Whether she were to end up in Iraq or Italy, in a war or at peace, Shauna Rohbock decided she would do whatever it took to represent her country in a manner befitting a soldier.
Or a bobsled driver.
Rohbock, who holds the rank of specialist in the Utah National Guard, managed to do both Tuesday night, piloting USA 2 to a silver-medal finish to fulfill her dream and help end an 0-for-6 medal drought for U.S. sliders.
“It’s amazing to be here as a soldier and a civilian as well,” said Rohbock, 28, who along with brakeman Valerie Fleming posted a four-run combined time of 3 minutes 50.69 seconds. “I just hope it lifts the spirits of other soldiers out there. It’s the greatest thing to win a medal for your country.”
The USA 1 team, featuring driver Jean Prahm and 2002 Olympic gold medalist Vonetta Flowers, finished sixth, moving up from a first-day standing of 10th place.
“I’m so proud of them,” Flowers said of her teammates. “They worked hard. They deserved it, and we can’t wait to celebrate with them. I’m going to tell them to enjoy every minute of it.”
Rohbock received her deployment order in December 2003 as a member of the National Guard’s 115th Engineer Group. So her athletic career was put on hold indefinitely, and her future as an Olympian was in doubt.
She completed her training and prepared to ship out, but then her life took another unexpected turn. Army doctors found that she had a severely torn rotator cuff, apparently suffered earlier in 2003 while playing pro soccer.
That kept her from going abroad and, though she was disappointed in one regard, she was pleased to be able to resume her bobsled career.
That career now features an Olympic medal.
The dominant and methodical Germany 1 team of Sandra Kiriasis and Anja Schneiderheinze claimed the gold with a time of 3 minutes 49.98 seconds. Italy 1, with Gerda Weissensteiner and Jennifer Isacco aboard, earned the bronze.
“It’s like a dream,” said Kiriasis, the reigning world champion who won the silver at Salt Lake City. “I think I have to sleep one more night to realize what happened.”
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