Illness, tricky track challenge to drivers
Sledders unfazed by dangerous curves, set sights on ending medal drought
PYEONGCHANG Chris Spring has just piloted his bobsled to a couple of top-four times in training runs at the Olympic Sliding Centre, which means the inevitable how-do-you-feel question should be easy: Feels good, feeling confident, etc.
Instead, the 33-year-old Calgarian by way of Australia says he’s had better days. Strep throat, he says. He speaks like his tongue has suddenly grown three sizes.
Despite all that, he’s pleasant and casual. He’ s asked about the treacherous curve 9 at the Pyeongchang track, which has befuddled some of the lu ge and skeleton riders who’ ve already competed and is thought to have played a key part in the shocking failure of German legend Felix Loch in the luge.
He has no problem with curve 9, Spring says. But then: “My corner 2 is struggling right now; I’ve had some good days and some bad days ,” he said .“That second run right now, I blew up the world pretty bad in the exit at 2 there.”
Sounds like corner 2 is in his kitchen.
“It’s sort of frustrating because it’s right at the top of the track there, it puts you in a bad mood, you know?” Spring said. “It’s like waking up with a bad hair day.”
But, I mean, how much can your mood be affected in a 50-second ride? “Oh I have lots of time, man. You have no idea what goes through this head of mine.”
Spring will drive one of three Canadian two-man sleds in Pyeongchang, along with Justin Kripps and Nick Poloniato. While the men have been overshadowed in recent Olympics by the goldmedal performances of Kaillie Humphries, this group of sleds has medal potential of its own.
Kri pp s’ s first training run Friday, with veteran Neville Wright as his brakeman, delivered the secondfastest time of the session, and his second run was fifth fastest.
“It’s going well,” Kripps said. “We’ve got our equipment dialed in, so we’re getting that ready to go. Trying to get the lines consistent, so it’s pretty solid.”
The Calgary resident said he likes the track in P ye ongc hang, but despite various World Cup podium finishes in recent years, he’s not thinking a lot about a medal.
“You want to make sure you do your job as well as possible,” Kripps said. “You want some good starts and some good drives, and if you do that, I think the results will take care of themselves.”
The good drives are key. Whatever one thinks of curve 9 or curve 2 or any other spot on the track, there’s universal agreement that this course demands skilful piloting. Some tracks are all about a strong push, and then everyone takes the same lines. The medals go to whoever pushes fastest. This is not that.
“Here, you still have to push fast,” Spring said, “but if I have clean runs, and we’re not as fast at the top, we still have a chance of winning medals, you know?”
Spring is also a bit more introspective about the medal question, and whether he’d be disappointed to leave South Korea without one.
“I’ve often said that I don’t need a medal, I want a medal,” Spring said. “Saying that, I expect to win a medal here.”
So, if he gets that curve 2 thing sorted, maybe Canada gets a twoman sled on the podium for the first time since in 2006?
“If we don’t win a medal here, I’ll be disappointed,” Spring said.