Bobsledder Mike Kohn is competing in the Winter Olympics 2010 in Vancouver.
The South Carolina native got his bobsled start in 1990, after excelling in track and field and football during high school. As a senior, Mike Kohn was invited to tryouts in Lake Placid, eventually making the team to train for the 1992 Albertville Winter Games. While his squad finished sixth in the Olympic Trials the then-19-years-old Kohn (pronounced KAHN) wasn't expecting to compete in the Games, for he could no longer afford the sport and had goals of attending college.
Upon graduating from George Mason University with a degree in health fitness and recreation management in 1997, Kohn says he got a "good corporate office job." But it wasn't long until he decided that the 9-to-5 office way of life wasn't for him, and came up with a plan to return to the ice. Once relocating to Lake Placid, Kohn made the national team within a year, and focused on honing his skills as a push athlete. He was named to Brian Shimer's four-man team for the Salt Lake Games in 2002, winning bronze in his Olympic debut. Kohn recalls the experience as pressure-free, because Shimer was "so experienced as a driver."
Kohn decided to move to the driver's seat after the Salt Lake Games, first learning on a two-man sled. During the 2004-05 season, he opted to try a four-man. He much preferred the team component of the four-man, too, adding that it's "the perfect amount of people for a team, allowing for different personalities and pushing styles." The overall dynamics between each craft is considerably unique, which Kohn describes as, "the difference between a Mack truck and a Ferrari."
Kohn considered retiring from the sport after not making the 2009-10 World Cup team, but returned to his America's Cup roots—where he won the four-man title the season before—to finish third overall in both events. From there, a call from longtime friend and teammate Todd Hays would change everything. Hays, the 2002 silver medalist, sustained a life-threatening head injury during America's Cup training in December 2009, forcing him into early retirement. While Kohn was saddened by the news, Hays reassured him that USA-3 could still qualify for a third sled in 2010, an effort in which he was prepared to help out with. "I kept asking about his injury and all he could talk about was what we needed to do to get our qualification," Kohn said. "I thought his call was very classy, sportsmanlike and spoke volumes of him as a person."
Only three nations were qualified to enter three men's sleds into the 2010 Olympics. A month prior to the Games during the seventh World Cup race of the season in St. Moritz, Switzerland, Kohn's results (12th in four-man, 6th in two-man) were enough to qualify the U.S. a third sled in both disciplines. "We really want[ed] to qualify this team for the Olympics ...for us, for the nation, and for Todd." Kohn said. But the four-man race was especially memorable for him. "This was one of the best experiences I've had in this sport," Kohn added. "Winning an Olympic medal was amazing, but it doesn't compare to the team camaraderie felt over these last few weeks. The Olympics is about more than winning medals, and this experience is one I'll remember for the rest of my life."
Kohn is a sergeant in the Virginia Army National Guard, and a member of the National Guard Outstanding Athlete Program like teammate Shauna Rohbock. Prior to being named to the 2010 U.S. Olympic team, Kohn anticipated leaving for Afghanistan in the spring.
Kohn's parents, Henry and Barbara, are retired and reside in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. His father was a Green Beret in the U.S Military for 27 years. Brother Nicholas is an actor, performer, and dancer in New York City, who made his Broadway debut in the final cast for "Avenue Q."
The South Carolina native got his bobsled start in 1990, after excelling in track and field and football during high school. As a senior, Mike Kohn was invited to tryouts in Lake Placid, eventually making the team to train for the 1992 Albertville Winter Games. While his squad finished sixth in the Olympic Trials the then-19-years-old Kohn (pronounced KAHN) wasn't expecting to compete in the Games, for he could no longer afford the sport and had goals of attending college.
Upon graduating from George Mason University with a degree in health fitness and recreation management in 1997, Kohn says he got a "good corporate office job." But it wasn't long until he decided that the 9-to-5 office way of life wasn't for him, and came up with a plan to return to the ice. Once relocating to Lake Placid, Kohn made the national team within a year, and focused on honing his skills as a push athlete. He was named to Brian Shimer's four-man team for the Salt Lake Games in 2002, winning bronze in his Olympic debut. Kohn recalls the experience as pressure-free, because Shimer was "so experienced as a driver."
Kohn decided to move to the driver's seat after the Salt Lake Games, first learning on a two-man sled. During the 2004-05 season, he opted to try a four-man. He much preferred the team component of the four-man, too, adding that it's "the perfect amount of people for a team, allowing for different personalities and pushing styles." The overall dynamics between each craft is considerably unique, which Kohn describes as, "the difference between a Mack truck and a Ferrari."
Kohn considered retiring from the sport after not making the 2009-10 World Cup team, but returned to his America's Cup roots—where he won the four-man title the season before—to finish third overall in both events. From there, a call from longtime friend and teammate Todd Hays would change everything. Hays, the 2002 silver medalist, sustained a life-threatening head injury during America's Cup training in December 2009, forcing him into early retirement. While Kohn was saddened by the news, Hays reassured him that USA-3 could still qualify for a third sled in 2010, an effort in which he was prepared to help out with. "I kept asking about his injury and all he could talk about was what we needed to do to get our qualification," Kohn said. "I thought his call was very classy, sportsmanlike and spoke volumes of him as a person."
Only three nations were qualified to enter three men's sleds into the 2010 Olympics. A month prior to the Games during the seventh World Cup race of the season in St. Moritz, Switzerland, Kohn's results (12th in four-man, 6th in two-man) were enough to qualify the U.S. a third sled in both disciplines. "We really want[ed] to qualify this team for the Olympics ...for us, for the nation, and for Todd." Kohn said. But the four-man race was especially memorable for him. "This was one of the best experiences I've had in this sport," Kohn added. "Winning an Olympic medal was amazing, but it doesn't compare to the team camaraderie felt over these last few weeks. The Olympics is about more than winning medals, and this experience is one I'll remember for the rest of my life."
Kohn is a sergeant in the Virginia Army National Guard, and a member of the National Guard Outstanding Athlete Program like teammate Shauna Rohbock. Prior to being named to the 2010 U.S. Olympic team, Kohn anticipated leaving for Afghanistan in the spring.
Kohn's parents, Henry and Barbara, are retired and reside in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. His father was a Green Beret in the U.S Military for 27 years. Brother Nicholas is an actor, performer, and dancer in New York City, who made his Broadway debut in the final cast for "Avenue Q."
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