Year 1, Chapter 2- Bobsleigh Presser
"Greenland is Ice, but Iceland is Nice"
-D2: The Mighty Ducks
A camera flashed to my left, then another to my right. A short distance away, I could see TV crews getting a live look at the proceedings. Yes, indeed, it turned out that this was going to be a big deal.
We were out and about in Reykjavik today, and the scene was an interesting and joyous one. The athletic committee was holding a press conference to announce the new formation of our women's bobsleigh team, and far more media had shown up than I was expecting.
Again, the reason for that was likely the athletes themselves, though. Katla and Emilia (they were on a first name basis with a lot of the local sporting press at this point) had taken their viral fame from earlier in the year and run with it, and were already among the most famous winter athletes in Iceland without even having run in a competition yet. They had been posting training and workout videos and pictures continually in the ensuing months, as well as engaging their new fanbase in the process of designing bobsleigh uniforms. It was working, at least in terms of garnering attention.
Today was the next official step, though, and an important one at that. Ada Thorsdottir had the honor of introducing the proceedings. I was glad not to have to be the one giving a speech today, though Kris Einarsson and I were seated on stage along with the bobsleigh team, not too far from where she was currently speaking. Most of the office was in attendance today, and I could see Katja, as well as intern Gunner in the crowd.
"And now, ladies and gentlemen, it is my pleasure to introduce you to the new coach of our national bobsleigh team, Mr. Gunther Schuller!"
As the audience applauded, the large German man who was seated directly to my right got up and strode to the microphone. We had been pleased to get a chance to hire Gunther. He was a recently retired from competing with the German national team, and he had been angling to get into coaching. A number of small countries were bidding for his services, but he seemed to be impressed with Iceland's potential. He answered a number of very simple questions from the press before getting thrown a more difficult one. I listened intently to his answer.
"Coach Schuller, given that we have no bobsleigh tradition here in Iceland, how will develop these athletes into an Olympic squad?"
Gunther paused.
"It is true that you have not done bobsleigh in this country before. But you have such a strong fitness tradition, especially with crossfit, that there is a lot we can build on. If we teach good fundamentals to these young ladies and they bulk up and keep training like I have been hearing...good things are going to happen."
The room clapped, and you could tell that everyone was happy to hear that answer. I was too, though not surprised, as it had been one of his pitches when we interviewed him. The plan was solid, in my mind. Were these, however, the right ladies for the job? That, in my mind, was still to be determined.
Speaking of which, Gunther was done with his questions, and it was time for the main event. With a great roar, Katla and Emilia took the stage. The questions began shortly thereafter.
"Ladies, given that this whole program came about because of your social media posts, how does it feel to be on stage as the first members of the Icelandic bobsleigh team?"
Katla beamed with a million dollar smile, and took the question.
"Honestly...really damn great!" Her smile got bigger, and the crowd laughed and cheered. The ice, as it were, was broken. If the press had been expecting boring stock answers today, they were not going to get them. Katla, slated to be the team's driver, was enthusiastic, gregarious, and not opposed to peppering her answers with some occasional salty language. In other words, she was a sportswriter's dream. Not that Emilia, the brakeman, was any less enthusiastic, mind you. She responded to a question about how her training was going by standing and flexing, which the crowd just absolutely ate up.
If there were any doubts in the room prior to the day about why Katla and Emilia had swiftly gained a social media following, those doubts quickly vanished. Social media and personal dreams don't produce results on their own, though. That was my worry. This story certainly was a feel good situation, but I was worried about the very real matter of making sure that our bobsleigh team could actually succeed in competitive situations. I already loved Gunther's enthusiasm and evangelism for the sport, but how far is that and the dreams of two young women who are barely past their teen years going to carry us?
That would be seen possibly as soon as November, when the bobsleigh season got underway. It was still early October, though, and there were other sports and events to focus on in the interim. On with the season!
[END Year 1, Chapter 2]
As always, remember that you can help improve Iceland's fortunes! With any comments you make on this post, you get Dynasty Points that you can spend at a later date to increase Iceland's budget. I update this thread once each week! Next week, we begin the season in earnest!
Also, the roles of the athletes in this post are being played by the following:
Katla (the driver) is portrayed by Thuri Helgadottir, an Icelandic Crossfit athlete
Emilia (the push athlete) is portrayed by Katrin Davidsdottir, an Icelandic Crossfit champion who twice previously earned the title "Worlds Fittest Woman"
Gunther (the coach) is portrayed by David Golling, a German Bobsledder