HAVERFORD, Pa. – Building a reputation as one of the most powerful defenders in the Centennial Conference, men's lacrosse senior captain Jonathan Frost is now using his athleticism to additionally pursue the sport of bobsledding. In a sport that emphasizes explosion, the head coach of USA Bobsledding reached out to Haverford head coach Nick Taylor over the summer and Frost jumped at the opportunity to pursue this endeavor.

A bobsledding team consists of push athletes and drivers. Looking at the skills Frost brings to the lacrosse field, his power makes him well suited for the transition to a push athlete. "You really have to be big and explosive," explained Frost. "The sled weighs about 450 pounds so pushing it 30 meters is a challenge, even on ice. To make it to the second set of tryouts we had to do a timed combine that consisted of a series of sprints and jumps and the coaches used those scores to see if we'd be a good fit."

Continuing through the tryout process, Frost didn't have to prioritize one sport over the other as the skills transfer well across both sports. "I think speed and explosiveness go hand in hand with being a great lacrosse player," stated Frost. "I have to give a shout out to [strength and conditioning] coach [Nicky] Miranda for all his work with the team. He really focused on our top speed, acceleration, and quickness. I also want to thank some of my attackmen like Stephen DeLeo '19 and Sean Mowatt-Larssen '22. Those two trying to run me over and score is probably the closest I got to pushing a sled."

Traditionally, push athletes are selected by drivers during a Push Camp/Championship which takes place in Lake Placid during the year. Once teams are formed with both drive and push athletes, those squads take part in time trials in order to qualify for the World Cup Circuit and ultimately the Olympics. However, with the COVID-19 restrictions, that championship camp was unable to be held this year. Frost has been invited to that camp where the hope is that it can be held safely in January.

With the Winter Olympics set for Beijing in 2022, Frost is pursuing the chance to represent the United States. While his focus is on competing against world class athletes, Frost is certainly relishing every moment of this experience. "I think if it's a possibility, I would obviously love the chance to compete for my country, but I'm also just trying to have as much fun as possible while participating in a once-in-a-lifetime experience."