‘More Than War Fighters’: Active-Duty Athletes Compete In Olympics Bobsled And Luge

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February 19th, 2018

Sgt. Nick Cunningham speeds down the track during men’s bobsled training on Friday. He is one of seven U.S. service members competing in Pyeongchang. “They told me, ‘Go win medals for this country,’” Cunningham says. “And that’s my job at this moment.”

Quinn Rooney / Getty Images

Nick Cunningham grew up far from the snow in Monterey, on California’s central coast. He ran track at Boise State University.

None of that hinted at the route he would take after graduation — trying out for the U.S. bobsled team.

“I figured it would be a graduation gift for myself to kind of do something that’s outside the box, outside my comfort zone,” said Cunningham, 32. “Just try something none of my friends could ever say that they tried out for. And so I went and tried out. And 18 months later, I went to my first Olympics.”

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