\n
feel like as athletes sometimes we get so caught up in what we're doing. And live in these little bubbles of you know you got to<\/div>\n
do every single thing in my sport. We're trying to fight for every hundred. So what that comes down to is what you eat, how<\/div>\n
much you're sleeping, what exact time you're doing your workouts, and you spend so much time in that focus. It's sometimes<\/div>\n
nice to have things outside to focus on. And the wedding planning was kind of in that regard. And I didn't really know what I<\/div>\n
was doing. My mom helps me fit a lot of it. She called me up one day she's like so what color do you want for your wedding? I<\/div>\n
said pink and she's like OK what shade of pink? I was like there are different shades of pink? What are you talking about? I<\/div>\n
don't know pink shades. It is a good distraction in some regards.<\/div>\n
Laura:<\/div>\n
[00:09:26] It's awesome. I love you're like laid back attitude. That's great. Okay, so 2015 was another huge year for you where<\/div>\n
you made history. You became the first woman to earn a spot on the U.S. national team competing with the men as a 4 man<\/div>\n
bobsled pilot. You went on to become the first woman to win a medal in international competition in a men's event. And if<\/div>\n
that's not enough you also won the 2015 World Championships in the women's two main event the first woman in history to do<\/div>\n
so. I mean what? How are you doing these things? And what separates you from everyone else?<\/div>\n
Elana:<\/div>\n
[00:10:03] I don\u2019t know. Grace God that's all I could say. Fortunately, you know I've got really good people around me my<\/div>\n
husband being one of them. And that was the biggest thing is when I wanted to take on 4 men in traditionally women's bobs<\/div>\n
but it's just been too personal. We've actually been banned from driving for man sleds for most of history all the way from<\/div>\n
1939 to 2014. Women were actually banned from driving for men sleds you know. Because I don't know it'll hurt our ovaries<\/div>\n
or something like that. So we finally got the right to drive sleds and I really wanted to take it on. But it was something I when I<\/div>\n
initially went to take it on you know I couldn't get anyone to get behind me in the sled. Couldn't get a brakeman and I was<\/div>\n
having a lot of a hard time really making this happen. And my husband being a bobsledder volunteered to be the first one in<\/div>\n
my sled. And then, fortunately, I was able to get other guys to join him really join him join me to join him after.<\/div>\n
[00:11:02] So like I said I've been fortunate to have his support and the support of other people around me to really do some<\/div>\n
incredible things and have some incredible experiences. And in that season, in particular, it was not only my husband but my<\/div>\n
coaching staff as well to try and work together to develop a plan. Allow me to do both 2 man and 4 man races and still compete<\/div>\n
at a high level. So it took a team literally in order to be able to accomplish those things.<\/div>\n
Laura:<\/div>\n
[00:11:29] That's so cool. And that kind of leads in really well because I was gonna ask you. What's it like having a husband<\/div>\n
that's also an elite level bobsledder?<\/div>\n
Elana:<\/div>\n
[00:11:38] Most of the time is pretty awesome. He understands me better than I understand myself and he knows what I need<\/div>\n
before I know I need it. And it's just great having him there with me and having him to help out with whatever I need at the<\/div>\n
Olympics this year. There's no chance I would have won a silver medal without him. So he's the instrumental part of my team.<\/div>\n
At the same time I want him to win more than I want myself to win. So it is very I can imagine me because you have children<\/div>\n
so maybe it's like that way for having had kids. You get so nervous when they're competing and just it's hard for me to actually<\/div>\n
watch. And like not want to do something but there's nothing you do. You just did the sidelines and just hope and pray because<\/div>\n
you can't do anything. That is the most nerve-racking thing I think ever.<\/div>\n
Laura:<\/div>\n
[00:12:32] Well I heard I read somewhere that you guys try to minimize your shop talk at home no. Like at home you say it's<\/div>\n
the B word or something. Isn't there some like rule about it? What\u2019s the rule?<\/div>\n
Elana:<\/div>\n
[00:12:43] We have to ask permission to talk about the B-word. Just because we really want to make sure you know this day<\/div>\n
and age there are enough distractions out there. And we want to make sure that our marriage is secure and we're really engaged<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n