Austin Hayes is all about using prospects when they come his way.
Very last thirty day period, the London native experienced the opportunity of a life span as he was invited to the Lake Placid Olympic Instruction Middle with initial hopes of scoring a location on the United states of america Bobsled team and competing in the 2022 Winter season Olympics.
Through the rookie camp, Hayes uncovered a hidden talent for a unique activity, though—skeleton, in which a human being rides a smaller sled down a frozen observe while lying encounter down and head-initially.
“I went to skeleton [practice] just to check out it out—I’m in New York at the Olympic Instruction Middle, I may as very well just take gain of every single chance, so I tried it and it in fact ended up currently being the 1 thing I excelled at, shockingly,” Hayes explained. “I went out there to form of mess about with skeleton and see what it was like and by the second to very last day of camp, I was speaking to one particular of the US coaches and he explained I was 100 p.c a skeleton athlete, I didn’t even want to bother heading to the final bobsled education session unless of course I just definitely desired to since it was very clear that this was something I necessary to go after.
“It was a pretty significantly in the instant decision, I like to leap into issues without the need of wondering which in all probability is not generally the very best selection but I experienced the option, so I just went for it and they preferred what they saw.”
Trying a totally new sport is very little new to Hayes, as he experienced only resolved to even attempt bobsledding in March, so hoping skeleton on a whim was nothing at all to him.
“I cannot genuinely make clear it but for regardless of what purpose, it doesn’t scare me,” he explained. “I’m functioning complete velocity down a hill just before jumping onto this sled head to start with with just a helmet on going 90 miles for each hour down ice and it just excites me.”
On the final day of the rookie camp, Hayes took element in the camp’s skeleton press championships to see who could press the sled the furthest length the fastest and to his shock, Hayes arrived out on best. He was even invited to contend against present-day members of the United states Skeleton workforce and other Olympic hopefuls in the 2021 US Skeleton Nationwide Push Championships at the finish of this month.
“Fortunately, I have a good deal of knowledge with instruction in opposition to some of the most elite athletes in the world,” Hayes claimed of the championships. “In keep track of and subject at least, I’ve raced towards many world history holders, current planet history holders, so heading into a new activity and appropriate into competing from these elite athletes, I don’t think much of it automatically. I just seem at them as the similar as me, every person is out there training tricky with the 1 end objective of creating it to the Olympics.”
Hayes will shell out two weeks education again at the Olympic Education Center prior to the level of competition.
“This will be a great option for me to showcase my qualities,” he explained. “It will be a very good chance to get my foot in the door so they can see what I’m capable of and hopefully have a excellent shot at producing the countrywide team.”
Subsequent the drive championships, Hayes has also been invited to continue on on to a extra highly developed education camp for the Usa Skeleton group in November.
Hayes continue to has hopes to ultimately attempt bobsledding all over again, if presented the possibility.
“The close objective for me, I would say, is just get on the national staff and to compete in the Olympics and depict the United States, regardless of whether that is in skeleton or bobsled,” Hayes said. “Right now, I enjoy skeleton a ton and that’s where by all my aim is centered on and if it turns out down the road, the opportunity comes about in which I can transition into bobsled, that’s unquestionably something I would do. Appropriate now, I’m just using anything in.”
The 2021 US Skeleton Countrywide Push Championships will just take position on September 29 and 30 and will be live-streamed on the USABS Facebook Page.
Hayes is trying to get sponsorships and monetary donations to assistance with funding in preparing for the championships. Some of these bills consist of points these types of as physical exercise machines, equipment, rehabilitation, nutrition and vacation. To donate, take a look at his Fb page at https://www.facebook.com/AHAYE10.
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