How much confidence did you gain from winning the Whistler World Cup on the Olympic track last season?
Whistler was a great confidence builder. What I don't think a lot of people know is that Helen Upperton , the Canadian driver, she was at 60 percent. She had torn cartilage in her ribs. And not really pushing, which she's a very strong pusher and will be during the Olympic Games. And also Sandra Kiriasis, who won the last [Olympic] gold medal... had a little spat with her brakeman before and ended up not racing with her. So those two will definitely be contenders and I told them I'm not fooled by them, with their 60 percent effort. It was good, definitely, to win there and get on the track and build that confidence. But going into the Games it will be tough with those two back to a hundred percent.
What did you think of the Whistler track? Is it as fast as everybody says?
Yes, faster. It was funny - one of those experiences where you almost die and you find yourself laughing about it. That's how I feel every time I get down that track... I watch the sleds go by and I just think, ‘What am I thinking? This is just stupid. I mean these sleds are going so fast'... The start - it's crazy, you see like seven meters of ice and then you just see the city of Whistler. You can't see the track, the run - nothing. All you see is seven meters of ice and that's it until you start pushing over the crest. The rapid grade that it drops at definitely makes it hands down the fastest track in the world.
What kind of advantage do you expect the Canadians to have on that track at the Games?
Every run on that track you learn something and I think for me there's still a lot to be learned. And with every run they're getting that advantage over us, with the speed at the bottom of the track as well. I mean it's so fast. So it would definitely be nice to have those extra runs. I think they'll have a pretty big advantage.
After winning silver in Torino, did you know that you would keep competing through another Olympics?
I knew I'd probably go another Olympics, especially with having it in North America. I mean, come on, it's there - I'm definitely going to do it right.
Why were you so frustrated with your silver medal finish at 2009 Worlds?
I think it depends on if you expected yourself to win. I expected to win a gold medal in Lake Placid. But I think with fighting with the coaches all week and just Lake Placid itself, just sucked the life out of me by the end. I'm kind of glad I walked away with the silver, but I was very, very frustrated because I know I could have won a gold medal there. And I blame that on the coaches. Because I think if they would have let me take Valerie [Fleming] and go with my first choice I wouldn't have had to stay up at nights. And I wouldn't have had to be pissed off. I wouldn't have had the anger. I could have concentrated on what I came there for, and it was to win a medal.
How much equipment preparation goes into such a short amount of actual race time?
We do so much for that little amount of time on the ice... Putting your sled into the scabbards and dragging five hundred pounds, trying to put into a truck. Everything's just manual - not like there's machines doing anything for us. And taking the sled back, flipping it over. You know it takes three people to flip the sled over. Then taking the runners off, sanding the runners, wiping down your sled, making sure everything's dry, taking out your shims... You know, a lot of people don't know the behind the scenes that go on with bobsledding and it takes all day to do all this stuff for that little amount of time. It's a lot of work and a lot of preparation for two minutes. But that two minutes and the adrenaline that we get from it, I think that's what keeps us going.
What does it feel like when you're moving down a track as fast as you can?
A roller coaster - I guess you could kind of a little bit compare it to that. But when you're steering the thing it's completely different. Sometimes I'm going down the track and I'm like, ‘Wow. This is so cool.' But I feel like sometimes you don't really realize how fast you're going. I think in Whistler you realize it because things are passing by so fast that you don't even see them.
Totally different topic. Any thoughts of returning to soccer with the new league?
No. I mean, I'm 32. These little kids probably run all over. I wasn't the best at the running part, the cardio part of the sport. I hated it. So to get back in that shape - it would be very tough... I don't think I've played a game since my last game with the WUSA. So, you know, my touch is probably horrible.
Compiled by Lee Ann Gschwind, NBCOlympics.com
