Steven Holcomb
Encyclopedia
Steven Holcomb is an American
bobsledder who has competed since 1998. At the 2006 Winter Olympics
in Turin
, he finished sixth in the four-man event and 14th in the two-man event. At the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, he won the 4-man bobsled event for the United States, its first gold medal in 4-man bobsled since 1948.
, Holcomb was involved in alpine skiing
for twelve years. Subsequently, he served as a forerunner, a tester of the bobsled course prior to competition, at the Utah Olympic Park for the 2002 Winter Olympics
. Though Holcomb was not a competing member at the 2002 Winter Olympics, the experience did allow him time on an Olympic course in front of partisan fans.
After leaving the military with an honorable discharge in June 2006, Holcomb progressed into the top three American sleds, allowing him to compete on the World Cup circuit. Starting with the 2004-05 season, Holcomb consistently was driving the sled and was the second and third ranked American driver. In the 2007-2007 season Holcomb (with push athletes Jovanovic and Kreitzburg) won the overall two man World Cup Championship, while his four man team (with Jovanovic, Kreitzburg, and Mesler) finished second. As Holcomb rose through the ranks of American bobsledders, however, a degenerative eye condition, initially diagnosed in 2002, began to affect both his daily life and competitive skills. A non-invasive surgical procedure, C3-R, provided a measure of correction during the 2007-08 season, allowing him to capture three gold, three silver, and one bronze medals.
Yet as Holcomb found greater success on the track, he soon discovered that contact lenses and glasses could no longer adequately address his vision problems. Consequently, he often navigated the courses by feel rather than sight. Before the start of 2008-09, Holcomb was diagnosed with keratoconus
, a degenerative thinning of the cornea
that distorts vision . In the past the only answer would have been surgery—a corneal transplant. Dr. Brian Boxer Wachler
told Holcomb he had another choice; a quick painless procedure called C3-R in which a vitamin solution is combined with light. "By itself, the vitamin, riboflavin, a B vitamin, does nothing . But when activated by light of a certain wavelength, it has a major impact on the cornea," NBC’s Dr. Bruce Hensel said. Holcomb’s entire procedure took only 20 minutes. “It’s amazing to live life with 20/20 vision, it’s like life in high definition,” Holcomb said.
With the procedure behind him, Holcomb and his two & four man teams took home 2 Golds, 3 Silvers and 2 Bronze and did something remarkable, won the first World Championship in four man bobsled since 1959. Additionally, he piloted his two man sled to a Bronze medal.
Looking ahead to Vancouver, Holcomb finished 2nd in his four man sled in the only World Cup race at the newly finished Whistler track. In the leadup to Vancouver, Holcomb and his Night Train (4-man) / Night Hawk (2-man) are competing on the FIBT World Cup circuit. In the first three tour stops to date, his squad with teammates Steve Mesler, Justin Olsen & Curt Tomasevicz have won Gold in the 4-man at Lake Placid & Cesana (Torino 2006 Olympic track) and Silver in the 4-Man at Lake Placid and Bronze in Cesana.
Holcomb won four medals at the FIBT World Championships
: a gold (Four-man: 2009
) and three bronzes (Two-man: 2009, mixed team: 2008
, 2009). He also won the 2007 Two-man World Cup title
, won the 2007 combined World Cup title, and finished second in the 2007 Four-man World Cup standings. He became the first American man to win the Two-man World Cup title. Holcomb also won the 2007 and 2010 Combined World Cup titles, and the 2010 4-man World Cup title.
It was announced on 17 January 2010 that Holcomb made the US team in both the two-man and four-man events for the 2010 Winter Olympics
. On February 27, Holcomb led the four-man US bobsled team to a gold medal victory
, ending a 62-year gold medal drought in US Olympic four-man bobsled competition.
for seven years, from March 1999 until July 2006. During his Army service, he worked as a Soldier and moved up to being a Combat Engineer in the 1457th Engineering Battalion. He took part in the Army World Class Athlete Program (WCAP) for 7 years. At the end of 2006, he received an Honorable Discharge from service. While in the Army, he won the following Medals: Army Achievement Medal; Army Commendation Medal; Good Conduct Medal
; Army Presidential Unit Citation; Army Superior Unit Award; Army Service Ribbon
.
