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Catch the speed
Updated: Wednesday May 16, 2001 3:40 PM
Jen Davidson, 29, is one of the top brakemen in the world. The Utah native has paired with driver Jean Racine for the past three seasons to form a powerful bobsled team. For more on Davidson and Racine see bobsledgirl.com. The two-time World Cup champions are in the process of training for the 2002 Salt Lake Games. Check out Davidson's diary on CNNSI.com as she prepares for the Games.
May 3, 2001
Jean and I arrived at California about two weeks ago to begin our summer training season. It's our first visit to the Chula Vista Olympic Training Center just south of San Diego. It took us about three days to get over the initial shock of being here. It's a bit like stepping into the twilight zone. We panicked the first afternoon here when we couldn't get any reception for our cell phones and also couldn't find a local number to get online. Yikes! It's a communication black hole here. We really felt cut off from the rest of the world. With some research and persistence we managed to get a modem connection, but the cell phone is still an issue. The only way we're able to get a signal is to hike up this hill behind the dorms and cross our fingers. Sometimes it works, most the time it doesn't. Sometimes we'll try for 15 minutes to call out, and then suddenly a full signal will pop up for 2 minutes. Sometimes we call Mexico. I don't know who or where we're calling or what they're saying in Spanish. It's not good. I guess it keeps us more focused on training rather than talking.
We're out in the middle of nowhere. There's a beautiful lake that the canoe/kayak team uses. All the facilities here are pretty amazing. It's taken us a little while to get used to the wildlife here. All over the grounds are signs warning of rattlesnakes. We haven't seen one yet, but we keep watching. We have a lizard named Larry that lives on our porch. He's pretty fat, that's how we can tell him apart from his brother Harold. There are a million rabbits that live in the hedges around the running track. The first night that we were here there were probably 30 just chillin' in the shade. There's lots of little baby ones, too. The other unique thing about this center is the level of security. To get into the cafeteria, we have to enter an ID number and get our fingerprints scanned. It's like something out of Star Trek. Security patrols the premises 24/7. Guests have to enter though a check station. It's good, just different than we're used to in Lake Placid. Training is going great, despite all the adjustments. It's really great to be back in the swing of things and gearing up for 2002. I train under the philosophy that I earn my medals now and pick them up in the winter. It really keeps me motivated and working hard. Sometimes I feel like the Games are so far away that they'll never get here. Other times I feel like there's so much to do that I can't possibly be ready by February 19th. Only 283 days to go. Catch the speed! -- Jen
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