It is common for bobsledders to reach speeds of 80 to 90 miles per hour in worldwide races. While this might make for exhilarating competitors, Olympic gold medalist Curt Tomasevicz— no complete stranger to flying on ice– has a deep gratitude for slowing down.The Shelby, Nebraska, native recently helped to organize a retreat at a Benedictine monastery. This was a suggestion for him of what is essential in life. Despite a decorated profession that consists of not only an Olympic gold and bronze medal, but likewise three gold, two silver and 5 bronze medals at the World Championships– he understands that he can not take them with him when he departs from this life.Before death
, however, Tomasevicz has not been letting retirement from competitors keep him idle. In December he finished a doctorate in biological systems engineering at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (concentrating on the mechanics of human output instead of genetic manipulation). He has been teaching undergraduate engineering courses, gives talks to youth and others, has actually appeared on Catholic radio, and is contending for induction into the National Polish American Sports Hall of Fame. The 37-year-old is likewise available to marriage– however in God’s time. He spoke of this and more as the opening of the 2018 Winter Season Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, approached Feb. 9.
What do you think about the bobsledding group’s possibilities this year and the U.S. group’s opportunities overall?Overall, the American group has actually had lots of turnover because 2014, so that makes it harder to anticipate who will triumph in various events. However, we are well-represented because we are sending our largest contingent ever– 242 competitors– which is likewise the largest ever for any country.The bobsledding team resembles the general circumstance, because there are brand-new competitors from the last Olympics. I retired and Steve Holcomb suddenly passed away in his sleep in 2015. That was a real shock to everybody. You simply don’t consider a 37-year-old in fantastic shape in regards to death, but that’s where we’re all headed eventually– gold medals or not. The last time we talked, you explained how your gold medal suggested less to you than your bronzemedal. That’s counterproductivefor the majority of people.Yes, the prevailing philosophy in the culture is that winning is the only thing that matters, that gold is excellent and silver or bronze are kind of afterthoughts and even indications of defeat. The important things with my bronze medal, though, was that the competition was much tougher than it was with my gold medal.If you look at it just from a productivity/output perspective, the bronze was better than the gold. It’s kind of like scoring 80 points as a basketball group and being outscored, versus scoring 60 points and outscoring the opponent. Yes, 60 points is excellent, however 80 is much better, even if your challenger outscored you. The only thing you have control over is your own preparation and how you put that into play in competition, so if you do that well, there shouldn’t be any worries about whether you’re much better or even worse than someone else.We procedure times in races, however it’s too bad that we do not determine character or integrity– things like sacrifice, determination and teamwork. Those are the important things that remain with you, rather than external marks of success. Internal success, which is comparable to having strong character or being respectable, is the only success that matters which withstands. I was recently able to give witness to that in a retreat in a monastery here in Nebraska, where I was one of the organizers.Being Catholic has helped you maintain a steady identity amidst all the competitors and journeys, correct?If I weren’t Catholic, I believe my life would be the equivalent of a bobsled crash. Being Catholic enables me to get my top priorities straight and know
that, despite what the majority of people will tell you, athletic competitors are fleeting and you should not determine your self-respect through them. There’s lots of pressure to do well, and pressure to do well terribly, so to speak– implying that winning is held up as the only thing and that a little unfaithful is understandable.Competition is fun, but only in the context of following the guidelines. Taking given specifications and making the many of them can be a complex, appealing experience. That’s at the heart of among the classes I teach to undergrads now. It’s an introduction to engineering course including sports– the
tools we utilize in competitors (bobsleds, rackets, bats, gloves and so on )and the biomechanics of competitors( which postures, strides, timings and angles lead to finest runs, passes, pitches and so on). I likewise teach classes on the economics of engineering and the ethics of engineering– subjects that the Catholic Church can be included in. I don’t use these as examples in the class, however constructing churches can definitely have lots of financial and ethical concerns.There are various challenges of fundraising and determining
precisely how the cash is spent, and after that how the structures themselves ought to can standing up to hard weather condition conditions, yet at the exact same time be appropriate for praise. A lot goes into a church, so possibly one day I’ll be included in some way in Duncan Stroik’s Institute for Sacred Architecture– possibly writing an article for their Sacred Architecture journal or giving a talk at some event.You already do lots of public speaking, even aside from class teaching and retreats, right? I give both nonreligious and spiritual talks, which can be reserved through my website( TomaseviczBobsled.com ). For the spiritual ones, there are 3 into bobsledding meant giving up what I had actually planned and taking a danger on something that could have led to lots of failures, injuries and economic problems(bobsledders depend on sponsors rather than being paid an income). My first crash– which lasted so long that I had the ability to hope 3 and a half Hail Marys prior to the sled stopped– was really disconcerting, however I had to return into things and not let fear take a hold of me. It was likewise a strong support of how I never ever pray to win, however so that everyone would complete to the very best of their capabilities and that nobody would get hurt.At the end of my career, I had a void to fill due to my departure from bobsledding. I had grown familiar with planning whatever else around the sport, so there was a big shift when it was no longer there. This reinforced how important it is to me to be Catholic– belonging of the Church that Christ established for our wellness. I was very encouraged to be the finest bobsledder I might be, but I didn’t let it become a god for me. If I had actually let that take place, the shift far from it would have been devastating rather than challenging.I’m in the process of entering into the speaker’s
bureau of Catholic Athletes for Christ. They focus on more familiar sports like baseball, so it needs to be great to get a representative from a Winter season Olympics sport in there– although I did play football in college, so I’m not familiar with that. I was also on The Kid Rise Morning Show last week with Matt Swaim to talk about the Olympics and being Catholic, so I’m getting out there in the Catholic world.Maybe you’ll wind up discovering a better half through the speaking.
I do desire to be a partner and father, however that took a back seat to bobsledding for a years. I’m still involved somewhat in the sport, however absolutely nothing like I used to be, which implies that marital relationship is far more likely. Yet marriage is a marathon rather than a sprint, so I’m not rushing into it. The Diocese of Lincoln is one of the very best in the country, but even if I do not find a spouse here, there is one out there, if marital relationship is indeed what God desires for me.contains numerous Catholic
sports interviews, most of which have actually appeared in the
Register.The U.S.A. I team won the four-man bobsled race at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. Curt Tomasevicz is shown at. (through http://www.tomaseviczbobsled.com/ )
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