https://mailchi.mp/8a7c0a81f8de/a-historic-seasonSent out an email to the supporters--link above, a brief season's recap.
Also copied below albeit without accompanying pictures.
To my very wonderful friends and supporters,
The 2020/21 season has now come to a close and what an absolutely historic season it has been, setting multiple Israeli records and setting new standards in Israeli Bobsleigh. Our placements this season included 2 noteworthy achievements:
--Israel’s first ever bobsleigh podium in an international competition
--Highest ever placement for an Israeli bobsleigh team in an IBSF-calendar competition
Our performance as a team was also something to take extreme pride in. By season’s end, we had established ourselves as worthy competition against the Olympic silver medalist on his home track (more below about the Korea Cup.)
I’d like to stress that all of the team’s accomplishments are Israel’s accomplishments, and yours as well. If you are receiving this email, you were a part of the journey. As an (extended) member of the team, I hope you can share in our pride. This season has cemented the confidence in our prospects. We stand the greatest chance since the original Israeli bobsleigh team 15 years ago of earning Israel an Olympic berth.
It’s been a long while since I provided an update. In that time, a full season has gone by.
November-February:
Training this season exclusively took place at the Alpensia Olympic Sliding Center, a return to the track where I last competed on behalf of Israel. In 2018, following the Olympic Games here in PyeongChang, I felt compelled for a number of reasons (a couple of ones having to do with the experience at the Games in PyeongChang,) to leave sliding sport and work for the team in other roles. At the time, I believed that this was the last time I might have the opportunity to wear our flag, and it was an emotional farewell.
It seemed fitting to continue the journey at this very track. But the only thing that truly mattered was what was optimal for the team's success, and in that regard there was absolutely no question—no other location in the world could provide what PyeongChang could. Any teams stuck in the United States would be greatly limited in their ability to develop. Outside of a few competitions there was almost no training available to international teams and no facilities to take advantage of. In contrast, PyeongChang remained open the entire season to international teams, of which we were one of only two (Australia being the other). By season’s end we had taken more training runs (over 200) than any other bobsleigh team in the world not situated at their home track. The run volume was invaluable—the only means of improving during the season is to get on ice, and there was not a day we missed.
We were also fortunate to have world class facilities available to us—one of only a few functioning “ice-houses” (a practice indoor starting facility to improve the sprinting start) is located in PyeongChang and was available for use, as was a gym. The team trained and developed in both the 2-man and 4-man bobsleigh discipline. The physical toll is brutal on the athletes and training daily in 4-man is not possible due to injury risk, so we switched often, taking more runs in the 2-man to keep our push-athletes fresh. We also received excellent coaching from 2 coaches available to us in PyeongChang—Heath Spence (2014 Olympian, 2-man and 4-man, Australia) and Dorin Grigoire (2018, Romania.)
I recorded a front-and-back POV (point-of-view) video in the 4-man so you can hear and see what I do on the run—it’s a minute long and I highly suggest watching if you haven’t had the opportunity to see a run before.
February-March—Training and Competition, history made:
Early February brought on our first international competition at the Horizon’s Cup in PyeongChang. Although originally billed as an IBSF-sanctioned event, due to a delay in the organizers filing paperwork, it was eventually determined not to be included on the IBSF calendar. It was considered an international competition with teams from Korea, Vietnam, and Israel, but it did not count towards one of our Olympic requirements.
Bobsleigh is considered to be essentially Formula-1 racing on ice. A good analogy is that even the best racing driver can’t win a formula one race in a Toyota Prius. A monumental contributor to results is equipment, of which competitive equipment is prohibitively expensive, especially for our team in the 2-man discipline. We had been training in a rented 13 year old 2-man sled with a massive crack in both sides of the fiberglass, resulting in large speed losses, and with runners (essentially our tires) that were way too sharp for the weather. Our goal was to show what we could do against the best given the tools we had to work with, and I cannot overstate how proud I am of the team’s results. The team came together beautifully during the event, securing a historic first for Israel Bobsleigh: a podium finish in an international competition with a Silver in the first event, ahead of another Korean team on home track.
Bolstered by this result the team trained hard for the Korea Cup in March, which was placed on the IBSF calendar and doubled as the National Team Selection Races for Korea. The top 3 teams in the competition were the top 3 teams for Korea, including the reigning Olympic Silver medalist Yunjong Won. Our goal was to finish as close to Yunjong as possible. Putting down a good result relative to the world’s best would put Israel on the radar, so to speak, and I’m proud to say we did just that. In the race we finished 2.4 seconds over 2 runs behind Yunjong, a monumental result, and a placement higher than any other Israeli bobsleigh team (4 of
in an IBSF competition in history. We placed ahead of a Korean team and both Vietnamese teams. It was an incredible boost for a team that only 6 months ago was looking like it might not come together. This competition closed out the competitive season and we have now officially entered the offseason.
What’s next? When is the qualification season? What else is necessary?
We have from now until October to improve in all of the ways we can off the ice. For the athletes, this means pushing faster and better. Sprinting and lifting is the name of the game. For the team as a whole, this means a host of things that need to be secured.
-finances
-team managers
-equipment
-coaches
Through generous support of individuals, Toyota and Ariel Property Advisors, the team managed to secure 12% of the budget this season, with 88% unfunded. This is unsustainable and it is hard to envision a way for the team to have a qualifying season without finding a more complete sponsorship arrangement. Our equipment cannot keep up and we won’t be able to afford coaching, medical and training care, and logistics.
On the logistics and team management front, I will be searching for a team manager. It was brutal and exhausting work to manage the team while simultaneously training. For our Olympic qualification season, we will need someone to take care of this more completely.
Equipment-wise, if we find the funds we will attempt to secure more competitive equipment.
Coaching-wise, we will need to find a dedicated coach who can travel with us.
We’ll be based from October onwards largely in North America where we will compete on the North American Cup circuit en route to Beijing qualification. The competitions will take place November through about January 10th, with the Beijing Games opening on February 4th, 2022.
Thank you so very much for being a part of this journey. The team’s success is Israel’s success and you yourselves are a part of the team. Even simple messages of encouragement go a long way and we really appreciate all the support.
My deepest appreciation,
AJ