BEST IN BOBSLED GLAD TO BE HOME
What does Kaillie Humphries plan to do while back in Calgary after a record eight straight victories in World Cup bobsled? As the Herald’s George Johnson writes, it’s time for a well-deserved rest and, simply, ‘being lazy.’
For breakfast Christmas morning, a dad’s Hungarian rice casserole, impossible to replicate (“I know. I’ve tried. I can’t”). A great-grandmother’s special recipe for Nuts and Bolts. Mom’s whipped shortbread cookies.
“Those are the three things,” says Kaillie Humphries, with no guilt whatever, ”that I am ready to ... devour. Those are the things I’ve missed, not being at home. Our traditions at Christmas.”
She can’t wait to sleep late, just lounge around the house in PJs for 10 days. No
It’d be awesome to just see my mom and my sisters and catch up with the family.
KAILLIE HUMPHRIES
commitments. No training. No streak to extend. No bombing down ice-slicked tracks at speeds upwards of 120 km/h.
For the first time in three Christmases, the world’s finest female bobsleigh racer will be home for the holidays. Just like in the song, but not only in her dreams. Usually, with the World Cup circuit in Europe at this time and time tight, she opts to forego the eight-hour flight home and spends the yuletide with husband Dan’s family in the U.K.
So when she and roughly half the Canadian bobsleigh and skeleton contingent cleared customs off the 12:30 Air Canada flight originating from Frankfurt, her mom Cheryl and sister Shelby were with waiting with flowers.
“This holiday season is going to be special. No question. It’s great to be home. It’s two years since I’ve been here in Calgary for Christmas. I’m just going to relax and chill. I’ll probably just stay on European time, go to bed at 4 in the afternoon and wake up at 4 in the morning. It’d be awesome to just see my mom and my sisters and catch up with the family. Not think about sports for the next little bit.
“I want to refill my energy cup for a hard second half, which I know is coming.”
Making hard look easy. That’s Kaillie Humphries’ mandate at the moment. The reigning world and Olympic champion is on a roll like never before, reeling off a record eight straight victories, starting in February, through the World Championships and now the opening five World Cup races of this season. She’s changed brakemen, from Jennifer Ciochetti to rookie Chelsea Valois of Zenon Park, Sask., without so much as a momentary murmur in momentum.
The previous record for consecutive wins had been held by Germany’s Sandra Kiriasis, at six, but Humphries eclipsed that two weekends ago at Winterberg, Germany, then collaborated with Valois to add to the total Friday in La Plagne, France, before heading home.
So, perhaps somewhat of an inopportune time for a break in the action?
“I think that’s always in the back of your mind,” she concedes.
“You don’t want to stop ‘cause it’s going so well. But I definitely don’t think, by any means, that being at home, being with my family, being able to recharge is a negative thing, at all.
“If anything, it’s just going to add a bit more fuel to the fire for me.
“Would I have thought it was possible? Definitely not. But am I shocked by it? No. Not at all. I think every athletes hopes and dreams, wishes and plans, to get on this type of streak. It’s nice.
The question now, the one she’ll be asked ad nauseam until this amazing run ends, is obviously: How high she can take this? Nine wins? Ten? Higher?
“You definitely use it, knowing anything is possible. But I’ve seen people in our sport get really big heads when this starts to happen, they change. I’ve seen it in other sports, as well. And I vowed I’d never be one of those people. So I stick to the basics. My dad always taught me the KISS principle — keep it simple, stupid — and that’s what I do as much as possible.
“We’ll see what happens. All it takes one-hundreth of a second to stop the streak, to lose a race, or 5/100ths drops you from first to eighth. One mistake and I could crash. You could pull a hamstring. You can’t prepare for everything.”
“Kaillie Humphries is due back to the in Altenberg, Germany, on the 30th, for her next test at pushing the streak even further. Not even, as her mom lamented at the airport early Monday afternoon, long enough for a proper New Year’s Eve send-off.
Still, for the next 10 days, a blissful holiday season full of Hungarian rice casserole, Nuts and Bolts and whipped shortbread cookies. The effortless ease of home, like tugging on an old pair of slippers.
“Actually,” mused the hottest bobsleigh racer on the planet, “sometimes it’s a challenge decompressing.
“But when you’re IN that (lazy) mode, you’re in it, for three or four days.
“I plan on sleeping as much as possible, and eating as much homemade food as possible. Turkey dinners and pumpkin pie. Every day.
“Being home for Christmas this year, I think I really needed it.”
Earned it, obviously, too.