Going for Gold

In Profile — By admin on December 3, 2009 1:13 am

Flying High on a Slippery Slope

With a big push from hometown Nanton, winter Olympic hopeful, Lisa Szabon sets her sights on gold.

Photo by Neville Palmer at Canada Olympic Park, Calgary

By Pat Fream

It’s minus 20º C and all that separates the athlete from the frigid air is her one-piece spandex body glove but she doesn’t feel the bitter cold because her mind is a finely focused lens, locked on the task at hand.

With nervous energy mounting, she surveys the track one last time and then gives her partner the affirmative nod. In perfect sync, the pair lunges forward, throwing the full force of their tandem weight into a torpedo-shaped steel sleigh, launching, on the fly, into front and back tomblike seats. A swish – then gone! Careening down a winding tube barely four feet wide and laden with hard-packed ice. Speed exceeds 145 kilometres an hour, and in the 50 seconds it takes to blast to the bottom, their job is to stay the course – watch the sides – pilot this speeding bullet!

For some, this scene depicts a worst nightmare scenario; for Lisa Szabon of Nanton, it’s an adrenalin rush she can’t get enough of.

“The first time I took a run down the hill in the pilot’s seat, I loved it! I was hooked!” said Szabon, currently ranked fourth on the Canadian Bobsleigh Woman’s Team. “What I love is the combination of adrenaline, the small margin of error allowed, and the mix of focus, brute strength and finesse required to make the run successful. All of this and it’s over in less than a minute.”

Szabon is no one-time thrill seeker, she is a disciplined athlete, a driven training machine, the jewel Olympic hopeful that Nanton loves to brag about.

Formerly a competitive volleyball player and champion swimmer, Szabon was recruited by Bobsleigh Canada while attending SAIT in 2002. After competing locally for her first year, Szabon progressed to the America’s Cup circuit, and in 2007 she represented Canada at the World Junior Championships in Europe and took third place.

In February 2009, while competing in Whistler against another Canadian pilot – a race that would determine which of the two would advance on the Canadian team for the rest of the season, Lisa’s bobsled broke in half.

“While going down the track, I didn’t notice anything was wrong until we exited the final corner and the sled was all over the place, going up the outrun,” said Szabon. Turns out, the articulation pin that held the front and back end of the sled together was broken completely in two. What held the sled together at the end were two small bolts designed to stop the nose of the sled from over-rotating. “Who knows what could have happened had those last two bolts let go,” said Szabon.

Forced to forfeit her first place position in the race-off and abandon her spot on the World Cup circuit, Szabon returned to Nanton – disheartened and uncertain of her future in bobsled. This would not be an easy fix – the sled was 30 years old, and by most standards, 15 years past its expiry. A new, top quality sled would cost up to $80,000. Szabon didn’t have that kind of money.

When Nanton chiropractor, George Liscombe heard the plight of the town’s bobsled athlete, he was moved to champion her cause.

“I never forgot when Canada’s triathlete Simon Whitfield won the silver medal in the 2008 Summer Olympics. In his speech, right after he thanked God, he thanked a group of businessmen in his hometown for their financial support,” said Liscombe. Inspired by the power of community spirit, Liscombe decided to lead Nanton in a rally behind its own bobsled athlete. He founded the ‘Nanton Community and Athletic Society’ and set his sights on a new sled for Szabon.

Three phone calls later, with a challenge to others to match his own donation, Liscombe was already at $10,000. “Nanton – what a great community!” said Liscombe. “I went to speak to clubs and organizations and everyone I talked to came on board!”

Within six months, the little town with the big spirit hit its target. Nanton raised $80,000, and Szabon got a brand new sled and runners.

“I was in complete shock when I learned that the people of our town raised enough to help Lisa by a new sled,” said Lisa’s mother, Gail Szabon. “To know that so many people believe in and support our daughter is overwhelming for me. I have learned so much about the benefits of living in a rural community.”

Last year, Szabon finished up her rookie season as a pilot, placing 12^th overall on the World Cup circuit. Today she is a force to be reckoned with, training for at least three hours a day, every day. Her sights are set on gold at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver.

“With a town like Nanton going to the wall for me I feel as though I’m unstoppable,” said Szabon. “The Games aren’t just about me; they’re about small towns everywhere that believe in their athletes, especially Nanton.”

Follow Lisa on her blogsite at www.szabon.com

The following images were taken by Neville Palmer during one of Lisa’s training session at the Olympic Oval in Calgary.

A glimpse into Lisa’s training schedule …

Weight lifting personal bests:
Power cleans -  100kg
Back Squat -  160kg
Bench Press -  80kg

“In the summer I am in the gym for about 3 to 5 hours daily. We combine a sprint/speed work session with our weight lifting sessions. We train about 5-6 days a week, don’t recognize holidays, rarely have extra time off.

In the winter we finally hit the track in October (from March to October we don’t slide down the track at all). When we slide it takes about 2 hours of preparation (track walks, warm-up, sled prep) and then we take only 2 to 3 runs down the track, all being less than a minute long. We are also in the weight room on average of 3 days a week, it all depends on our sliding schedule, and that session can last about 2 hours long. We focus on maintaining our strength and explosive power with Olympic lifting, box jumps and squats, along with other stuff that will balance out the muscles.”- Lisa

Bobsledding, Luge, Skeleton…

Surprisingly, there are quite a few differences between these sports, in terms of the sleds, participants’ equipment, and skills required to navigate down the icy courses. Here are just the more obvious differences:

Bobsled: Athletes sit upright. Teams of two or four. Bobsled is canoe-shaped with sled-like with runners.

Luge: Athlete lays down face up, feet first. Performed solo or in teams of two. Luge is a smaller sled riding on sharp edges.

Skeleton: Athlete lays face down, head first. This is a solo ride. The sled is a flat metal sled with steel runners. Runs on a bobsled track.

The main thing these sports all have in common? A need for speed!

CANADA GETS GOLD AND SILVER!  Gold and Silver for Canada

Tags: bobsled, Heather Moyze, Lisa Szabon, Nanton, Olympics, Routes Magazine