Orion Edwards, a member of Canada's national bobsleigh team who calls Airdrie home, recently wrapped up his 2022-23 season with a third-place finish in the North American Cup.
Edwards concluded his competition schedule by racing at the IBSF North American Cup at Lake Placid, N.Y. from March 23 to 27. Competing as the pilot in a two-man sleigh at Mount Van Hoevenberg on March 23, Edwards finished the first day of competition with a personal-best two-run down time of 1:57.78.
Unfortunately a crash on corner 12 the next day meant Edwards' sleigh didn't cross the finish line in his first heat, resulting in a 'DNF,' which stands for did not finish.
Nevertheless, he said a strong first day and 10th-place showing in Lake Placid was more or less what he was aiming for, so he was still fairly pleased with the performance.
“I wanted to finish in the top half of the field, because the other sleds in the race, there were some junior world champs in there from Germany and some really good pushers from the U.S. as well,” he said. “There were some World Cup pilots driving those sleds as well.”
Based on the 580 points he and his team accumulated throughout the 2022-23 season, Edwards said they managed to finish the North American Cup circuit third overall. As a relatively new driver, he noted it was a strong showing.
“I was pretty pleased with how it finished,” he said. “Even though this is my fourth year on the [Canadian national] team, it’s only my second year driving competitively. I’m very young on the driving side and don’t have that much experience, so to finish third overall was huge. I’ve made some good strides in my development and I was noticed internationally, as well as by my coaches and federation.”
The Airdrie newcomer, who only recently decided to relocate to the city with his wife after previously living in Calgary and Toronto, explained the North American Cup event in Lake Placid still included a competitive international field that included former world junior champions and other teams from Europe, North America, and even Brazil.
“It’s still on the development level, but was actually a pretty big race,” he said. “There were 17 sleds – sleds from Germany, two from Italy, Israel, Monaco…I don’t think there were any Austrians, but there was the U.S., Canada, Jamaica, and Brazil [represented].”
The reason for such a competitive field, Edwards added, is the fact Lake Placid is set to host the world bobsleigh championships two years from now. Results from that meet in 2025 will go a long way toward qualification for the ensuing Winter Olympic Games in 2026, and many athletes want to get as acquainted as possible with the Lake Placid track in the lead-up.
Now that the season is over, Edwards said most of Canada's national bobsleigh athletes will be taking a month off before they pursue their off-season strength and conditioning and dry-land training programs.
However, considering he took some time off in December, Airdrie's new competitive bobsleigh athlete said he doesn't want to take that much time off, and intends to hit the weights by early April.
The Olympic aspirant concluded the interview by stating he's still hoping to secure some local support as he continues to pursue his bobsleigh dreams.
“I’m always looking for local sponsors, so if there’s any business in Airdrie who wants to come along on this journey, I’m hoping to having conversations about that,” he said.
