Page 58 - The Wish Stream Year of 2020 Crest

Great Britain Bobsleigh Team – Europa Cup
Capt Sarah Smith
RMAS made it to the ice for the final event of the European Circuit, Bobsleigh, despite facing many obstacles and setbacks of
this challenging year. Captain Sarah Smith AGC (ETS) went on to represent Great Britain as a 2-man Bobsleigh pilot, at the European Cup, Königssee, Germany. Sarah, who is SO3 OCAC, has been a member of the GB Development Squad since October 2019, also took with her fellow GB athlete Issy Burke, and her Army Bob- sleigh teammate WO2 Zoe Beckett RADC, as brake-women. This was Zoe’s debut event with the GB Team, after only completing her novice training camp with the Army in December 2018 and was quickly recognised for her talent in the sprint start and her athletic ability. She became an Army Brake-Woman at 2 Inter-Services, suc- ceeding to the podium in the individual team event in both 2019 and 2020.
The trio travelled to Germany to compete against a 22 strong international female com- petition. The broader event included 4-man, 2-man, 2-woman and mono-bob races, with an international attendance of 27 Nations, including Australia, Russia, Jamaica, Nigeria and Korea to name a few. After extensive planning, Covid-19 testing and specific IBSF safe training protocols, the team executed a successful week of train- ing and qualifying runs against the other Nations, holding their own against Olympians and World Cup athletes. During the week, they reached speeds of up to 110kph on the LOTTO Eisarena Bobsleigh Track located on the border of Austria. Bobsleigh is a dangerous sport, which does not allow brakes to be pulled at any point on the track
other than after the finish line; any small mistake by the pilot can cause a high-speed crash with the travelling sled continuing its momentum with the athletes on the ice. Luckily none of the five GB teams in attendance had that misfortune and all teams finished on a high at the last event of the season. Sadly, the final race day had to be cancelled due to cooling issues at the track, but this did not detract from the exhilarating week on ice, against strong international competition in the magnificent backdrop of the Alps. The team, who are self-funded, were extremely grateful for the amazing support and sponsorship they received from The Sandhurst Trust, which ena- bled them to continue their journey.
If you are interested in getting involved in the sport of Bobsleigh, please contact Capt Sarah Smith – SO3 OCAC: 01276 412555 or email: bobsleigh@awsa.org.uk – prerequisites include having watched Cool Runnings, and further- more... liked it!
Find out more via the Army Team’s social media @britisharmybobsleigh.
We hope to see you on the ice next season... bring your soldiers too!
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