Over the past few weeks of February, if you had not been actively keeping up with the popular quadrennial games, you still most likely had caught glimpses of the 2026 Milan and Cortina Winter Olympics whenever you turned on your television or opened any social media platforms. As you watched the various winter sports, one in particular may have stood out: You see a fast flash across your television screen, a sled almost completely vertical on a race track made of ice, and a speedometer in the corner reading a speed similar to the one you might drive your car on the highway. The sport, of course, is bobsledding. Many of Team U.S.A’s winter Olympics team members have roots that trace back to the cold climate of New England, but one former bobsledder in particular can even be related to Feehan. He is Mr. Matthew Rose, husband of Feehan’s adjustment counselor, Mrs. Michele Rose.
When watching the Olympics, it feels natural to wonder how the athletes became interested and involved in their respective sports. Have they been training all their life? Did they start at a young age? For Matt Rose, he states that that was not the case for him. Matt grew up in Norfolk, MA, and attended Xavarian Brothers High School, where he was an athlete in football, baseball, wrestling, indoor track, and outdoor track. He chose to continue his football career in college. In his pursuit, he attended many invitational combines and was then discovered and recruited by the United States Olympic Bobsled Federation.
He attended tryouts that tested his athletic abilities at Springfield College and placed first among the ten other athletes. “My stats were what the recruiters were looking for,” Matt describes. Because of his ability, he was able to begin bobsled training in Lake Placid, New York, where he would also participate in dryland competitions. “This was an opportunity to continue my amateur athletic career that I never saw coming in a sport that I knew nothing about,” Matt remarks. “I grew up watching the Olympics and admiring the athletes. This was a once-in-a-lifetime-opportunity that I could not turn down.”
“This was a once-in-a-lifetime-opportunity that I could not turn down.”
Matt’s training in Lake Placid consisted of multiple qualification tiers, including a 40-yard dash, a long jump, a vertical leap, a shuttle drill, weight lifting, and other vigorous exercises. Then, he trained further by pushing dryland sleds on rails while being timed. Last, he was selected to participate in ice training, where he says he “learned the importance of memorizing a track.” Additionally, during his training at Lake Placid, he and Olympian Todd Hays were the first people to homologate a new bobsledding track. Homologating is the process of testing a track that no one has ever sled on before. “There are a lot of bumps and bruises along the way,” Matt recalls. However, these bruises and bumps were what prepared him for his selection by a USA pilot to compete in sanctioned competitions.
“There are a lot of bumps and bruises along the way.”
Before competing in the Olympic Games, there are prior competitions and events that athletes participate in. For Matt and his fellow bobsledders, one of these events was the America’s Cup. Matt competed in the 2000 America’s Cup that was held in Park City, Utah, as well as the America’s Cup in Calgary, Canada. In Utah, he won a gold medal in the 2-man event and a silver medal in the 4-man event. In Calgary, the bobsledding track is designed in a way that allows for the athletes to incur 3gs of pressure, which is similar to the pressure that a pilot of a jet plane faces. After impressively having to compete on this intense track, he placed fourth in the 2-man event and third in the 4-man event.
Also during his training and competitions, Matt met Steve Holcomb, a pilot in search of training partners. Even though he had already committed to his own teams, Matt says, “I wanted to help Steve progress. I was the first person to believe in him and be a push athlete while Steve piloted.” Ten years later, at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, Holcomb won the gold medal for the United States bobsledding team. “It was gratifying to watch an athlete that I worked with go on to make United States history,” Matt affirms.
“It was gratifying to watch an athlete that I worked with go on to make United States history.”
As the 2002 Olympic Games approached, Matt unfortunately suffered a career-altering injury, preventing him from competing. Despite the disappointment he faced due to his inability to participate in the games, Matt holds a positive outlook on his bobsledding career. He is grateful for the lifelong lessons, friendships, and memories that he made, and for the special opportunity. Matt says, “Bobsled taught me how to compete outside traditional lines and make connections to people from different cultures. As a result, it has broadened my understanding of the world. I am so glad I said yes when the unique opportunity presented itself.”
“I am so glad I said yes when the unique opportunity presented itself.”
Mrs. Rose • Mar 3, 2026 at 7:59 pm
Camille! I have heard this story many times but you captured it in a new light for me. I love how you effortlessly weave Matt’s story into the context of the Olympic Games. You are an incredible writer 🙂 Thank you!!