How did I survive that?

So...

Massive crash today. And by massive crash, I mean I was done with the run and then hit something in the run out of the track and got launched about 15 feet in the air, did a triple somersault, and landed off the track in some coolant pipes..... right on my head. They think my sled got caught on something in the track-- it takes a huge amount of force to launch a 172 pound guy and an 86 pound sled with a really low center of gravity that high.

The helmet is gone-- absolutely shattered in the back. Thank God for it-- It saved my life.
The sled is gone too-- it got launched out of the track as well. Gonna have to find a new one.
$400 practice runners that I've had for 2 days-- also destroyed.

Still, I am thrilled. Beyond some serious abrasions, I'm alive, and I didn't break anything! Honestly, I thought I was going to die or at least be paralyzed, so I'm doing great!

Hopefully I'll have some good-- non injured photos for all of you soon.

Day One of sliding...

Today was the first day of sliding.

Unfortunately, my speed suit has yet to arrive, so I bought a surprisingly good one of a lady here. The downside is that it is just about the ugliest suit you've seen.

We slid from start 4 today just to get a feel for the ice. I felt really good on my new sled, and I was amazed at how responsive it was compared to the old steel sleds. All I had to do was look in the direction I wanted to go and apply just a tiny bit of force on the sled and it moved. I was happy just to get a feel for the sled and get down real clean in all 3 runs. Hopefully we will be moving up tomorrow, so I'll let you know how that goes.

In terms of photos... I forgot to bring my camera today... I'll get some good photos tomorrow, though.