10 Questions for Olympic bobsledder Evan Weinstock

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

U.S. Olympic bobsledder Evan Weinstock took some time out of his busy schedule to answer 10 questions this week for DyeStat. The Las Vegas native was a two-time Heps champion in the decathlon for Brown University. 

1. Growing up in Las Vegas, what would you have thought the chances were that one day you would have an opportunity to compete in the Winter Olympic Games?

EW: Bobsled or really any winter sport was not something you typically saw growing up in Las Vegas... however I was always a huge fan of the Olympics and very active with sports as a child. Excelling at sports since I began, I grew up dreaming of being an Olympic athlete. I never would have imagined at the time that the Winter Olympics would be where I reached this dream but I value it greatly and very much look forward to the competition. 

2. It's obvious as a track athlete you tried just about everything in order to become a multi-eventer. How did you come to embrace the decathlon?

EW: When I originally tried out for the track and field team as a high school freshman I had just hoped to stay in shape for the following football season. My track coach, John Dixon, realized the multitude of athletic events I could excel in so he kept listing me in more and more events each week. Many years prior to coaching me, Dixon had trained the high school national record holder in the decathlon and encouraged me to give it a try as well. As soon as I heard about the decathlon I knew it would be the perfect fit for me. I love challenging myself to be the best at everything and anything I do, and having 10 battles in one competition sounded like a large thrilling task. As soon as I completed my first decathlon my sophomore year of high school I was hooked. It becomes an addiction to better yourself at every event. 

3. At what point do you recall having Olympic aspirations? I'm guessing maybe you saw yourself as a possible Olympic decathlete?

EW: I remember watching the 2000 Sydney Games and becoming obsessed with the Olympics. My mother and I watched every event no matter how obscure or foreign the sport. Being a young athlete myself I hoped to one day become an Olympian. The Winter Olympics were much more foreign to me and I never made much of a connection with them as I did with the Summer Olympics, specifically the decathlon. Competing at a high level in college I had the lofty goal of reaching the Olympics in the decathlon, but I was realistic with how difficult the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Team was to make. It wasn’t until I tried out for the bobsled team that I really saw the perfect path to reach my dream.

4. What was your favorite highlight from competing at the Heps and for Brown?

EW: The Ivy League Championships (Heps) is by far the most exciting competition we would compete in every year. The history and rivalries among the Ivies is unmatched and creates an amazing team competition within an individual sport. Every person at the competition is extremely engaged in every event and that creates a very energetic and competitive atmosphere, which brings out the best in everyone.

5. How did you get involved with bobsledding?

EW: In 2010, a former teammate at Brown, Craig Kinsley (2012 Olympian, javelin), mentioned an invitation he received for a bobsled tryout. We joked together about trying out for the sport since we researched the tryout and determined we both would be great candidates for it. It wasn’t until five years later that I actually decided to give it a try at a combine in Davis, Calif. in the summer of 2015. I had just finished up my first post-collegiate decathlon season and was looking to continue to test my abilities, so why not try the bobsled combine just for fun? I ended up posting the highest score in the country that year and was invited by the team to Lake Placid, N.Y. to continue trying out for the sport.

6. What was your experience like the first time taking a run in a bobsled?

EW: I am not an adrenaline junkie and I don’t like roller coasters, so naturally I was terrified of going down the bobsled run. It took a lot of motivation, but eventually I decided to take the plunge. I went with an Olympic driver, Nick Cunningham, so knew I was in good hands, but that didn’t change the amount of fear I had throughout the whole run. It’s a very violent and quick sport. It’s most likened to putting yourself in a metal trash can and getting kicked down a mountain. After my first run I thought there was no way I could do this as a sport, but was dragged up to the top to do it again and slowly learned how to embrace what was coming.

7. How did your decathlon training prepare you to become a bobsled pusher/brakeman?

EW: Being a decathlete I know how to use my athletic abilities in many ways. The training for the decathlon requires speed and strength, the exact same qualities that are looked for in a bobsledder. So without even knowing it, I was training for bobsled just by training for the decathlon. Having this background gave me a leg up over my peers and I was able to adapt to pushing a sled much quicker than most.

8. You're an Ivy Leaguer. What have you sacrificed or put on hold in your life in order to pursue this Olympic team spot?

EW: Coming from an Ivy League school holds a lot of pressure from family and outsiders to start a career immediately and be very successful at it. I was a pre-med student and Brown and graduated with a degree in Biology in hopes of applying for Med School. With the opportunity to pursue athletics further I had to abandon many of career plans. Taking time away from pursuing a “real world” career for this opportunity is a huge sacrifice but one that I knew I had to take advantage of. I am only able to be an elite athlete for a small window of my life and I can always revisit career paths when I am done with athletics.

9. What did last Monday's announcement (Jan. 15) that you had made the team mean to you and your family? 

EW: To be named to the Olympic team is a tremendous honor for myself, my family, and all the hundreds of people that have supported me along the way. I lost my mother to cancer less than two years ago and we shared this dream together. She has been my greatest motivation and I know that her, and my family, feel a tremendous amount of pride in knowing I will be representing them and our country at the highest level. It is truly a dream come true.

10. What are you looking forward to most in next month's Winter Games?

EW: The Winter Games will be a surreal experience. I am most looking forward to the atmosphere of being at the highest level of competition in the world. Walking into the stadium for the opening ceremony and seeing all the best athletes from the entire world will be extremely humbling and a proud moment for myself.