THE FEEL OF THE RACE

During the recent Winter Olympics I watched the two-man bobsled races. (Have you ever wondered why they call them “bobsleds”? It’s a strange name to give to a sled. Can you imagine being saddled with the name Bob?)

It was fun to see Steven Holcomb steer the American two-man bobsled to a medal (bronze) for the first time in 62 years. But there is more to the story!

In 2010 at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, B.C. (my hometown), Steven Holcomb drove the American four-man bobsled to a medal win . . . are you ready for this? . . . for the first time  in 62 years!

But there is still more to the story!

The first time I saw the 2010 American four-man bobsled team, I said to Carol, “That driver doesn’t look like the average Olympian.” He was rather short, balding, and shaped like a fire hydrant, not exactly the picture of the slim, athletic Alpine skier or figure skater. Steven Holcomb was the driver of the four-man sled that won the gold medal for the U.S. in their jet black sled they had named “Night Train.”

What is even more remarkable than the amazing win was that Steven Holcomb was driving. Six years ago Steven was legally blind due to an eye disorder called keratoconus. He said very little to anyone about his disorder and adapted his driving to more “by feel” than by sight. But he knew that he could not continue, as he was putting his teammates at risk. Can you imagine driving some of the top bobsled courses in the world at 90-plus miles per hour and not being able to see well enough to focus on the track?

Holcomb’s coach knew he was thinking of quitting and he told him about an experimental process that he thought Steven should look into. The innovative surgical procedure included putting contact lenses behind his irises—and the surgery fully corrected his vision!

While his eyes were deteriorating, Holcomb never thought he would be at the 2010 Winter Olympics and be a winner. After winning the gold medal, bringing to an end a six-decade drought for the Americans, Holcomb made the most insightful comment. “If I hadn’t had the eye problem, I wouldn’t know how to drive by feel, and we might not be in this position today.”

As I read the 2010 interview with Holcomb on the Internet, I was really taken by his insight. Not long after I had read the interview, Carol and I were driving to church and I shared with her what I had read, especially Holcomb’s statement, “If I hadn’t had the eye problem, I wouldn’t know how to drive by feel.” Carol turned and looked at me and said, “That’ll preach.” And she is so right!

Another famous team leader, also a driver (with a slightly different meaning to the word), who apparently had some eye problems (see Galatians 4:15) was called “The Apostle” and he led his team in races all over the Roman Empire. I call Paul and his team “The Holy Ghost and Fire Express.” Once, when the Apostle was coaching his team in the nation where the Olympics were birthed, he said, “We walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7). Paul wanted his team to know that by faith, they could get the “feel of the race” and not to be dependent just on what they could see or what the circumstances seemed to be dictating. In Steven Holcomb’s words, the Apostle wanted his team to get the feel of the ice and the track.

I think if the Apostle had an opportunity to sit down and talk with Steven Holcomb, he would say to him, “You’ve got it! You have learned one of the great principles of eternal truth. Now, in case you don’t already know, let me explain to you how to make the application to your whole life and to your eternal future.”

When Steven’s eyesight was restored, the solution was actually a mixed blessing. Yes, he could see again but the difficulties that he had with poor eyesight had been a blessing because he learned to drive by the “feel of the ice” and consequently he was less dependent upon what he saw. Vision is a sense that leads to a slower reaction time than feel.

When he initially returned to the bobsled races after his successful eye operation, he intentionally scratched up the visor on his helmet so that he would be less dependent on his vision and more on the “feel of the ice.”

Maybe it’s time for us to scratch up the visors and actually “live by faith.”

By faith, we get the feel of the race!