Since he won the national bobsledding championship in 1993, Bruce Rosselli has had "Luke 1:37" painted on the side of his sled. It's a biblical verse proclaiming that with God nothing is impossible.
Rosselli has always believed that, but never more than now.Fate dealt the champion bobsled racer a devastating blow days before he would try to make the U.S. Olympic blobsled team, and then showed him he wouldn't have to find his way alone.
"It's been overwhelming," the Indiana native said, "the help people have been giving . . . I'm not surprised, I'm just over-whelmed."
After a torturous series of flights on Christmas night, he arrived in Salt Lake City about 4 a.m. Dec. 26. He drove to Park City where he and his teammates stay with the George Hadowanetz family while they train and race at the Utah Winter Sports Park.
"I got up about 8 a.m.," he said. He was scheduled to practice two-man racing that afternoon. "We had the call that there had been a fire at the shop, and we needed to come down there."
Rosselli had taken his four-man bobsled to Hondo John's in West Valley City for some specialty painting. The shop caught fire the night of Dec. 23 and the bobsled, valued at $30,000, was destroyed.
"It was just unbelievable," Rosselli said. "All the way down there I was hoping something was salvageable."
It took just one look to dash those hopes.
This was not the first time the 39-year-old father of two had to deal with disappointment on the brink of success.
"I came within 900ths of a second of making the last (Olympic) team," he said. He took a couple of years off and decided he wasn't finished racing. Rosselli won his first race back.
"That gave me the confidence I still have," he said - the confidence to try to make another Olympic team. With the help of his wife, Cheryl, a 27-time world champion at table tennis, he's trained his way back to the top. All he had to do is qualify.
The day before racing in the two-man competition with partner Paul Jovanovic, he saw what was left of his four-man sled. The U.S. Bobsled and Skeleton Federation offered him a choice between two different sleds, but it will take about $3,000 to modify either of them.
A race sled is like a race car. Each vehicle has its own nuances. Rosselli's two- and four-man sleds were the same make, and he'd grown accustomed to the details of driving each. The sleds that were offered are a different make, so not only will he have to find the money to modify the sled, he'll have to find a way to be comfortable in the new sled.
There are moments when he says it's hard to stay positive and not give into the urge just to give up.
Two things have made those moments rare: his children and Utahns.
"I want them to know that you never quit, you never give up," he said. "As long as you give 100 percent, then you can accept the out-come."
"We've had tons of calls," he said, pointing out that another athlete who also has cancer even offered to help Rosselli and his teammates. The callers have offered money from amounts large and small, but almost more importantly people who don't know him, and likely will never meet him, have picked up the phone to offer words of encouragement and prom-ises of prayers.
"It just proves what's said in Luke 1:37," he said the morning before he and Jovanovic try to make the two-man team.
To add to his worries, the team must raise the money to modify the sleds by Thursday because that's the scheduled practice day for the four-man racers. He doesn't know if he has enough money, but he has gained another home.
Rosselli races with a sticker representing his home state on his sled and the United States. He said he's trying to get some made that say "Spirit of Utah" to add to his sleds.
"I feel like I'm racing for Utah, too," he said. "Utah has sort of adopted me."
If he doesn't make the teams this year, will he try again?
"I don't know," he said. "I'm going to have to take it one step at a time."