Jerry Rush Interview, Part 2

Yesterday, in Part 1 of our interview, Jerry Rush told us about the secrets of the ‘Go LD Rush Trail’ and cheering on Lyndon at his competitions, but it turns out that to support Lyndon, the Rushes do way more than just cheering!

Nathan to the Rescue!

When Lyndon was still in the Americas Cup circuit his brakeman wasn’t able to make a race in Lake Placid, NY and to make matters worse, they had no one to replace him. Hearing about the dilema, Jerry suggested Lyndon take his brother Nathan, who was in grade 12 at the time. Jerry remembered telling Lyndon “He wanted to go to the event anyways and he’s a good athlete and he’d remember it for the rest of his life.” So, they trained him for 4 days, loaded up the sled and drove 3 ½ days to the event in New York.

Jerry explained they were a low-seeded team and weren’t expecting much, especially as Lake Placid is a place where “you crash a lot.” And they did crash. Nathan took one for the team, in fact, getting injured in one of those crashes. But they finished ahead of all the other Canadian athletes and their results allowed Lyndon to move up the ranks in bobsleigh to the Europa Cup. And what was Nathan’s take on it all? “That was fun, but I’m never doing that with him again!”

It Takes a Community to Get the Best Bobsleigh
A key part of Lyndon’s story, something that Canadians may not realize yet, is that he has taken over Canada 1 from Pierre Leuders, the most decorated bobsled athlete in Canadian history. When Denis asked about Lyndon taking over Canada 1, Jerry said “He felt that he could do it. Last year he beat Pierre a few times, with older equipment. And in his final race he challenged Canadian business people to help him out to get better equipment so he could compete with the best in the world.” Up until this point, Lyndon was using the Calgary Bobsled club sleds but they were 15 years old. Lyndon's team needed new equipment.

They made a brochure pointing out they had 2 of the 3 required elements of a real contender in bobsleigh. They had the push, they had the driver; all they needed was the equipment. So Lyndon went around to different businesses in the Red Deer and Sylvan Lake area and raised over $200,000 in 3 weeks! This went toward the purchase of two new sleds (two-man and four-man) plus the sled runners they need for different track conditions. And the contributors? Most of them said no to advertising on the equipment. They just wanted a local boy to win.

Lyndon Stays Cool Under Competitive Pressure and Delivers Results
We asked whether Lyndon had a pre-performance ritual and this is where Lyndon’s faith comes to the forefront. Jerry said, “They put their heads together and say a little prayer.” And it seems to put their heads in the right place – calming them down before competition.  Jerry remarked that his son has the ability to stay cool – that calmness has helped make him the top driver in Canada.

The proof is in the results. Since their win in the 4-man event in November, on January 16 this year, in St. Moritz, Switzerland, Lyndon’s two-man team won their first World Cup race, actually tying with the Germans. And just to add to the challenge, Lyndon was suffering from a stomach virus at the time.

In the overall World Cup standings this season, Lyndon had his best results ever: finishing 6th in 2-man and 8th in 4-man. Looks like Lyndon and his teammates are poised to strike for the podium in Vancouver. We wish him all the best and are pleased to say that thanks to the Petro-Canada Family Program, his Dad Jerry and his brother Ben will be there to cheer him on!

For more information on Lyndon, see this great article and video.

7 Days until the Opening Ceremonies!

Photo Credits: Lyndon Rush for 2010 Olympics Facebook Group