Jim Herberich and Todd Hays chose to take different directions to the Olympics. Herberich went traveling on the World Cup circuit, while Hays stayed in Park City.
It appears now both men made the right choice. Herberich and Hays will join Brian Shimer on the United States Olympic bobsled team.Back in October, Herberich and Hays began to chart their courses.
During World Cup trials at the Winter Sports Park, Herberich held nothing back during qualifying and made the traveling national team. He joined Shimer of Naples, Fla. - the only automatic pick for the Olympics based on his WC results this year - and Tuffy Latour, from Schenectady, N.Y.
Hays, from Del Rio, Texas, feathered his skills during qualifying, choosing instead to remain in Park City to become more familiar with the track and his sled. It was a risky decision, but it paid off.
After four days of racing - two in the two-man and another two in the four-man sleds - Herberich and Hays finished one-two. Latour was third and Bruce Rosselli, from Terre Haute, Ind., was fourth.
With Shimer an automatic, Herberich came into the trials as the No. 1 driver. He had the best sled, a Bo-Dyn; the best push team; and, as a two-time Olympian, the most experience. The Winchester, Mass., resident ended up winning three of the four races.
At the finish he was noticeably quiet and subdued. He simply confirmed what those in bobsled circles said, which was that he has the best equipment, best team and relied on his experience "to find the best line . . . and I was able to find the best line."
In contrast, Hays was very animated. He slapped hands, hugged teammates, took time to pose for pictures and needed a moment to compose himself as he tried to talk about the results. This will be his first trip to the Olympics.
"It hasn't hit yet. Right now I can't find the words, but I will," he said. "Give me a little time. The one thing I didn't want to do today is lose my concentration and crash, not when I was this close. Not after I'd worked so long and so hard."
Sunday, he robbed Herberich of a clean sweep of this event by winning the final four-man race.
Hays, with brakemen Duane Mock, Mike Dionne and Dan Steele, finished with runs of 49.42 and 49.50 for a combined time of one minute, 38.92 seconds. Their push times were 4.89 and 4.88 seconds for the first 15 meters.
Herberich, with brakemen Darrin Steele, John Kasper and Robert Olesen, posted times of 49.41 and 49.56 for a total 1:38.97. Their push times were 4.93 and 4.90. Latour was third in 1:39.13 and Rosselli was fourth in 1:39.41.
Latour was expected to be one of the drivers picked. Up to the trials, Shimer was driving USA I and La-tour USA II.
"It didn't end up the way I had expected. The thing that hurt me most was losing my best pusher," said Latour of Jason Dorsey, his top brakeman, who pulled a hamstring prior to the event. "Now all I can do is get ready for 2002."
It was Rosselli who faced the biggest challenge. First, a garage where his four-man sled was stored burned to the ground two days before Christmas. In an outpouring of support, hundreds of people from all over the world called and sent letters of help and money. Many of those people were from Utah, causing Rosselli to paint "Thanks Utah" on his two-man sled.
Then began the saga of trying to find a replacement sled. At first the U.S. Bobsled Federation was going to let him use an old Bo-Dyn. He practiced with it on Thursday. Then, it turned out, using the sled was against the rules, so he rented a sled like the one that burned - a Dresden, which is made in Europe.
The support given Rosselli from both the private and business sectors, has caused some contention among the bobsled ranks. Some claimed Rosselli has a backup sled all along and duped people into thinking he needed help. Rosselli said the sled was old, slow and too heavy. He said he never could have qualified using that sled.
The Bo-Dyn is considered the fastest sled in the world. It was designed and built by race-car driver Geoff Bodine. He refuses to let anyone but the U.S. drivers in his sleds, choosing instead, he said, to keep American technology in America. But, not all U.S. drivers have access to the Bo-Dyns, said Rosselli, "like me."
This was the third Olympic try for Rosselli, and as late as last week, he said it was going to be his last. "Now, because of all the support and the help I've gotten, I'm looking at 2002. What started as a real negative has turned into something very positive for me and the people of Utah played a big part in it," he said.
For the first time, only the drivers were picked from this event. Monday, pushing competition was held between the brakeman. Officials will then look at the results, along with such qualities as size, speed and experience, and then assign the brakeman to ride with the three drivers. Full teams are expected to be released late Tuesday.