, graduating in 1997. Holcomb is working on his bachelors degree at the University of Phoenix
in Computer Science
. His projected graduation date is 2011.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
bobsledder who has competed since 1998. At the 2006 Winter Olympics
2006 Winter Olympics
The 2006 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XX Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Turin, Italy from February 10, 2006, through February 26, 2006. This marked the second time Italy hosted the Olympic Winter Games, the first being the VII Olympic Winter...
in Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
, he finished sixth in the four-man event and 14th in the two-man event. At the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, he won the 4-man bobsled event for the United States, its first gold medal in 4-man bobsled since 1948.
Career
Prior to joining bobsleighBobsleigh
Bobsleigh or bobsled is a winter sport in which teams of two or four make timed runs down narrow, twisting, banked, iced tracks in a gravity-powered sled that are combined to calculate the final score....
, Holcomb was involved in alpine skiing
Alpine skiing
Alpine skiing is the sport of sliding down snow-covered hills on skis with fixed-heel bindings. Alpine skiing can be contrasted with skiing using free-heel bindings: Ski mountaineering and nordic skiing – such as cross-country; ski jumping; and Telemark. In competitive alpine skiing races four...
for twelve years. Subsequently, he served as a forerunner, a tester of the bobsled course prior to competition, at the Utah Olympic Park for the 2002 Winter Olympics
2002 Winter Olympics
The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event that was celebrated in February 2002 in and around Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. Approximately 2,400 athletes from 77 nations participated in 78 events in fifteen disciplines, held throughout...
. Though Holcomb was not a competing member at the 2002 Winter Olympics, the experience did allow him time on an Olympic course in front of partisan fans.
After leaving the military with an honorable discharge in June 2006, Holcomb progressed into the top three American sleds, allowing him to compete on the World Cup circuit. Starting with the 2004-05 season, Holcomb consistently was driving the sled and was the second and third ranked American driver. In the 2007-2007 season Holcomb (with push athletes Jovanovic and Kreitzburg) won the overall two man World Cup Championship, while his four man team (with Jovanovic, Kreitzburg, and Mesler) finished second. As Holcomb rose through the ranks of American bobsledders, however, a degenerative eye condition, initially diagnosed in 2002, began to affect both his daily life and competitive skills. A non-invasive surgical procedure, C3-R, provided a measure of correction during the 2007-08 season, allowing him to capture three gold, three silver, and one bronze medals.
Yet as Holcomb found greater success on the track, he soon discovered that contact lenses and glasses could no longer adequately address his vision problems. Consequently, he often navigated the courses by feel rather than sight. Before the start of 2008-09, Holcomb was diagnosed with keratoconus
Keratoconus
Keratoconus , is a degenerative disorder of the eye in which structural changes within the cornea cause it to thin and change to a more conical shape than its normal gradual curve....
, a degenerative thinning of the cornea
Cornea
The cornea is the transparent front part of the eye that covers the iris, pupil, and anterior chamber. Together with the lens, the cornea refracts light, with the cornea accounting for approximately two-thirds of the eye's total optical power. In humans, the refractive power of the cornea is...
that distorts vision . In the past the only answer would have been surgery—a corneal transplant. Dr. Brian Boxer Wachler
Brian Boxer Wachler
Dr. Brian S. Boxer Wachler is a board-certified American ophthalmologist. He practices refractive surgery . He is the director of the Boxer Wachler Vision Institute in Los Angeles, California and on staff at UCLA and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.-Education:Boxer Wachler graduated from UCLA with a...
told Holcomb he had another choice; a quick painless procedure called C3-R in which a vitamin solution is combined with light. "By itself, the vitamin, riboflavin, a B vitamin, does nothing . But when activated by light of a certain wavelength, it has a major impact on the cornea," NBC’s Dr. Bruce Hensel said. Holcomb’s entire procedure took only 20 minutes. “It’s amazing to live life with 20/20 vision, it’s like life in high definition,” Holcomb said.
With the procedure behind him, Holcomb and his two & four man teams took home 2 Golds, 3 Silvers and 2 Bronze and did something remarkable, won the first World Championship in four man bobsled since 1959. Additionally, he piloted his two man sled to a Bronze medal.
Looking ahead to Vancouver, Holcomb finished 2nd in his four man sled in the only World Cup race at the newly finished Whistler track. In the leadup to Vancouver, Holcomb and his Night Train (4-man) / Night Hawk (2-man) are competing on the FIBT World Cup circuit. In the first three tour stops to date, his squad with teammates Steve Mesler, Justin Olsen & Curt Tomasevicz have won Gold in the 4-man at Lake Placid & Cesana (Torino 2006 Olympic track) and Silver in the 4-Man at Lake Placid and Bronze in Cesana.
