Meet Erica Voss.  A passionate, focused and internationally accomplished two-sport athlete who's not afraid to get outside her comfort zone.  From her time competing on Ringette Canada's national team at the 2019 World Ringette Championships to her journey to Canada's Development Bobsleigh Team, Erica shares how competing in two sports has shaped her sense of what's possible, her perspective on facing life's challenging times, and explains why she fully appreciates the sum of all parts.

 

 

Tell us about yourself and how you started in bobsleigh. 

Growing up in Toronto, I was involved in a wide variety of sports including track and field, volleyball, soccer, ringette, and others. My introduction to the life of an elite athlete came through ringette, which I've been playing since I was just 6 years old. In 2018, I attended an RBC Training Ground event in Toronto and made it to the Ontario Final.  Following the final, I was contacted by Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton to participate in some sport-specific testing and give the sport a try. I attended a few training camps, but I was still in university and committed to the national team for ringette, so I held off on making the switch until this year. The 2020-21 season was my first full season of bobsleigh. I was on the development team and spent most of the season competing on the IBSF World Cup circuit. My goal is to compete for a spot on the 2022 Olympic team.

 

Erica's World Cup debut: Konigssee World Cup (Germany) race (38:55)

 

Give us some background on the sport of bobsleigh.

Bobsleigh has been an Olympic sport since 1924. The women's events are 2-woman and monobob. The men's events are 2-man and 4-man. My job as a brakeman is to accelerate the sled as fast as possible over the first 15m of the track, get in, and stay as still as possible while the pilot navigates the track. The pilot steers the sled with a set of bungees in the front of the sled. Down times can range from 50 to 70 seconds and top speeds can range from 120 to 150 km/h depending on the track and ice conditions. When the difference between winning and losing can be a matter of one 100th of a second, equipment can make a big difference! For women, the minimum weight of a sled is 170 kg while the maximum weight for the sled, athletes, and gear combined is 330 kg. The four runners on the bottom of the sled are rounded and don't have edges like hockey skates.

 

 

What do you love most about being a bobsledder?

I've loved how much it's pushed me out of my comfort zone. First, I'm not a natural adrenaline junkie, so the thought of flying down an ice slide at 120+ km/h was initially terrifying for me. However, it means that you need to have a lot of trust in your pilot. Second, it has been an interesting transition from an 18-year veteran in ringette to a rookie in bobsleigh. And, from a 60-minute competition to a 2-minute competition, where my contribution is roughly 11 seconds.

It has forced me to focus on being intentional in everything I do so I can be at my absolute best for those 11 seconds.

What does your training schedule typically look like as you prepare for the season?

I'm currently taking a break from training to rest my body and mind to get ready for a busy off season. From April through July, I'll be doing off-season training which will consist of about 6 training sessions per week with those sessions being a mix of weightlifting and sprint workouts. My coach is also building a push cart so I can do some technical work to practice pushing a sled. During the season, we typically have 2-3 sliding sessions per week with 2-3 runs per session then races on the weekends. Weightlifting and sprint workouts during the season depend on whether or not I'm racing that weekend and how my body is feeling.

 

 (Source: Youtube video: Königssee | BMW IBSF World Cup 2020/2021 - Women's Bobsleigh Heat 1 | IBSF Official)

 

What would you say to your 10 year old self about playing and staying in sport?

Focus on doing your best and having fun. Don't worry so much about what other people might expect of you.

Putting in your best effort, constantly, day after day, will add up to amazing accomplishments over time.

 

What have you learned through sport that you apply to everyday life?

Perseverance and consistency have been big lessons that I've learned through sport that have served me well in my everyday life, especially during school and my professional life. Putting in your best effort, constantly, day after day, will add up to amazing accomplishments over time. At the end of the day, it's not the individual game, workout, test, or project that matters, but the sum of all your efforts.

 

 

What challenges and frustrations have you faced over the last few months because of COVID-19 and what have you done to manage?

I was quite discouraged when the lockdown first started because my ringette season was cut short and I had a lot that I wanted to work on to get ready for my first bobsleigh season. When the gyms closed last spring, I discovered just how difficult it can be to train to push a 300+ lb bobsleigh with only one 50lb dumbbell! For a time, I was too focussed on all the things I couldn't do. Eventually, I shifted my focus to the few things I could do and realized that doing something was better than nothing. When I didn't have any weights, I decided to focus on my sprinting since I could easily do that outside while complying with public health guidelines. For this off season, I spent some of my savings on some weights and a squat rack so I can continue to train the way I need, even when gyms are closed in my area.

 

 

Social connections for Erica & Canada's Bobsleigh & Skeleton Team

Want to send some good vibes to Erica and her teammates on Canada's Bobsleigh and Skeleton team?  Here's how you can connect.  

Connect with Erica:

On SeeWhatSheCanDo

On Twitter: @ericavoss19

On Instagram: @ericaavoss

Connect with Canada's Bobsleigh & Skeleton Team:

On Twitter: @bobCANSkel

On Instagram: @bobsleighcanskeleton

More video links for Erica:

Altenberg (Germany) World Championships (6:19)

 

2019 World Ringette Championships - Canada Senior vs Finland Senior - Nov. 30, 2019

 

SeeWhatSheCanDo

Find, rate and review associations, local community offerings and businesses that will help you do your thing on our Athlete Advisor, your athletic business directory.  

Post your upcoming virtual event or create a group in our SWSCD Hub.

Look for advice, stories, news and more on our Discover blog. We invite you to share your own pics and particular moments you've captured while walking in your neighbourhood or on a local trail directly through our Discover blog or by using #seewhatshecando on social media and inspire others to get moving.