My name is Bob Landsparger, and I am the new intern for the U.S. Bobsled and Skeleton Federation (USBSF). Now I know this is a tough time for you since you built quite a rapport with our last intern, Nick, but don’t worry, we’ll get through this emotional roller coaster together. Every Monday, from now until December, I will be blogging about my experiences with the USBSF. I will also blog about the sights and sounds of this unique mountain town, but I guess you are wondering to yourself how I wound up here.

I grew up in small town called Boston, Pennsylvania, about a half hour away from Pittsburgh. Since Pittsburgh has a great sports history with the Steelers, Penguins, and Pirates (if you ignore the last seventeen seasons), sports has been a major part of my life. I started with baseball then transitioned to football, wrestling, and track & field. After graduating from high school in 2005, I went Grove City College to continue my football career. After graduating in May, I found out about the USBSF through my college’s career services, and the rest is history.

I have been living here in Lake Placid for a few weeks now, and I love what the town has to offer. Nestled in the Adirondack Mountains, this small town is secluded from the major cities in the Northeast with Albany being two hours away. This is an outdoor paradise with hiking, kayaking, and mountain biking in the summer, and when it snows, skiing, ice fishing, and tobogganing are a few things you can do. You cannot go anywhere around Lake Placid without seeing the mountains surrounding the town, and beautiful lakes. One of my personal goals during my stay is beating my fear of heights and travel up to the top of ski jump to see the view of the Adirondacks, and to confirm my theory that ski jumpers are genuinely crazy. Since Lake Placid is near the Canadian border, I know the weather will be a lot colder than in Pittsburgh, but it is a risk I am willing to take.

Even though I am a sports fanatic, I have little knowledge about bobsled and skeleton. To quote my internship manual, “It’s ok if your current knowledge of bobsled consists of what you learned from the movie ‘Cool Runnings.’” What made me interested about this internship was the close interaction with the athletes. I always loved watching the Olympics from Michael Johnson wearing the gold Nikes in Atlanta to Dan Jensen winning that elusive gold medal in Lillehammer. When I watch these upcoming Olympics in February, I know it will be different. These next three and a half months will be exciting because I will interact with athletes that will go to Vancouver in 141 days to compete for the gold. I am not only cheering on the best athletes America has to offer, but I will also be cheering on my friends. I will be like a sponge during my stay soaking up all the knowledge about these fascinating sports as well as the memories I will make. 

Until next week . . .