WHISTLER, British Columbia, Feb. 26, 2010 – Army National Guard Outstanding Athlete Program bobsled pilot Sgt. Shauna Rohbock teamed with Michelle Rzepka to finish sixth in the Olympic women’s bobsled event Feb. 24 at the Whistler Sliding Centre.

Rohbock, of Park City, Utah, finished 1.78 seconds off the winning pace at the treacherous, 16-turn venue with a four-run time of 3 minutes, 34.06 seconds in USA 1. Canadians Kaillie Humphries and Heather Moyse broke the track record in their first three heats en route to winning the gold medal in 3:32.28. Helen Upperton and Shelly-Ann Brown took the silver aboard Canada 2 with a time of 3:33.13.

Erin Pac, 29, of Farmington, Conn., and Elana Meyers, 25, of Douglasville, Ga., claimed the bronze with a time of 3:33.40 in the USA 2 sled.
Sgt. Shauna Rohbock teamed with Michelle Rzepka to finish sixth in the Olympic women’s bobsled event.

“It wasn’t the Olympics that I dreamed of for four years, but the U.S. got a medal today, and that’s amazing,” said Rohbock, a silver medalist at the 2006 Olympic Games in Turin, Italy. “That’s awesome. That’s all I want to see is the U.S. on that medal stand. I didn’t drive the four runs to be on the medal stand and Erin did, so she deserves it. I didn’t put together the runs to be on the podium anyway.”

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Feb 11 – I love the Olympics, Summer or Winter makes no difference to me. The pomp and grandeur of the opening and closing ceremonies is always worth the time wasted frying your brain cells in front of the tube. Teams from all over the world gather for one week of all out, blood sweat and tears, leave nothing behind competition, awesome. This week the XXI Olympic Winter Games will be held in British Columbia, Canada from Feb. 12th -28th. That’s west coast Canada, so we will actually get to see some TV coverage at a reasonable time.

Sgt. Jeremy Teela, a bi-athlete with the Army’s World Class Athlete Program, practices prone shooting Oct. 21, 2009 at Soldier Hollow, Utah, in preparation for the XXI Olympic Winter Games Feb. 12-28 in Vancouver and Whistler, British Columbia, Canada. U.S. Army photo by Tim Hipps

I like all the events but especially the individual events. With all the different camera angles available the crazy fast events like luge, 2 man bobsled and downhill (girls do that one too) are a real thrill ride. But one of the sport that you hardly ever get to see, unless the US has a vested interest, is the biathlon.  So when I heard that Army Sgt. Jeremy Teela a three-time Olympic athlete was returning with his sights set on becoming the first U.S. bi-athlete ever to win an Olympic medal I was stoked. (continue reading…)

Army Capt. Scott M. Smiley takes command of Warrior Transition Unit

Army Capt. Scott M. Smiley salutes 1st Sgt. Deon E. Dabrio after returning the guidon during the U.S. Army Warrior Transition Unit change of command ceremony at the U.S. Military Academy, West Point, N.Y., Feb. 1, 2010.

Soldier, infantryman, Airborne Ranger, combat diver, mountain climber, skier, tri-athlete, surfer, husband and father are just a few words to describe Army Capt. Scott M. Smiley. Yesterday, the title of company commander was added to Smiley’s distinctive resume, as he became the first blind officer to lead a company.

Smiley was wounded and permanently lost his vision during his 2005 deployment to Iraq. He attributes his strength and drive during his recovery to his family, faith and friends.

“It was my wife, my family and friends who were in my hospital room singing songs and reading the Bible that gave me the strength during my recovery,” said Smiley, a member of the USMA Class of 2003.

“It was all of this which allowed me to put one foot in front of the other,” he continued, “and has allowed me to accomplish everything that I have done to get to where I am today.”

Read the rest of this inspiring story on the DOD Website