…and the Rice Puddings are over the moon
When I switched the TV on in the early hours of 15 February to watch 27 year old Jerry Rice in the first Skeleton heat at the Winter Olympics I hadn’t anticipated the sheer exhilaration of watching the Chorleywood competitor live face down on the small sled haring round the steep iced track at the Pyeongchang Sliding Centre. And, when Jerry exceeded expectations on the final run a day later by making the top ten, the Brit Skeleton team, the Rice family and the BBC reporters were all ecstatic – and we viewers back home were mighty pleased too.
The Jerry Rice fan club, aka The Rice Puddings, travelled to South Korea last month to cheer Jerry on in the Olympic Skeleton event and came home happier than they had dared hope when Jerry finished 10th in 3:24.24.
“We are over the moon and Jerry is very happy with his performance too” summed up Jerry’s Dad Nick in a 3am text to Chorleywood Magazine.
It was a day of celebration all round with Brit Dom Parsons winning the Bronze Medal as Britain’s first 2018 win and first men’s skeleton medal since 1948 but it was Jerry who won over hearts.
“Good job Jerry! …. his cheeks will be hurting, he hasn’t stopped smiling” added the Beeb commentator at the end of the event. “he only started Skeleton in 2012!”
It is this relatively short climb to success (combined with Jerry’s sunny personality) that has impressed everyone. Jerry has fans countrywide but especially in homeland Herts/Bucks, as well as Bath where he has been training at the University Sports Village since 2013
Nick and Mandy Rice lived for decades in Chorleywood with Jerry and siblings being brought up in their Carpenters Wood Drive home and Jerry attending Russell and St Clement Danes schools.
Jerry’s passion for Skeleton originally came from Nick who had taken up Skeleton himself and the family have spent much time honing their skills over the years at the Cresta Run, a natural ice track in St Moritz.
“Skeleton is all about the power start, the ability to remain balanced
and still around corners, steering the sled through the shoulders.” explains Nick. “You need to be incredibly strong to handle the forces, which can exceed 5Gs, especially in the neck, and need experience of the various tracks around the world”.
Jerry has put his life on hold for five years to achieve his current level. “He has become a supreme athlete and eats, sleeps and breathes Skeleton. He can’t participate in any other sport like rugby or skiing as there’s a risk of injury and spends 6 /7hrs in the gym daily.”
All Skeleton athletes have a huge back up network – there’s a sled technician, strength coach, performance and push coach, dietitian, a physio and a psychologist.
The sport is expensive. Jerry is funded by UK Sport but there are still extra costs to meet, not least the food bill for the 8000 calorie a day intake! Sleds (made of carbon fibre with a steel frame and saddle) weigh around 35kg and can cost upwards of £15,000 to buy . They are wind-tunnel tested at McLaren’s technology centre near Woking. The steel sled runners need to be adjusted before each run to suit the actual ice temperature.
When it comes to the Olympics say participants, it’s not about winning but representing your country and sporting the five rings on the suits… and those revolutionary custom made aerodynamic Skeleton skinsuits caused a temporary rumpus this season when questions were raised about them offering an unfair advantage to the Brit team.
The suits were quickly given the green flag by Olympic officials although Jerry and team mates never had any doubts
“The British guys are fast because we’re good at sliding, no other reason.” said Jerry,”We’re innovators, we do everything we can to be as fast as we can be.”
And the sliding expertise and speed certainly paid off big time.
Jerry tells us that “the Olympic experience has been amazing, the best feeling ever. It’s been a huge honour to represent Great Britain. My aim now is to complete the next four year cycle and endeavour to win a medal in Beijing in 2022.” I turned up on race day and I knew I had more work to do. I managed to click with the track at just the right time. I wanted a top 12 and I’m over the moon to be top ten. Consistency wins out in a four-course race and I’m so happy.”
We are sure that all Chorleywood wish him every success.