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Shimer pulls his toe out of grave for Oly qualifier
By Joe Bauman
Deseret News staff writer
BEAR HOLLOW — Todd Hays and Brian Shimer are heading to the Salt Lake 2002 Winter Games at the helm of their bobsleds — Hays as a first-time Olympian, while Shimer is making his fifth run for the gold.
Hundreds of fans screamed and whistled their approval as men's bobsled Olympic trials concluded here Saturday. Hays and his crew were already guaranteed a berth because they are leading in World Cup standings, but the choice for the second sled depended on two days of racing.
As of Friday, Hays was first and Shimer second. But one difference on Saturday was that Hays' sled featured Ogden resident Billy Schuffenhaur in place of Randy Jones.
Jones, from Atlanta, was hurting a bit from last week's two-man bobsled competition, Hays said.
A relative rookie, Schuffenhaur helped turn in sizzling start times of :04.66 and :04.83 in the two heats.
"We had a new alternate, Billy Schuffenhaur, a guy who lives in Utah," Hays said when the races were over. Noting that Schuffenhaur was an "8,000-point decathlete," Hays said he wanted to give him a chance with a top team.
"So we let Billy push today to prove himself, and we came out here in the last heat, pushed a 4.83," a fast start.
U.S. Bobsled and Skeleton Federation officials had expected the battle for second spot to focus on Shimer and Mike Dionne. But the crew headed by Dionne (Marietta, Ga.) ended up in fourth place Saturday, bested by the sled piloted by Joe McDonald of Kingston, N.Y.
Shimer noted that he telephoned Monaco's Prince Albert, also a bobsled pilot, when he knew he had won the position. The royal bobsledder was in Naples, Fla., with his father for New Year's. That city is also Shimer's hometown.
"I said, 'Hey, Albert, when I get home, man, we're going to have to go out and celebrate, with both of us going to our fifth Games,' " Shimer said.
When a reporter commented that it was fantastic that he was going to his fifth Winter Olympics, Shimer replied, "Well, my body doesn't think so."
He did not compete in any World Cup events beyond the first race, instead concentrating on readying his team for the Olympic trials. He did not want to hurt himself and prevent a chance at the Games, Shimer added.
He has been nursing a strained calf all week. While he was running with the sled, he admitted, he was not pushing that hard, in order to save his strength for the Winter Games.
"My last race is going to be the Olympic Games. I don't care if I rip every muscle out of my body on that push in the Games, I'm going to be pushing with all my might."
How will the U.S. men's bobsledders do in the Olympics?
"I'm not thinking of a medal, but maybe two medals," Shimer said. "And that's not out of the question. I know right now it looks bleak."
Bleakness isn't new for Shimer.
"Everybody thought I had one leg in the grave, as Todd said the other day," he said. But after the two-man trials, Hays patted him on the back and smiled and said that "we thought you already had one leg in the grave," Shimer said.
He laughed, "I was like, 'Yeah, you know, I put a toe in there but I pulled it back out.' "
Since Shimer has been competing in the Olympics, the U.S. never had an advantage, he said. "We've always been in somebody else's back yard — and now everybody's coming to us.
"And this is the year."
He will improve if he is in the first seed, he said. But that might not happen unless Hays wins some more World Cup races and gives the whole U.S. team that advantage. As it is, Hays almost certainly will be in the first seed, when the ice is faster.
Hays commented on Shimer's wishes about seed position:
"These guys had the opportunity to go on the first half (of the World Cup tour) and secure themselves a first-seed bid, but chose not to," he said. "So I'm not real concerned about what seed they're in."
Hays said he and his crew are "focusing everything on the start right now" because fast starts and consistent runs will be needed to beat the powerful German and Swiss teams.
E-mail: bau@desnews.com
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December 30, 2001
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