In 2002, Jill Bakken and Vonetta Flowers shocked the world by winning the first-ever Olympic gold medal in women's bobsledding. What most people don't know is the incredible uphill battle that paved the way for that victory. Before they stood on the podium, Jill and a small group of determined women fought simply for the right to compete.
"Icebreakers" is the untold story of this remarkable team that took on one of the world's most dangerous sports—and changed it forever.
Their journey began in 1994, when fearless women from across the U.S. converged at the Olympic Bobsled Push Training Facility in Lake Placid for the first-ever U.S. Women's Bobsled tryouts.
Just a few months later, the team was set, and they competed individually in the first US Women's Bobsled Push Championship; Alex Allred pushed a 325-pound bobsled to victory in 6.36 seconds, winning the gold medal—and she was four months pregnant at the time awas named "Athlete of the Year" for the sport of bobsleigh by the US Olympic Committee. The runner-up, Liz Parr-Smestead, was also pregnant. Pregnant and winning in a sport that had long been deemed too dangerous for women. Jill Bakken was 16 years old, making her the youngest driver in bobsledding history.
In October 2024, they reunited in Lake Placid—thirty years after those first tryouts—and found their bond as strong as ever, as if no time had passed. Despite their diverse paths, they remain ONE TEAM, forever connected by their shared journey.
Through personal stories, archival footage, and a moving reunion, Icebreakers shines a light on this extraordinary underdog story, revealing the resilience, strength, ambition, and unique solidarity of these pioneering athletes—heroes whose stories have remained hidden until now. It also tells the story of a few good men who stood beside them.
Co-organizers3
IceBreakers First US Women's Bobsled Team
Organizer
New York, NY
Volga Calderon
Beneficiary
Bobsled Athlete USA National Team
Co-organizer
