April 29, 2011
Anna Rogers attended West Perry High School where her athletic skills included field hockey, basketball and softball. Graduating in 2002, she received a partial field hockey scholarship and attended Old Dominion University in Virginia.
Rogers, daughter of Richard and Madeline Rogers of New Bloomfield, now is head women's field hockey and assistant women's lacrosse coach at Elmira College in New York, where she also teaches physical education.
She recently expanded her sports experience to include women's two-man bobsledding, thanks to a recommendation of her athletic abilities by a mutual friend of bobsled driver Megan Hill, 24, formerly of Atlanta.
Hill was looking for a brakeman in her final competition of the season in the America's Cup at Lake Placid, N.Y. Her former brakeman was injured and couldn't participate.
"Megan e-mailed me and asked if I'd like to give it a try," said Rogers. "I jumped at the chance."
Heading to Lake Placid, Rogers trained Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of the week of the competition and on Thursday competed with Hill against 12 other teams from various countries.
"We finished 13 out of 13 but Megan did an excellent job," she said. "She is a new driver and even though I was a little bruised, it was worth it. I had a lot of faith in her."
For Rogers, the whole experience was exhilarating. She stayed at the Olympic Training Center along with the other athletes, while taking in the wilderness of Lake Placid where the original half-mile Olympic bobsled run was constructed in 1930, specifically for the '32 Winter Games where the two-man format was introduced. Ranked among the most difficult, the Lake Placid course was longer, steeper, and featured a more pronounced drop in curves than European runs.
Lake Placid again hosted the Olympic bobsled competitions in 1980, along with seven World Championships. Although portions of the course have been retired, parts of the original Olympic bobsled run are used for training and recreation.
"It was a great opportunity to meet a lot of people and while we weren't as fast at the push off as the other teams, which is where you make up time, we kept getting faster with each run," said Rogers.
In the two-man race, perfect timing and coordination are required between driver and pusher/brakeman. The goal is to accelerate the bobsled the fastest in the first 40 to 50 meters, smoothly load into the sled while sprinting full speed, and piloting the sled down the track.
Hill, like many women bobsledders, began training in a different discipline. For 18 years she trained as a gymnast then switched to track and field while attending Albany University in New York.
"The U.S. Bobsled and Skeleton Federation is encouraging more women to become involved in the sport," said Rogers. "Having a background in track and field is helpful when it comes to being a good sprinter and pusher. It requires good upper body strength."
Track athletes, football players and other strong, explosive athletes are recruited. Fast starts are needed with the technology of new bobsleds that are metal frames wrapped in a fiberglass body. They are controlled by a more responsive pulley system of bungee cords and d-rings and hurl down iced tracks at speeds up to 95 mph with turn pressures ranging three to five times the earth's gravity.Rogers is back to focusing on her lacrosse season at Elmira.
Bobsled athletes can participate in the Lake Placid Combines this summer. The Combines consist of a series of throws of a 12-pound weight and four bobsled runs.
"People liken the throwing of the weight to `Grandma bowling,'" said Rogers. "In a squatting position, you throw the weight and see how far it rolls out. You're scored on the length and height of the throws."
The introduction of the World Cup tour in the mid-1980s greatly added to the competitiveness of the sport. Teams now are able to achieve success on a year-round racing circuit and not only in the Olympics or World Championships.
For more information on the U.S. Bobsled and Skeleton Federation, readers may visit the website bobsled.teamusa.org.