Local Athlete Sets Sights on Winter Olympics in Unusual Event

Veronica Day was once a track & field superstar; she picked the sport up in third grade and thought she'd never put it down.

An eight-time varsity letter athlete at James Madison High School, she continued her career collegiately with a full scholarship to Elon University where she was a three-time conference champion and a nine-time all-conference performer as a long and triple jumper.

Day never envisioned herself competing anywhere else but on the track. That is, until a series of tongue-in-cheek jokes during the 2010 winter Olympics changed her athletic career forever.

Day and her Elon teammates would watch the Olympics everyday, and would routinely crack jokes about forming a bobsled team of their own. The joke continued on past the closing ceremonies, until one evening Day did some independent research on the sport.

Her findings: that bobsled and skeleton (an individual sled) coaches typically seek athletes with "track bodies" to compete at the highest level.

More than two years later, that's exactly what Day is doing with her skeleton.

As she prepares to begin her third season in the sport, Day has sold out for skeleton, giving everything she has to one day be the best in the world.

She began her professional career two years ago, and last year joined the North American Cup circuit, one of a handful of professional circuits around the globe. The highlight of her professional career took place last season, when she won the 2012 U.S. National Skeleton Push Championships. 

Pushing is an important part of the skeleton, as it is valuable time used at the beginning of a race to efficiently gain speed. The Push Championships were races that involved exclusively pushing and no sliding on the sled. Nevertheless, it was a major achievement for Day, who was still new to the sport.

"They recruit athleticism in hopes that they can teach you the right way to push," Day said. "I trained really hard and winning the Push Championships was a big step in the right direction for me."

Day's goal is to one day compete for the United States in the winter Olympics. She has been invited to race in the 2014 Olympic qualifier, but has her sights set on the 2018 games.

"The top two Americans (this year) are just so good, I can't imagine them both not making the Olympic team this year," Day said. "They've both been competing for 10 or 12 years; I'm about to start my third. So my goal is to make the team in 2018, when I'll be much more experienced and prepared for the level of competition."

Earning a spot on the U.S. Olympic team in any sport is incredibly difficult. But for Day, the challenge is even greater thanks to a tremendous lack of funding.

Because skeleton has such a small niche in the realm of American sports, it does not generate a lot of revenue for the athletes. That said, competing at skeleton's highest level costs a lot of money- money Day has had to find on her own.

"Last season I spent $15,000 on travel and equipment," she said. "Baggage fees to travel with my equipment are absurd. Sometimes the fees cost more than the plane ticket itself."

Day works full-time at a marketing company when she's not training or competing, and most of her paychecks go toward her skeleton career. Still, it's not enough to finance a full season of traveling to places like Lake Placid, Calgary and Park City every single week, so Day must also fundraise independently on her website to cover the rest of her expenses.

Her goal is to raise $8,000 for the new season- $4,000 for travel and $4,000 for equipment. 

Upon hearing how much time, energy and hard-earned cash Day was investing into her dream of competing in the Olympics, Reed Libby, co-owner of Crossfit North Vienna, began to rally the community behind the local superstar.

"I train at Crossfit North Vienna when I'm home during the offseason," Day said. "Reed has always been fantastic and accommodating to what I need."

Libby has promised Day that once she collected her first $1,000 in donations, his two businesses, Crossfit North Vienna and Affordable Lawn Sprinklers and Lighting, would each contribute $500 to match it.

In addition, Libby has begun planning his own fundraising efforts to raise money beyond the $1,000 he has promised Day. His plans include skeleton demonstrations featuring Day at the halftime show of Madison and Langley High School football games, as well as private fundraising events at the gym. The private events would include amenities like a moon bounce and private food vendors, with all proceeds going to Day's upcoming season.

"What really got me is that she is raising the money herself," Libby said. "She's working a day job while training to be an Olympic athlete, and she is still raising money on her own to compete. That's what really made me want to help."

But Libby's support went beyond providing financial resources. His gym helped produce a video (featured above) highlighting Day's intense training regiment and her passion for the sport.

"The video is meant to engage fans, show them what she's about," Libby said. "Most people have never met an Olympian, and they'll be amazed by her story and her abilities."

Day recently departed for Lake Placid, NY, to beginning a new season of training at the USA Bobsled and Skeleton Federation's track, the track Day calls her "home track."

While she does not expect to qualify for the 2014 Olympics in February, she does intend to win again on the North American Cup circuit and show improvements from last season. In her eyes, as long as she can keep improving, a trip to the Olympics in a few years could be in the cards. 

"I would never have done it all if I didn’t think I could make it to the Olympics. It’s just too expensive," Day said. "The goal is to get to Olympics in 2018, and I think I can do that."

To follow Day throughout the 2013-14 season, check out her blog Frost Bitten Follies, where fans can also donate toward her season.