Feel the Rhythm. Feel the Rhyme.

The United States Olympic Committee is unique in that it relys on private funding instead of government support. Therefore, only the World Cup sleds are fully funded. In order to pursue my dream of competing for Team USA, I will be expected to pay for all travel, food, and gear throughout the season.

I have already endured a loss of $2,340 from unpaid leaves of absence in the process of making it to the final cut. By committing to Team USA, I had to resign from my 7th grade teaching position. This comes as a big risk since I did not lose my normal bills like rent, insurance, cell phone, and student loans. While during this same time frame, I will have to buy 8 flights that range $200-400 each.  And not to mention gear expenses like $336 ice spikes and a $300 burn protective shirt. 

I would like to ask for your support. Any amount is greatly appreciated and will help me tremendously. I know God will help me through any hardships. Ultimately my goal is to use this rookie season to gain experience, learn technique, become stronger, and be faster so next season I can earn a position on a sponsored national team.

Thank you!

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See below for "My Story" 
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As a senior in high school, I had the opportunity to meet Curt Tomasevicz (2010 Vancouver Olympics gold medalist in the 4-man bobsled) at an award banquet in Lincoln, NE. I thought how cool that a football player from Nebraska made it to the pinnacle of sports and got to represent our country. I had always wondered how he learned the sport and got into it. He has since won a bronze medal at the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi. 
Fast forward to the summer of 2015. I completed my collegiate eligibility at Nebraska and Nebraska-Kearney in football and track and field. I chose to run the 110m high hurdles at the State Games of America (Lincoln, NE) following a summer of rehab to repair a torn hamstring suffered during DII Nationals (Allendale, MI) my senior year. After winning the race, I got to meet  Lolo Jones (American Record holder in the 60m high hurdles and Team USA bobsledder). 
I added Jones on SnapChat and began watching videos of her training for both hurdles and bobsled. These triggered my inspiration along with a little coaxing from my track coach, Rossco Fellows. I submitted my "athlete résumé" at http://www.teamusa.org/usa-bobsled-skeleton-federation/join-the-team/athlete-resume. They replied with a list of upcoming combine dates and locations. 
I chose the location with the least distance to travel. On June 26, 2016 I participated in the combine at Colorado College in Colorado Springs, CO. I won the combine with the following results:
15m - 2.16s - 84 pts. 
30m - 3.73s - 86 pts. 
45m - 5.21s - 94 pts. 
30m Fly - 3.01s - 92 pts. 
Broad Jump - 3.25m - 94 pts. 
Shot Toss - 15.3m - 83 pts. 
Total Score - 533 pts. 
Once all nine of the combines across the nation we're completed, I got a phone call from Coach Dionne inviting me to Rookie Camp at the Olympic Training Center in Lake Placid, NY. Here the combine testing was finished with the following results: 
Power Clean - 125 kg - 88 pts. 
Squat - 155 kg - 82 pts.
Final Total Score - 703 pts.
A score above 675 points makes you eligibile to continue the process. A score above 700 points makes you eligible for funding and exempt from future full-combines. 
The rookies spent an entire week living and training at the Olympic Training Center. Our days were filled with both a morning and afternoon session to begin learning the sport and skills needed to compete in the pushing competition that weekend. I became friends with a lot of neat people in a very short amount of time. 
The Preliminary Push Championship took place on August 27, 2016. The competition consisted of three pushes from the brake position (directly behind the sled). I recorded 4.47s on my first run and 4.49s on my final run giving me a total time of 8.96s. This total was fast enough for the runner-up position behind Ryan Bailey (American Record holder in the 4X100m relay). 
As the top two finishers, we received a gift from Under Armour and were invited to the National Push Championship in Calgary, Canada. Our airfare, lodging, and rental car was fully funded by BMW. Calgary was chosen because of the ice push track within Canada Olympic Park. This was the first chance to compete with and against the veterans on the team.
The National Push Championships occurred shortly after my arrival on September 21, 2016. I recorded times of 5.25s from the brake position and 5.35s from the side position giving me a total time of 10.60s. Speed differentials were later factored into the final rankings.  At the end of the week was a partner combination push competition and my best time was  4.99s with Miles Dunlap. 
As a result of the week, pilot, Geoff Gadbois, drafted me to his sled that'll most likely compete in the North American Cup this year. Countries from all over the world compete in the NAC. The season will begin after two weeks of training  and team time trials at the end of October. The schedule is as follows:
Calgary - Nov. 11-14
Vancouver - Nov. 23-26
Salt Lake City - Jan. 9-12
Lake Placid - Jan. 20, 23, 26-27
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