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Archive Record
Images
Metadata
Object ID |
2013.55.141 B |
Object Name |
Video Recording |
Title |
Gerald 'Gerry' Presley Interview |
Scope & Content |
Gerald Presley interview, 13 December 2006. Digitized MP4 from FUJIFILM M321SP Betacam SP. Two videos with a total viewing time of 00:39:16. 1 of 2; 00:03Introduction to Hall 00:32Childhood: played all sports and high school including hockey, football, track & field, martial arts and rifle & pistol shooting 01:01Why so many: this was normal when he was growing up, had 3 seasonal sports 01:26team sports: considers the 440m relay as a team sport, it required cooperation; the martial arts and shooting happened while attending RMC 02:20Sports idols: he played goalie in hockey, liked Turk Broda and Terry Sawchuk and Gordie Howe 03:02How got involved in bobsleigh: Vic Emery, who had won the Gold medal at the 1964 Olympics, was the guest of honour at RMC & presented sport awards that Presley received, gave him the opportunity to join the crew for the next year, joined them in St. Moritz for the World Championships and won 03:56What did you know about the event: had watched it on TV, seen it live 04:15Why were you selected: was the right size, fast in track & field, had the ability to assist in getting the sled moving 04:38He was the #2 man in the sled behind Vic Emery the driver 04:56Michael Young: was Vic's cousin, a superb athlete, strong and fit, they were well matched to contribute to the push needed at the start 05:26First time in a bobsleigh: did training runs for both the 2 and 4 man sleds, talks about the training; did some pre-events and the Worlds, had to have practise on that run because you train for each one and its intricacies 06:26Where did you train: at Lake Placid in the USA and for 3 weeks at St. Moritz 06:57Found the sport fast, not scary, loved the adrenaline rush from speed, fun 07:25Found he was a natural at the sport, both physically and in terms of enthusiasm 07:44Any scary moments: scares are caused by driving, in Vic Emery had one of the best drivers in the sport, felt very confident in him 08:10Doug Anakin: was small, compact, able to get out of the blocks very quickly 08:30Techniques: the standard for the 4-man is to push the sled, get it moving very quickly and stay low, maintain low wind resistance 08:54Nuances of the sport: very straightforward sport, steering to maintain a line, the smoothness of driving the sled is the amazing part of it, speed is effortless and flowing 09:48On the fastest runs looking the least eventful: because the smoother, the faster you go the less mistakes you make, less bumping on the sides of the chute 10:19School: during the 1965 competition was given a leave of absence from the RMC for 1 ½ months, still continued to do his course work 10:42Being at student at RMC: a graduate is a unique mixture of academic and athletic, combined with self-discipline; bodes well in any sport because requires discipline and commitment to train and do your best 11:27Did not participate in luge 11:54Training: similar to track sprinters, he was fit at the time of competition 12:46On the 1965 Worlds: expectation was to win, Vic was building a team he could win with, had a winning driver and rest of the performance was up to the rest of the team; in he, Mike & Peter Kirby had a mix of people who could get the sled moving; the trick is to get the sled moving over the first 50 yards, any time you gain will be doubled on the way down, advantage to the team who can start the fastest 14:02On the runners: lot of polishing of the runners to perform best, perfect polish to give the lowest coefficient of friction and hence the best speed, they are made of steel 15:27Career afterwards: was in his final year at RMC and not in position to continue with bobsleigh, did try to build a track in Canada with assistance from the military who could not help due to budget constraints 16:12Went on with his professional career 16:38On going out #1: only way you want to go out in any sport 17:20Evolution of equipment: clothing worn now is a skin suit with little drag to offer little air resistance; what he wore was also fairly streamlined 18:16What was worn on the feet: used ordinary boots, dependent on the condition of the sport 18:54On the bobsleigh: has changed in terms of weight and rigidity; evolved from rudimentary understanding of how a sled will work; the variables of a high performance sled has been worked out and the modern bobsleigh is an engineering marvel 20:19Impact of being on a team that had won Gold: the emotion of winning may vary on the level of the event but every win is a good win; the nature of the competition, the people against who you are competing and the regard against which you hold them determines how you feel about it; if you had a great team in a good competition and you played fair that is the best feeling of all 21:15On the 1965 competitors: a good field, talks about the team and Eugenio Monti, the great Italian bobsledder whom Vic modelled himself after 21:57Were you hard on yourself: will always give 110% to anything he does; he was expected to perform, the right team will always perform in excess of their abilities and try to win whenever they can 22:24Has not seen any of the team members very often 22:47Sports after college: did some recreational hockey, skied, wind surfed, anything with speed, mastering speed gives him the most in terms of personal enjoyment 23:30Sports today: cycling, skiing, roller blading, martial arts, participates in sports that lead to overall fitness 25:30Life lesson: persistence and dedication will usually win the day for you; if you give up after everyone else has then you are going to win; need physical and mental attributes 26:25Win or lose: in the process of sport both winning and losing have value; losing teaches you what you are not supposed to do or not what to do or to get better; winning reinforces those things you do well 27:28Role models: those people who dominated in their sport; talks about Gordie Howe who dominated in hockey and showed him the value that a person of this calibre can bring to young people 2 of 2; 01:38On participating in sport: he considers himself an overachiever and that modern society tends to treat over achieving as not being desirable; different people have different needs from sport - for some it is the relaxation of a solitary sport or the intensity of competition fills in certain needs; important to assess the needs of the individual, to see what the individual feels towards sport and participation in sport before you try to draw a conclusion to what is suitable for them; children should be exposed to as many sports as possible and should not be forced into any sport because the parents have unfilled expectations they want to see carried out by their children 05:10Relate experience of sport to business: many of the rules of sport apply in business, persistence is important as well as dedication 05:58Funny moment: moments come from the joy of sharing the experience with your team mates; the real joy is from winning something together or messing up together and just laughing at it; lot of it has to do with camaraderie 06:42Why do you like speed: thinks its genetic, part of his personality trait; not just speed but speed under control, will stop if not in control, bobsleigh gives him that 07:29Highlights of career: mixture of experiences depending upon the moment, as a bobsledder, on the track or playing football 07:59On being a member of the CSHoF: wonderful means of recognizing achievement, being a member of CSHoF and the Canadian Military SHOF a great honour 08:56Shows Gold medal from the 1965 World Championships |
Date |
2006/12/13 |
People |
Presley, Gerald Emery, Vic Anakin, Doug Kirby, Peter Howe, Gordie |
Search Terms |
Gerald Presley Bobsleigh interview World Championships |