Five servicemen will trade their combat uniforms for tight-fitting spandex bobsled suits as they prepare for the Sochi Olympics.
The Army announced that Capt. Chris Fogt, Sgt. Justin Olsen, Sgt. Nick Cunningham, Sgt. Dallas Robinson and 1st Lt. Michael Kohn will compete across two of the three US teams in the event in February. All five Olympians come from the World Class Athlete Program, a national training program that supports soldier-athletes through training regimens at facilities across the country.
Cunningham will drive Team USA's second sled in the four-man event as well as one in the two-man event. Conventional wisdom says being either a soldier or an elite athlete is enough a time-consuming and stressful commitment, but Cunningham knows the key to success at the highest level is to remember the people that got you there.
"Representing my country is my main goal in life and I will put most of my effort into that," Cunningham writes on his personal blog at TeamUSA.org. "However, I will not shut out my friends and family to achieve that goal. They have all supported me and will be by my side on this journey."
This isn't the first time Cunningham has had Olympic dreams for life after service. He also tried out to be a sprinter for the 2008 summer games, according to The Associated Press.