Eleanor Roosevelt: Lake Placid Olympic Bobsledder
We’re going out on a limb here, but we’re pretty sure Mrs. Roosevelt is the only First Lady to take a ride on an Olympic bobsled run.
The year was 1932: the time and place, the Winter Olympics in the Adirondack Mountains in Lake Placid, New York. Franklin D. Roosevelt was Governor, and he and Mrs. Roosevelt traveled to the ADK to open the games.
The Roosevelts attended a luncheon in the clubhouse near the brand-new, state-of-the-art bobsled facilities. At the time, bobsledding was still a relatively new sport.
A brief history of the Bobsleigh.
Bobsledding developed in the 1880s in the lumbering towns of upstate New York as well as the ski resorts of the Swiss Alps. The first organized competition (among teams consisting of three men and two women) was held in 1898 on the Cresta Run at Saint Moritz, Switzerland. The sport earned its name after competitors adopted the technique of bobbing back and forth to increase the speed of the sled.
In 1923, bobsledding became an internationally recognized sport with the organization of the Fédération Internationale de Bobsleigh et de Tobogganing and with its inclusion in the first Olympic Winter Games at Chamonix, France, the following year.
Mrs. Roosevelt and the US Bobsledding Team
Flash forward to 1932, and one thing led to another at that fateful ADK luncheon. Maybe it was the martinis, but soon Mrs. Roosevelt, leather helmet strapped to her head, climbed into a sled driven by Henry Homburger, the Americans' best driver, and was off on a wild ride that may have exceeded 60 mph.
It’s legit:: Mrs. Roosevelt’s Bobsleigh Waiver
According to the New York Times, "The sled passed through the 'zigzag,' a double series of curves, and a few moments later was visible streaking down the mountainside into the final curve. It shot up the wall of ice and down again and then raced under the finish bridge and up the slope to a standstill."
Following the race, the Associated Press reported Mrs. Roosevelt “complimented Homberger on his skill in handling the sled, and Henry returned the favor by expressing his admiration of her courage.“
We can't find evidence that any other US First Lady has ridden with a US Olympic bobsled team, making this a fun fact on Eleanor Roosevelt's long list of significant accomplishments and "firsts."
The fascinating tale of the US Bobsledding Team.
The story of the US 1932 Olympic bobsled team is equally fascinating, regardless of the Eleanor Roosevelt connection.
Check out this article from The Guardian, entitled “The Forgotten Story of Those Magnificent Men and Their Flying Bobsled.” It’s a great read.
We get nostalgic for Olympic glory days in Lake Placid whenever winter comes around.
US 1932 Olympic Bobsled team. Photograph: Courtesy of 1932 & 1980 Lake Placid Winter Olympic Museum.
The ADK has hosted two (2) Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, in 1932 and 1980. Our family also purchased our home in the ADK in early 1980, and while we didn’t attend the games, friends and family on their way to and from Lake Placid stopped by to visit our new lake house. We watched the games on our black and white TV, carried by the ABC affiliate in Plattsburgh. Times sure have changed.
Today, we’re super excited that Lake Placid and Mt. Van Hoevenberrg are significant destinations for the bobsledding community.
