It was a challenging but fulfilling season for bobsledder Sylvia Hoffman. After winning a bronze medal with Elana Meyers Taylor in the two-man bobsled at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games, Hoffman shifted from brakeman to driver/pilot. With that transition, she also began competing in the monobob and won a race in Austria.
“It has definitely been a journey of being patient, being accepting of learning a new discipline and the technique that’s required to be successful,” said Hoffman. “There’s a lot of planning that goes into it, a lot of logistics. I see myself now as a manager, so to speak. You’re basically in charge because you’re driving the sled and you also have the responsibility of the brakeman that’s behind you whenever you do a two- or a four-person bobsled run.”
Logistics involve travel and transportation, not only of athletes but also of sleds, which are shipped in huge crates. Hoffman shipped a monobob to Europe, which was quite expensive. Sprinter vans typically transport the sleds from site to site for competitions.
At the IBSF World Championships this winter, Hoffman cheered for Meyers Taylor when she won a medal. “I want to be as successful as I can be, but I will not try to put someone down to do it,” said Hoffman. “I’m going to cheer for myself, but I will always cheer for her.”
Bobsled (or bobsleigh) is a predominantly white sport, but is seeing a growing number of Black women, most of whom came to the ice from other sports. Hoffman was a multi-sport athlete who played basketball in college. Three track and field athletes joined the U.S. team on the World Cup circuit this year. “It’s a community that’s trying to be the best that we can,” she said.
Hoffman closed her season at the U.S. National Championships in Lake Placid, winning the monobob and the two-man (with brakeman Sydney Milani). Making it all the sweeter is that she began the season recovering from injuries, which led to a slow start. She continued on-ice training into early April. After some rest, she is based in Charlotte, N.C., for off-season training.
“We had some opportunities to train with the U.S. Performance Center,” Hoffman said. “It’s a great location and training environment. I’m excited to be in an atmosphere where I can have the resources I need to be great next year, because next year is going to be very important.”