Holcomb won four medals at the FIBT World Championships
FIBT World Championships
The FIBT World Championships, part of the Fédération Internationale de Bobsleigh et de Tobogganing , have taken place on an annual basis in non-Winter Olympic years since 1930. A two-man event was included in 1931 with a combined championship occurring in 1947...
: a gold (Four-man: 2009
FIBT World Championships 2009
The FIBT World Championships 2009, officially known as the Bauhaus FIBT Bobsleigh & Skeleton World Championships, 20 February to 1 March 2009 at the bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track in Lake Placid, New York for the ninth time, doing so previously in 1949, 1961, 1969, 1973, 1978, 1983, 1997 , and...
) and three bronzes (Two-man: 2009, mixed team: 2008
FIBT World Championships 2008
The FIBT World Championships 2008 ran February 11–24, 2008 in Altenberg, Germany for the fifth time, having done so in 1991 , 1994 , 1999 , and 2000 . It is the first time Altenberg has hosted all of the events at one championship...
, 2009). He also won the 2007 Two-man World Cup title
2006-07 Bobsleigh World Cup
The 2006–07 Bobsleigh World Cup is a multi race tournament over a season for bobsleigh. The season started on 27 November 2006 and ended on 25 February 2007. The World Cup is organised by the FIBT who also run world cups and championships in skeleton.- Men :...
, won the 2007 combined World Cup title, and finished second in the 2007 Four-man World Cup standings. He became the first American man to win the Two-man World Cup title. Holcomb also won the 2007 and 2010 Combined World Cup titles, and the 2010 4-man World Cup title.
It was announced on 17 January 2010 that Holcomb made the US team in both the two-man and four-man events for the 2010 Winter Olympics
2010 Winter Olympics
The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially the XXI Olympic Winter Games or the 21st Winter Olympics, were a major international multi-sport event held from February 12–28, 2010, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with some events held in the suburbs of Richmond, West Vancouver and the University...
. On February 27, Holcomb led the four-man US bobsled team to a gold medal victory
Bobsleigh at the 2010 Winter Olympics – Four-man
The four-man bobsleigh competition at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada, was held at the Whistler Sliding Centre in Whistler, British Columbia, on 26–27 February. The German team of André Lange, René Hoppe, Kevin Kuske, and Martin Putze were the defending Olympic champion in this event...
, ending a 62-year gold medal drought in US Olympic four-man bobsled competition.
Military service
Holcomb served in the Utah Army National GuardUtah Army National Guard
The Utah National Guard comprises both Army and Air National Guard components. The Constitution of the United States specifically charges the National Guard with dual federal and state missions...
for seven years, from March 1999 until July 2006. During his Army service, he worked as a Soldier and moved up to being a Combat Engineer in the 1457th Engineering Battalion. He took part in the Army World Class Athlete Program (WCAP) for 7 years. At the end of 2006, he received an Honorable Discharge from service. While in the Army, he won the following Medals: Army Achievement Medal; Army Commendation Medal; Good Conduct Medal
Good Conduct Medal
The Good Conduct Medal is one of the oldest military awards of the United States military. The Navy Good Conduct Medal was first issued in 1869, followed by a Marine version in 1896. The Coast Guard Good Conduct Medal was issued in 1923 and the Army Good Conduct Medal in 1941. The Air Force was...
; Army Presidential Unit Citation; Army Superior Unit Award; Army Service Ribbon
Army Service Ribbon
The Army Service Ribbon is a military decoration of the United States Army that was established by the Secretary of the Army on 10 April 1981 as announced in Department of the Army General Order 15, dated 10 October 1990....
.
Education
Holcomb attended The Winter Sports School in Park CityThe Winter Sports School in Park City
The Winter Sports School in Park City is a college preparatory school, with students from 9th through 12th grades, located in Park City, Utah.-General information:...
, graduating in 1997. Holcomb is working on his bachelors degree at the University of Phoenix
University of Phoenix
The University of Phoenix is a for-profit institution of higher learning. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Apollo Group Inc. which is publicly traded , an S&P 500 corporation based in Phoenix, Arizona...
in Computer Science
Computer science
Computer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...
. His projected graduation date is 2011.