Local product emily Azevedo, has always been an athlete, starring in track andn field in both high school and college. But after graduating from UC Davis she found herself still wanting to compete in something at a high level, a goal she has certainly achieved, and hopes for more.
It's an extremely fast, powerful and at times even dangerous sport, but that didn't stop Chico High graduate Emily Azevedo from jumping in.
Azevedo says, "I saw the Olympics in '06 on tv and I saw bobsledding kind of joked about getting into it with my roommates, the joke kind of turned into a reality a few days later, weeks later. Got invited out to try out in lake placid, New York. Went out there and did a lot of testing and all that kind of stuff, got invited to come out for the national team tryouts that same year."
And from there you could say it's been downhill sledding for Azevedo, now a member of the national team, she's become a force in the sport.
Azevedo says, "I've been all over the world. I've been to Switzerland, and Austria, and Germany, Italy, all kinds of places traveling, racing, competing for Team USA."
But of course with that comes a lot of work. Training and staying in shape are huge for peak performance, being a brakewoman on a 2 person team.
Azevedo says, "My job is basically the motor of the sled, so I am to push the sled as fast as possible with the driver to get the sled momentum going down the track. So the idea is the faster you can get that sled moving from the get go, then hopefully the driver can maintain that speed."
And so now Azevedo's goal is to be one of those people on tv for next year's Olympics and she's got a great shot currently sitting in the number 3 sled nationally, and while the United States is guaranteed only 2 teams, they could possibly get a 3rd if they accumulate enough points.
Azevedo says, "There's about 6 girls or so going for 2 to 3 spots so it's gonna be a battle."
And the former Panther wouldn't want it any other way. Reporting in Chico for Action Sports, I'm Lee Carrell.
If you'd like to attend the Emily Azevedo Olympic fund raiser dinner, tickets are 20 dollars for the dinner and silent auction. It takes place this Sunday between 4 and 7pm at the Chico Elks Lodge.
