Retired NFL center Jason Kelce recently traveled to Park City, Utah, to try his hand at a new sport.
Over the course of two days, members of the U.S. bobsled team taught Kelce their sport ahead of the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics.
Kelce filmed his visit and shared it on YouTube. He started his visit with a mini combine, which consisted of a 30-meter sprint, vertical jump and broad jump.
Head coach Chris Fogt, a three-time Olympian and member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, coached Kelce throughout his visit.
Members of the men’s bobsled team run the 30-meter sprint in 3.55-3.80 seconds, according to Fogt.
On his first try, Kelce ran it in 4.481 seconds.
“He ran 4.48, acknowledging that he’s wearing new shoes. It was a warmup, so we’re hoping to get him maybe a 3.9 on this next sprint is the goal,” Fogt said.
Kelce followed it up with a 3.98 and moved onto the vertical jump and then the broad jump.
After the combine, Kelce practiced pushing an empty bobsled on wheels.
“How confident? I feel negative confident right now,” Kelce said ahead of his first push.
He then did another practice push before his first ride, where he almost went over the metal bar of the sled.
“Getting in was hairy for sure. It was eyes wide open when it was time to get in that thing,” he said.
Kelce stumbled on his second attempt but continued to try before Fogt felt he was ready for the next step.
“It took him four or five times, some trial and error,” Fogt said. “Obviously, he’s a good athlete. He caught himself, and he kept at it. Had some patience, and he’s handling it very, very well. That was very impressive,” Fogt said.
Kelce then worked up to a two-man run with pilot Frank Del Duca, who became one of the United States’ flag bearers for the Opening Ceremonies, and eventually a four-man run.
“Took us about one hour. You went from almost being on your face to loaded with a four-man team. So, that was very, very good,” Fogt said.
Kelce and the team then headed down to the garage for Kelce to see the bobsleds and get a feel for how it would be in the four-man run the next day.
When Kaillie Armbruster Humphries, who won silver in the monobob Monday, told Kelce he would be pulling five to six G’s and going 80 miles per hour, Kelce said, “I had no idea what I was in store for.”
Jason Kelce takes the bobsled track
Kelce started his second day in Park City by first watching members of the bobsled team take a few runs.
“That thing is flying,” he said with a nervous laugh.
It was then time for his turn, but first, Fogt gave Kelce his own Team USA suit to go with his helmet that already featured a sticker of his brother, Travis Kelce’s, face.
“Something I’ve always been jealous of. Football doesn’t get that opportunity. This is great,” Kelce said of repping the U.S.
Kelce then climbed into the bobsled with three members of the team and they were given a push to start their run. Kelce screamed nearly the entire 50-second ride down the hill.
“That was intense,” Kelce said afterward. “... That was awesome. That was a lot of fun.”
Fogt later asked Kelce what he thought was the most surprising thing the former NFL star learned about bobsledding.
“I do think that going down the track is probably the most surprising. Maybe because it’s just so burned into my head recently. To me, I thought it’d be like a roller coaster going around. It’s nothing like a roller coaster,” Kelce said. “It feels like it’s one of those things that you really don’t know what it feels like until you do it. It is pulling you down into that thing, and at the same time, you’re flying.”
Fogt then gave Kelce some praise before he left Park City.
“You were very impressive with your skills and I think that’s the cool thing about sports. There’s a lot of crossover and respect between different types of sports. We all have different skills. Again, I thought you did a great job yesterday.”