LAKE PLACID, NY — As the host site of the 1932 and 1980 Olympics, the bobsled track at Mt Van Hoevenberg in Lake Placid is hallowed ground. Its 20 curves are the most of any competitive track in the world, preparing Americans for just about anything they’d face in the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026.

Barreling down the ice at speeds from 70-90 miles per hour, it takes a certain level of fearlessness to take on the sport.

“I think the biggest thing about bobsled that weeds people out is the fear factor. It’s a dangerous sport, but I love the thrill of it,” said Sydney Milani, an Iowa native and University of Alabama graduate competing for her first shot at an Olympic opportunity as a brakeman.

“The only time you can accelerate the sled is at the start so you need a fast push and drivers actually push. Now in monobob, you are the driver and the brakeman, so you need a really strong push,” said Elana Meyers Taylor, a five-time Olympic medalist and the most decorated Black athlete in Winter Olympics history.

One of the best pushers is brakeman Jasmine Jones, who took first in last year’s USA push championships. She said, “We do a lot of different tasks as the pilots are busy. They are focusing on the tracks, so it is up to the brakeman to make sure the runners are on, everything is secure and there are no loose bolts. I would say we are expected to have your speed be fast and be strong because those are the main qualities that brakemen need to have in order to push fast with the pilot.”

Echoing Jones’ sentiments of off-ice preparation is 2022 Olympian and 4-man bobsled pilot Frankie Del Duca, who also puts in countless hours of work before the big race. “I study the tracks that we are going to obsessively because first and foremost I have three other people’s safety in my hands and I don’t take that responsibility lightly,” said Del Duca, who piloted Team USA at the Beijing Winter Olympics to a 13th-place finish.

Skeleton athlete Mystique Ro took silver in the FIL World Championships event earlier this year. It was the first time an American won a world medal in the sport of skeleton in twelve years. Ro says there’s a fine line between triumph and terror. “I like to call it controlled chaos. We are always trying to find that edge of being on the right side of almost out of control. That is how you build speed. Any tension, any kind of hesitation in your body, the sled is going to feel that and it will just compound on the track,” she said.

Meyers Taylor has her five medals in four Olympics, dating back to the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. After winning three silvers and two bronze medals, she says facing your fears is well worth it on the podium. “To be able to feel like I can represent my country in another way and maybe inspire someone out there to go after their dreams. It is the greatest honor I could ever imagine. Hopefully I’m doing again in Italy and hopefully I’m at the top of the podium this time.”

While other sports typically have Olympic trials, the USA Bobsled roster spots are typically based on an athlete’s performance and rankings in the international competition circuit throughout the sport’s season, which begins in November. They also take into account the American push championship in September.