Former Oldham/EKU Sprinter Dallas Robinson Finishes 9th at World Bobsled Championship

 

Former Oldham County and Eastern Kentucky University Sprinter Dallas Robinson finished 9th last weekend at the FIBT World Bobsled Championships in Lake Placid, New York.  Robinson and his driver, Nick Cunningham were third amongst the Americans duos competing in the World Championships.  KYtrackXC.com had Dallas answer some questions about his experience this past weekend in Lake Placid.  He will compete in the 4 Man Bobsled this coming weekend in Lake Placid as well.

 

 

 

 

 

From http://bobsled.teamusa.org USA-3 of Nick Cunningham (Monterey, Calif.) and Dallas Robinson (Georgetown, Ky.) wrapped up their World Championship debut with a ninth place finish.  Cunningham shocked the field by posting the third fastest run of the second heat, and was again in the mix with some of the best teams in the world in the final.  The duo posted starts of 5.18 and 5.14 for runs of 56.15 and 55.99 seconds, respectively, and clocked a four-run total of 3:44.35 for a top 10 finish.

 

What was your experience at the World Championships? 

 

The week of World Championships was a long and challenging one. Every season we have a World Cup tour... usually 8 locations split between North America including Canada (Lake Placid New York, Park City Utah, Whistler Canada, Calgary Canada) and Europe (Altenberg Germany, Konigssee Germany, St. Morizt Switzerland and Laplon France). The World Championships takes place at the end of each season non Olympic years and it's much like our Superbowl. Sure the regular World Cup season counts but World Championships mean so much more. 

 

The World Championships are set up very similar to the Olympics. During a normal World Cup race you will have two heats of 2 Man Bobsled on race day and the following day you will have two heats of the 4 man Bobsled. The winner is determined in each discipline by your combined time two runs. However, World Championships is a bit different. Each discipline both the 2 man and 4 man are four heat races over the course of two days. Each heat downtime is added to your cumulative time and that determines the winner. In the World Championship set up it pays to be consistent and keep your sled on all four runners. You cannot have just one fast run and be a top three finisher you must have four solid pushes and four solid runs to stay in the mix. 

 

My driver Nick Cunningham had four consistent runs and duked it out with the Worlds best drivers to finish 9th overall just .01 behind a former World Champion Germany driver Manuel Machata. Did I mention that driver Nick Cunningham is only a 2nd year driver? In a sport like this a top 10 in the World finish with a 2nd year driver behind the reigns is un-heard of. Most drivers if not all drivers in the top 15 in the World have had at-least 5 years of driving experience. I myself as a push athlete have had less than ten competitions under my belt also which made for a huge challenge in putting together consistent top ten in the World Start times- ultimately we did though and we are very satisfied with the seasons 2 man Bobsled results. 

 

How does it feel to be one of the best in the world?

 

I praise God every day to have the opportunity to compete whether win or lose. Nick and I really enjoy being on a team together. I have competed with Nick and pushed with Nick more than any other US driver. He and I make for a pretty good team. I wouldn't say I am one of the best pushers in the World nor would I necessarily say Nick is the best driver in the world. It's as if though our sum is greater than the individual parts. Team chemistry if you will. We want to win for our country, coaches, family, faith and each other. My motivation behind the sled is what allows me to compete on a high level. 

 

 

What your goals coming up in the sport?

 

This past summer driver Nick Cunningham and myself both joined the US Army. We are very excited to be on the USA Bobsled team and we hope that we will get to both serve our country through military service and represent our country through being on the National team and traveling the World with USA on our uniforms and sled.  The Army WCAP program is one of a kind! However, our commitment to the Army this past summer with 4 1/2 months of basic training and advanced individual training our training for bobsled took a step back. Typically an off season is full of heavy weight training, short speed work and eating tons nutrient dense food as where our summers were the complete opposite of that. 

 

This past summer I was going on 6 mile runs in the South Carolina heat. I ate my lunches from an MRE bag and stayed in tents in a field for up to 5 days at a time. I am very excited to have gotten to experience all of this and my drive to serve our country is higher than ever because of my military training. This next summer my days will be filled with heavy weight room sessions, sled pushes and pulls, hill runs and all you can eat buffets. I plan to come into next season physically prepared for the demands of the sport and fully expect to be a far better push athlete then I was this season.  

 

 

How does your track background help you in preparation for the Bobsled?

 

Speed in the sport is very important. Deep acceleration angles mirror that of pushing a bobsled. More often than not the athletes who have a track and field back round have an advantage over those who do not. A faster athlete can run a sled a bit further down the start ramp prior to the sleds velocity exceeding their own. Having a skill set of a sprinter and the knowledge I have as a sprint coach and speed coach it will only help me compete in the sport. 

 

If someone was interested in getting into Bobsledding after their track career, how would they do so.

 

As well as the track speed needed they would also have to have a large frame. 6'ft tall and 205lbs is as about as small as you're going to see out there. Usually guys are closer to the 6'2 230lb mark or larger. If you have the build for it then you simply go on the USA Bobsled website and fill out a recruitment form. From there you then will find a date and location the USA Bobsled team is having open Combine tests. The Combine is a series of 8 events with the maximum score being 800 pts. The test is a mixture of sprints, jumps and lifts. If you do well enough at a combine you then will be invited to Push Championships to see if you can show case your skills against the best in the US on the push track in Lake Placid, NY. Then if you fair well enough a driver will contact you and ask you to compete at team trials and lastly depending how you do at team trials (actual ice pushing and bobsledding.) You can make a team.