ABERCROMBIE – Luke Demetre is making his move.
After attending two tryouts for Canada's Bobsleigh team, the Abercrombie native is moving to Calgary.
"You have to be there to train," he says. "If I want to make the team I'm going to have to be there. I'm going to have to learn it."
Demetre got his first taste of bobsledding in May after a Halifax bobsledder asked him to fill in for an America's Cup competition after his teammate backed out.
After that, he went to an ID camp held by Canada' Bobsleigh team in Halifax and was invited to attend camps in July and August.
He'll find out in October whether he's made a spot on the team or not.
"So far all signs point to 'yes,'" he says.
While in Calgary Dementre will be training with the national development team. They practice on an indoor ramp during the warmer months and in October on an actual ice track.
"I still have the same areas I need to work on," he says.
Aside from hands-on experience, strength training is the most important for him right now.
"I'm just hitting the weight room pretty hard," he says. "That's really all you can do."
His hope is that he'll earn a spot as a brakeman on either the two or four-man sleigh.
Demetre knows that without his track background he wouldn't have a shot at this..
"It's a very physical sport. It requires a lot of speed and power," he says. "Without the track training I wouldn't have been able to do it."
Without being willing to move and then travel, he wouldn't have been able to either.
"It's hard to commit to traveling all that time," he says. "Getting up and moving is a big deal, so that's what hinders a lot of people."
Even though he's in Calgary, Demetre will still be able to work on his Dalhousie degree by taking a few classes at the University of Calgary.
He knows it will take a lot of hard work, and there is a bit of a risk, but he's willing to make the gamble.
"It's hard to let these opportunities pass by," he says.
