"Every job invites its share of inane, clichéd questions, and being an Olympic athlete, at least in this respect, is like any other job."
And so it is that Aidan Kelly, an American luger, is often asked “if I feel ridiculous wearing a full spandex suit all the time.”
The sliding sports — luge, bobsled and skeleton — are particularly prone to misapprehension, particularly among casual observers who look at them and think of glorified sledding.
“What is the stupidest question?” said the American bobsledder Dallas Robinson, the brakeman on a two-man team. “The problem is that when I say ‘stupidest question,’ I’ve probably asked all those same questions, so I’m admitting to my ignorance of the sport prior to becoming an athlete of the sport.”
“A lot of people think the brakeman brakes throughout the track to help control the speeds,” he said.
“That is not the case. That is not the case at all. No, my head’s down between my legs and I’m praying the whole time. When the track’s over with, I pull with the brakes, and that’s it.”
Curlers, of course, get the most generally clueless questions, starting with, “Are you the sweeper or the thrower?” (Answer: They do both.)
Another question: “Do you clean the ice?” said Johnny Frederiksen, vice skip of the Danish team.
