May 14, 2008

Chris Fogt, a UVU senior from Alpine, Utah, is accustomed to speed. As a member of UV's track team, Fogt set five school records. These days, however, Fogt has moved on to a different sort of track-a frozen track, covered with ice, which he travels down at upwards of 80 miles per hour.

Fogt is one of the youngest members of the U.S. bobsled team and one of only two team members from Utah. As a member of the team, Fogt is likely to participate in the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Official team selections are made closer to the actual Games, but, Fogt said, "if the Olympics were today, I would be going."

Fogt didn't become an athlete with the goal of becoming an Olympic bobsledder. In fact, he had never even considered the prospect of bobsledding until he was approached by recruiters at a track competition. "Some men in jackets with the Olympic rings on them walked up to me and asked me if I had ever been bobsledding before," Fogt said. "What kind of a question is that? Of course I'd never been."

But since then, Fogt has been sledding countless times. He likens it to a really long roller-coaster ride, but slightly more dangerous. Whiplash and the possibility of hitting a sheet of ice at 85 miles per hour are dangers that come with every run. He practices with the team on tracks in Park City, Utah, and Lake Placid, New York, in addition to running and weight training, which build up the speed and strength necessary for bobsledding.

"The first time I went sledding, I was pretty frightened," he said. "But you get used to it after a while. It's pretty entertaining."

Fogt is also a member of the Army ROTC at UVU. After he graduates from UV with a degree in business management in June, he plans to join the Army and participate in their World Class Athlete Program, which sponsors athletes as they train to participate in games such as the Olympics.