She’s conquered the slickest, fastest bobsled track in the world and now she gets to play on it all day without the weight of an entire nation on her shoulders.

As a brakeman testing the Olympic bobsled run in Whistler, B.C., most of Stacey Scott’s work comes at the start.

Stacet Scott, left, and bobsled parter Lisa Szabon show off the sled they rode to three consecutive America's Cup race wins. Scott is currently at the Olympics as a forerunner testing the track in Whistler.

“Yes, I’m in the back on the fastest track in the world but there is not much I do there except for hold on,” said Scott, who graduated from Foothills Composite High School.

Scott labeled the track in Whistler “crazy fast” and how right she was. On Feb. 12, Georgian luger, Nodar Kumaritashvili crashed during a training run going over the track wall at the Whistler Sliding Centre and struck an unpadded steel pole near the finish line. The 21-year-old luger later died at a hospital.

As forerunners, Scott said she and other up and coming bobsledders have been setting track records.

Forerunners help test the track to make sure timing is working and making sure the conditions are good. Scott normally competes in the America’s Cup, a developmental circuit for budding bobsledders.

Scott said it’s nice to be part of the Olympic Games without all the stress that comes with competing for a medal.

“It’s a way to ease into it and prepare ourselves for 2014,” said Scott.

The Whistler track features a vertical drop of 152 metres, meaning a two-person women’s bobsled will close in on 145 miles per hour going down the 1,450-metre track at Whistler.

Scott said she believes someone will break 150 miles per hour sometime during the 2010 Olympic Games.

“I love it, it gives us a very good adrenaline rush,” said Scott of the Whistler track.

That adrenaline rush is part of the reason Scott got into bobsled. She spends many hours in the gym and bobsled gives her a chance to combine training with a good old-fashioned speed rush.
“I liked the preparation for the sport and when I got in the sled I decided I loved that too,” said Scott.

This past season marks Scott’s first year on the national bobsled team and second year overall as a bobsledder. She’s still so green, just attending the Games is more than she ever expected at this stage of the game.

“To be at the Games sliding on one of the craziest tracks in the world is really exciting,” said Scott.

Riding with Lisa Szabon of Nanton, Scott has won the last three America’s Cup circuit races.

Rubbing elbows with some of the biggest names in Canadian bobsledding, Scott has picked up a few pointers. That and training on Whistler’s slick track, should be a boon to Scott’s burgeoning career.

“Because all the Olympians are here, it’s a great opportunity to ask questions and really get to know the best of the best,” said Scott.

Vancouver will be home to athletes from all corners of the world until Feb. 28. People from all around the globe constantly stop Scott and ask questions about bobsledding.

“Just walking around in our Canada jackets we get stopped by everybody,” said Scott.

rnorthrop@okotoks.greatwest.ca

www.vancouver2010.com

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