HOW TO HELP
Supporters can help Sable Otey of Lakeland pay for her Olympic training expenses at:
A world-class athlete who lives in Lakeland is training and competing domestically and internationally between now and the 2018 Olympics.
Sable Otey will be half of the U.S. women’s bobsled team for the 2018 Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
She trains hard in the hours when she’s not at her full-time job as a Lowrance Elementary School physical education instructor in Memphis or spending time with her three-year-old son and her husband.
She also is drumming up donations and sponsors, because U.S. bobsledders are personally responsible for an estimated $15,000 each season (August to March) to cover their travel, equipment, training, supplements, special diets, medical care, and more.
It takes a village to launch an Olympic athlete. Otey said she is available to make appearances and speak at clubs, civic groups, schools, restaurants and other local businesses to spread the word about fitness, the Olympics and how people can show support.
It’s evident that all the sore muscles and long days are worth it when Otey talks about the Olympics. She radiates happiness and determination.
Otey, 29, comes from an athletic family and says she has loved fitness since she was a child.
She tried out for the Olympics at the urging of her godbrother. Already in superb shape, she tucked about two weeks of training under her belt and headed to an Olympic “combine” (a competition where skills are tested).
She fretted because her performance seemed a little off as she took part in 15-, 30- and 45-meter sprints, shotput throws, and distance jumps.
“I have always been the type of person who’s always been hard on myself,” she said.
Then she strained her hamstring just before re-testing on the 30-meter sprint. She dashed to the bathroom, borrowed some tape and wrapped her leg heavily. The other athlete eyed the thick wrapping, and Otey spilled the story of her injury.
“Usually, you just kind of push through — you don’t want to talk about it — but I was about to break down on the inside,” she said.
She asked for prayers and took strength from fellow athletes who gathered around, placed their hands on her back, and prayed for her health.
Then she ran her heart out in the 30-degree weather. It wasn’t her best time, but it was good enough — just 4/10 of a second off from her usual.
She moved on to the standing long jump, put her track spikes on, and was horrified at her poor results. Her inner critic was shrieking, and she thought, “I am not going to represent the U.S. looking like this.”
Then inspiration struck. She asked if she could jump in the tennis shoes she usually wore during practice. She changed, tried again and hit 2.55 meters, a personal record for competitions.
She shook her head over how much difference the shoes made. “Don’t come to competition and change,” Otey advised.
She temporarily forgot her own advice when she changed back into her spikes and competed in the 12-pound shotput toss, where the athletes rely on squats and their strong leg muscles to add power to their throws. She normally can toss it more than 12 meters, but that day she flopped and only made 10.80 meters.
She worried but changed back into her Nike tennis shoes. Her toss recovered to a respectable 11.75 and then 11.9 meters. She sighed with relief.
After a rest, she went to the squat rack and also improved on her power cleans (quick, explosive barbell lifts), squatting with 120 kilos (264.555 lbs.) and cleaning with about 80 kilos (about 176 lbs.).
Her final overall score was in the 680 range.
That was all in one day. The next, she had to come back to push the sled.
At competition weight, the sled and equipment alone weigh at least 170 kg (almost 375 lbs.), according to olympic.org. The training sled was on a track and weighed about 113 kilos (just over 249 lbs.), Otey said.
Her job was to take the sled from zero to blistering fast. Fully loaded with two crew members and equipment, the women’s bobsled can weigh in at no more than 340 kg (almost 750 lbs.), and it can hurtle down the icy track at speeds of up to 80-90 mph.
Waiting to hear the combine results was agonizing, and she was driving to the gym to work off the stress when she got the call: She was invited to the U.S. Bobsled Federation’s Rookie Camp in Lake Placid, N.Y.
Although earning the spot on the team was a first for Otey, it was her second run at the Olympics: She worked hard at the 2011 trials to compete in 2012 and was in peak condition. She returned to the Memphis area where she grew up, and she felt that something was just not right.
On a friend’s advice, she took a pregnancy test. Surprise, surprise. She shelved her Olympic aspirations temporarily, and she and her husband awaited the birth of their son.
Now she’s gearing up for the competition of her life: She trains around 4 a.m., runs with a partner, and schedules time for everything, including her family life.
D1 Sports Training in Collierville is sponsoring her training, and Otey praises her coach, James Lancaster, from that facility for his guidance and encouragement.
Fran Shove, her spin class instructor at L.A. Fitness in Lakeland, also has volunteered to help her with publicity and fund-raising.
Her school’s principal, Kelvin Bates, said the school is proud of her achievements, how her performance and her ideals match those of the school, and how she is a role model for students in physical fitness and in achievements.
“To me, it’s amazing the transition she’s been able to make from track and field to bobsled,” he said.
Otey said she is getting cheered on by her students, friends and others, and she appreciates their enthusiasm and support. It’s encouraging, and she doesn’t want to let herself or anyone else down.
“You just keep going because you look at everybody that’s inspired by you,” she said.
