olympic team, but because he was one of the smaller athletes (185 lbs.) and only 17 (the youngest by four or five years), the coaches went with someone else. That November, though, he was called up for his first World Cup event, which he recalls as "pretty intimidating." He also remembers that it was Election Day and he missed his chance to vote in his first election. Still pretty young in the sport, Holcomb plans on competing through the 2010 Games.
Holcomb finished the 2004-2005 season ranked eighteenth in the 2-man, seventh in the 4-man and eleventh in the combined World Cup standings. Steve’s highest finish during the season was two fourth place finishes during 4-man races in Igls, Austria and Lake Placid, New York. Holcomb finished seventh in the four- man standings in only his third year of driving and is starting to knock on the door of the elite bobsled drivers in the world.
Always interested in computers, Holcomb is the self-appointed "computer geek" of the U.S. team. He has his A+ and Network+ certifications and is a Microsoft Certified Professional, meaning he's always the first one teammates go to with computer problems. His computer science studies at various schools (most recently online classes for the University of Phoenix) are on hold during the Olympic year, but computers will be in his future once bobsledding is over. As will video games. Holcomb, Brock Kreitzburg , Steve Mesler and Pavle Jovanovic are all pretty competitive with X Box online; they take their video gaming equipment with them on the road. And because European plugs are different than at home, they've talked about getting a European X Box.
A member of Army World Class Athlete Program and the Utah National Guard, Holcomb's rank is "Specialist" -- although he says that doesn't really mean he is a specialist in anything, but he wishes he had a specialty. His National Guard unit has been extremely supportive of his Olympic quest by allowing him to compete and train with the WCAP. Holcomb decided to join the Army at age 19 because he had a lack of funds similar to most amateur athletes, and endured boot camp shortly thereafter. "Everyone always says that they would do anything to be the best," he says. "Well, would you really? Anything? I said I would do anything to make the Olympic Games, so I did. I am willing to go to war and defend my country at any cost. And in return, I get more support than anyone could ever dream about."
Though "stationed" in Lake Placid, Holcomb refers to Park City as home. His training also takes him to San Diego (at the beginning of the season and during the offseason because of the warm climate) and Calgary (because of the great facilities, including an indoor push track). Because Holcomb's training regimen includes sprinting and weightlifting, Javonovic says the driver's "strength is unreal. It's shocking." As a child, Holcomb broke his arm jumping on a trampoline, and on the day he got his cast off, fell off a mailbox and broke it again.
[http://www.stevenholcomb.com Steven's Official Website BobTeam USA Official US Bobsled Team Site