Delaney: No soap, Olympic spirit lives in Lake Placid

Erin Hamlin was sliding Wednesday. Hamlin and some USA Luge teammates rolled down the Mt. Van Hoevenberg track on wheels during afternoon runs as the organization continued its training camp in Lake Placid.

Hamlin was back to the nitty-gritty work Wednesday. On Tuesday, the sliders' responsibilities included credential photographs and publicity photographs, and athletes played team games as we wrote yesterday. The athletes are scattered all over the country during the offseason and this camp is the one time when the entire team is together.

The team games, which we wrote about yesterday, looked fun but were not easy. Men’s singles slider Bengt Walden came off the court dripping with sweat during one break.

On Wednesday, the team had a nearly hour long weight lifting session. For Hamlin, it was then over to the luge office where she worked on starts. Hamlin has spent most of the spring and summer in Lake Placid, living in the self-contained "biosphere" of the U.S. Olympic Training Center. The U.S.O.T.C. is an impressive building. Hamlin, a lifelong fan of the Olympic games, has gotten used to being at the U.S.O.T.C. but still said it's "very cool" to be in the building.

The U.S. and Olympic pride is everywhere in the building, especially in places where you wouldn't expect to see it. It makes sense for the spirit to be apparent in flags flying in front of the building. Or in the weight room, where the letters U-S-A and the five Olympic rings are painted over an entire wall. The USA and the five rings are also on the restroom soap and paper towel dispensers. What does that say to visitors? We're never washing our hands to the dream?

While in Lake Placid this offseason, Hamlin has had plenty of time to work out and she's devoted at least three days a week to perfecting her technique on the start.

“I can definitely tell the difference when I do things right,” Hamlin said. “I’m really working on getting the most out of the power that I put into it. Opening up has been what my coach has been talking to me about, bringing my shoulders back instead off hunching over.”

Starts have been a focus for Hamlin the last few years. She’s improved a great deal, and much of that has come from increased body strength. Hamlin looks to be in great physical shape. She's broader and bigger than I remember, though it's been a while since I've seen her without a parka.

As we wrote here Tuesday, the time at the top of the track is critical to putting together a good overall run. Hamlin took four or five start runs in the 56-degree start house while closely watched by senior national team head coach Wolfgang Schaedler.

Schaedler is just back from his native Liechtenstein where he builds sleds. He was hands-on with Hamlin on Wednesday. In between one run, the former three-time Olympian took hold of Hamlin’s arms, shoulders and back to get her in the proper posture to maximize the starting position.

“I saw something, something with the technique is wrong,” Schaedler said. “Or is not where it should be at this point. Since she is skating into the start, I don’t want to have any bad habits carrying over. Now it’s easier to fix them, to begin the start training. I want her to get that technique perfect first before she goes for more speed.”