Lumsden To Jump In Bobsleigh With Leuders
21/03/2009 04:45
Pierre Lueders will get an extra boost at the Canadian National Bobsleigh championships this weekend from an unlikely source.
Edmonton Eskimos' running back Jesse Lumsden will be pushing Lueders' sled in the two-man and four-man events at the competition.
The 26-year-old has been training with Lueders' team in the off season and has been impressive. His times have been on par with some of team's veterans, prompting some speculation he could find a spot on the Olympic team for the 2010 games in Vancouver.
"He has all the tools to be a good bobsledder, for sure. I think he could be as good as he wanted to be," Bobsleigh Canada program director Matt Hindle told Sun Media earlier in March.
The jump from football to bobsleigh has been made before and Lueders' brakeman, David Bissett, played for the University of Alberta. Canadian pilot Lyndon Rush played football for the University of Saskatchewan.
Former NFL running back Herschel Walker trained with the United States bobsleigh team and participated in the Albertville Winter Olympics in 1992. He finished seventh.
For Lumsden, he feels the bobsleigh training could help him prepare for the CFL season.
"There's a lot of crossover in the training and I could see how much benefit it could be. It's just excellent crossover training for football," the running back told Sun Media earlier this month.
The Eskimos agreed with Lumsden's assessment as far as the training side of the sports are concerned.
"There's a lot of benefits pushing a 400-pound bobsled. It has a lot to do with the position he has to play. It teaches you to run low and down," Eskimos general manager Danny Maciocia said to Sun Media in March.
The Eskimos might have been fine with Lumsden training, but it remains to be seen if they will still approve of their player competing in what can be a dangerous sport. The former star for the McMaster Mauraders has a history of injury.
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SWIVEL HIPS SAYS:
Personally, I wish Jesse would just stick to football. But, if he has to bobsleigh, let’s just hope he doesn’t get injured.