Former Cyclone Aims For Olympics

AMES, Iowa - It's not very often an athlete goes from the bottom to the top and beyond, but former Cyclone linebacker Jesse Beckom III is nothing short of a miracle in terms of defeating the odds.

A walk-on at Iowa State, Beckom transferred after only one season of play at DIvision III Trinity College, hoping to make his mark on a bigger scale. He undoubtedly did: Beckom was named 1997 Scout Team Player of the Year, 1998 Big 12 Defensive Newcomer of the Year, and his senior season was named one of five co-captains for the Cyclones.

After completing a very successful career as an Iowa State linebacker and earning a Master's in community and regional planning, Beckom is taking on a new challenge: the 2010 Winter Olympics, as a bobsledder.

Beckom, who recently finished the bobsledding season at the end of February, found a minute to answer a few questions:

Where are you originally from?

The south side of Chicago, Illinois.

You were originally enrolled at Trinity in Deerfield, Illinois, what made you want to transfer to a Division I school?

[Trinity] had about a dozen former Division I transfer athletes because they had gotten into trouble at their school. They saw me play and figured I was like them; They all told me that they thought I needed to be playing DI football somewhere. I took their advice and sought out DI schools that had a good football program and architecture program.

I initially enrolled at Indiana State University before realizing their architecture program was only a two-year program, so I did not accept. A week later I received a letter from Iowa State saying I was accepted into the school and once enrolled I knew I would walk-on the football team and try to earn a spot.

What was your major at Iowa State and what are you doing now?

Initially, my major was architecture before I switched over to community and regional planning. I now work as a city planner in my current residence, Winston-Salem, N.C.

How does one go from college football to bobsledding on a worldwide level?

Fate was on my side in 2002 when one of my former football coaches, Charlie Partridge, met USA Bobsled Pilot, Travis Bell. Travis inquired about any former football players that Coach Partridge knew that might be interested in trying out bobsledding. Coach mentioned my name and gave [Bell] my cell phone number. [Bell] later would call to invite me out to an upcoming USA Bobsled tryout camp.

After a few crazy weeks of wrapping up course work at Iowa State, I found myself setting out for this great opportunity. I attended the camp at Lake Placid, N.Y. (the U.S.A. Home of Winter Sports), where my performance yielded an invitation to become a member of the U.S.A. Bobsled Team. For the rest of the year I traveled and competed throughout the world. I honed my skill enough to bring home medals from America Cup races and Junior World Championships.

What is the World Cup Tour and when does it take place?

The World Cup Tour is the name given to the races that are held all over the world for Bobsled and Skeleton (single-person, head-first sledding) competitions. Each year, the world cup culminates with World Championships as well as overall World Cup Championships. The season goes from November to the end of February.

What goals do you hope to accomplish in your bobsledding career?

My goals are to inspire people to chase their dreams in life and to not be scared to go for it. I want to be a positive role model to all who know me, and I want to make my parents, sisters, family and friends proud of me. Right now, I'm focusing on winning a Gold Medal in 2010 at the Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, Canada.

How is life, balancing bobsledding and a full-time job?

The balancing act is tough, to say the least. It can be very rigorous, having to go to work at seven in the morning, work for eight hours, then train after work (and even before work some days).

Luckily, the City of Winston Salem's mayor, city manager, and my department supervisor have been very understanding of my dreams for the 2010 [Olympics] and have allowed me to take a leave of absence this past year to pursue my goals. They work with me really well considering my bobsled schedule calls for me to be gone about five months out of the year to compete. The city holds my job for me while I am gone and I resume my duties when I get back.

The hardest part is trying to find enough sponsorship money to pay my bills while I am away.

To support Beckom in his Olympic goal, please send financial assistance to:

USBSF Athletic Training Fund

Olympic Training Center

Jesse Beckom III

421 Old Military Road

Lake Placid, N.Y. 12946

Please do not place Beckom's name in the memo line, rather include a letter stating that the monies donated are to be for his assistance.