U.S. para bobsled slider Bob Bourque runs down the course during a practice run in Lake Placid on Friday. (Corporate photo — Parker O’Brien)
LAKE PLACID — Veteran American para bobsledder David Christopher loves the thrill of riding a bobsled.
Christopher, who was paralyzed from the chest down in a motorcycle accident nearly 10 years ago, has a great passion for bobsledding.
“You can experience that thrill.” He said. “It's just adrenaline. I've played other sports, but it never really hit me.”
The US Para Bobsled Team returned to Lake Placid last week for the final race of the season, the National Championships. It will be used for team selection for next season.
Christopher, who lives just north of Tampa, Florida, started bobsledding a few seasons ago. He got involved in the sport after learning that one of his friends skated on the U.S. Para-Bobsled team. His friend introduced him to one of the coaches and Christopher fell in love with the sport.
“Originally, I thought I would come and give it a try because I can do anything.” Christopher said. “I've been sticking with it and trying to learn more about the fundamentals. I'm just trying to get better.”
Within a short time, Christopher was already competing on the Parasports World Cup circuit. He finished 13th overall this season and won a silver medal at the Empire State Winter Games in February.
Kim Sievers, director of USA Para-Sliding Sports, said it's common for para-bobsledders to reach World Cup level in a short period of time. Some athletes start by attending a few entry-level camps, go through one or two experienced camps the following year, and then move on to the World Cup.
Seavers, who lives in Averill Park, has been instrumental in the success of the U.S. Para-Bobsled Team on the Parasports World Cup circuit, finishing on the overall podium every year since the 2021-22 season.
“Because we're around more able-bodied people and we're having a lot more success.” Sievers said. “They're starting to get to know the able-bodied guys more. It's a closer group. The able-bodied (athletes) come to cheer them on. A lot of the people who coach them are former bobsledders.”
Sievers began her journey by guiding blind skier Stassi Mannela to the 2014 Paralympic Games in Sochi, Russia. After those games, Sievers applied for a grant from the state Department of Veterans Affairs and began looking for another sport to coach. After speaking with a veteran who had just attended the first-ever para bobsled camp in Calgary, Alberta, Seavers realized bobsledding might be the answer.
“It took about six months to convince (the State Olympic Department bobsled field manager) that it was okay to have someone with a disability.” Sievers said. “They were like, 'What if they get hurt?' and I was like, 'They're already hurt.' I promised to find six people.”
Seavers kept her word, and by the end of the week track and field managers were asking her how they could make Lake Placid the home training center for U.S. Paralympic winter sports.
After 40 camps over the past nine years, the para bobsled team continues to grow.
Guillermo “will” Castillo, who became the first U.S. Para bobsledder to win the overall championship at the IBSF Parasports World Cup in 2023, said riding the bobsled gives him a new purpose in life.
Castillo, a Queens resident, was injured in a bomb explosion in Iraq in 2007 that injured his left knee, killing everyone in his truck. Mr. Castillo was suffering from depression and anxiety when he met Mr. Sievers at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. Seavers had started a camp to bring veterans out of isolation.
Castillo started out in skeleton but eventually transitioned to bobsledding. Currently, he is a five-time national team member and is proud to represent the United States on the World Cup circuit.
“After the military, this is a new chapter in my life and I'm riding it and experiencing it.” Castillo said. “There are no obstacles on the ice. Once you're out on the ice. You're free as long as you can drive it.”
This season, Castillo finished sixth overall and won one gold medal at the Parasports World Cup in Lillehammer, Norway, in December.
The Parasport World Cup circuit features only one discipline, for athletes who cannot be physically removed from the track. A para bobsled athlete is thrown away by a mechanical launcher.
Although not participating in the World Cup, the sport also has other disciplines such as push divisions and skeleton.
DJ Skelton has been on the national team in the push division for the past four years. Skelton is an Army veteran who was wounded in Iraq in 2004 and has played a role in helping other members of the team.
“Like a lot of things in life, I had a friend of a friend who passed Kim and he said, 'Hey, I met this woman and she's trying out the sport of bobsledding. I'm looking for a wounded veteran to help, would you be interested?'' Mr. Skelton said. “And the rest is kind of history.”
Skelton, who lives in the Washington, D.C., area, was invited to run on the World Cup circuit last season. The pioneer is the first pilot to glide down the course, essentially testing whether it is suitable for racers. Skelton said it's just fun to ride the bobsled every time.
“It's not normal, it's not comfortable, and it makes me nervous.” He said. But you have to find a way to overcome all those emotions and focus on the present moment. ”
Dan Rizzieri, who was born without both legs, is also a member of the push division. The Cohocton native comes from a background in para track and field, competing in the 2013 International Paralympic Committee Track and Field World Championships, where he held the long jump world record for six months.
“I got out of that situation five or six years ago.” He said. “There was another gentleman I ran track with, and he did skeletons, and he said, 'If you live five hours away, you should try it.' So I said, “Okay.'' He hooked me up with Kim, and two weeks later we were doing push camp here. That was about a year and a half ago, and I've been doing it ever since. I’ve tried it.”
This season, Rizzieri competed in the Parabob and Skell Consistency Race at the Empire State Games, finishing third overall. It was a great experience to be part of the team because everyone tries to help each other.
“Everyone will be cheering you on when you finish the run.” He said. “We’re competitive, but it’s very community, so everyone has a lot of fun together.”
