"I chose Skeleton because it's an individual sport. I'm in control of my own destiny..."
“It becomes normal for your chin to be an inch or less off the ice and smashed down in high pressure curves,” said Kellie. “Your eyes and brain seem to adjust to the speed and you know where you are. It’s like a rollercoaster with no seatbelts and brakes.”
Skeleton competitor Kellie Delka has come a long way since her time as an athlete at The University of North Texas in Denton in order to become the next Olympian.
While the Olympics are celebrated with glorious opening ceremonies, the road to get there isn’t as glamorous. Becoming an Olympic athlete takes more than just determination and dedication but also the ability to personally fund your way through the training, gear, everything.
Many athletes start out at a very young age but Kellie never thought she would become an Olympic hopeful until after college.
“I was in that awkward phase of post-collegiate athlete and transitioning to the real world,” said Kellie. “I happened to see a Facebook post of Johnny Quinn pursuing bobsled. I didn’t really know him but I sent a message asking how he got started.”
Johnny competed at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia in the Bobsled competition and became a social media sensation when he tweeted a photo of a bathroom door he had busted through after realizing he was trapped inside.
This interaction led Kellie to trying out the summer of 2011 at a local combine in North Texas where she earned enough points during the tryouts to be invited to the National Push Champs. This led her to attending a driving school where she stayed the following winter to develop the tools she needed to get more involved in the sport.
Throughout college, she participated in track and cheer and at a younger age she always idolized “Flo Jo”, also known as Jackie Kersee, an American retired track and field athlete. She wanted to be like her and compete on the Olympic track team.
“When Skeleton was introduced to me, I thought, maybe I can do this, this can be my new adventure and life passion,” said Kellie. “I chose skeleton because it’s an individual sport. I’m in control of my own destiny.”
It takes time and experience to make it on the Skeleton team. With the 2018 games coming up fast, it will come down to two, maybe three, women who will qualify for a spot. If the women’s team is the top two ranked in the world, they qualify two for the games. Men’s is a little different because they have to be ranked in the top three in the world in order to qualify three athletes.
Preparation to get to that point is what makes the sport not only a time commitment but also a financial one. For Kellie, her summers consist of training in and out of the gym. Although she’s graduated from college, she’s chosen to live at home so that rent is one less financial burden. Her week starts off with working with her spring coach in the mornings followed by a two-hour trip to the weight room. In the afternoon she runs at the track or take a boxing class for her cardio. Twice a week she meets up with her track coach to work on her acceleration and sprints. The weekends include using a push track that she built to incorporate push practices into her workouts.
She also listed the overall costs to show what it financially takes to train for her sport:
Sled: $5,000-$9,000 every couple of years
Runners for Sled: $600 at three per year
Luggage Fees: $1,000 or more a year
Flights: up to $3,000 (Competitions are in Europe, Canada, and the U.S.)
Housing: up to $3,000 (Depending on tours)
Rental Cars and Gas: Roughly $1,000
Race Fees & Track Fees: $800-$1,000
Food: Roughly $1,000
Skeleton Spikes: $350
Tracks Kellie has slid:
- Igls, Austria
- Sigulda, Latvia
- Altenberg, Germany
- Konigssee, Germany
- St. Moritz, Switzerland
- Lillihammer, Norway
- Whistler (Vancouver), Canada
- Calgary, Canada
- Lake Placid, New York
- Park City, Utah
When it comes down to the hardships of being an Olympic athlete, and being mentally and physically prepared, she offered her advice to other young women who aspire to do exactly what she’s doing.
“If you are passionate about what you are doing, don’t let anything get in your way. You have to learn to love the failures as much as you love winning,” said Kellie. “Because trust me, you will fail more than you will ever win and if you cant accept the losses, you don’t deserve the wins. So keep getting up and believe you are the best. When you believe it, so will everyone else.”
To help fund her road to the Olympics, Kellie has also started a GoFundMe page. She also has multiple social media accounts so fans can follow along with her journey.
https://m.facebook.com/kelliedelkausa/
https://www.gofundme.com/kelliedelka
