Rathbone the bobsledder?
November 05 2008
Brumbies and Wallaby wing Clyde Rathbone has been offered a chance to try and become an Olympic bobsledder if he fails to return to his best rugby form.
The South African-born wing has revealed that he has been approached by 2006 Winter Games competitor Jeremy Rolleston about joining the Australian bobsled team.
It's been two years since Rathbone last donned Australian gold as he has been plagued by knee injuries.
The 27-year-old will attempt to make a return to Super 14 rugby with the Brumbies, with whom he has a contract until the end of 2009, next season. If his plans fail to work out though, a "Cool Runnings" conversion from grass to ice may be on the cards for the 26-cap Wallabies rookie of 2004.
"You have to find things to challenge yourself when you finish football and [bobsledding] might be something," he told reporters in Canberra.
"But hopefully that's not something I have to think about for a while."
Rathbone admitted that possibility of emulating the story of he Jamaican bobsled team at the 1988 Calgary Olympics depicted in the film starring John Candy had "piqued [his] interest."
Rathbone's potential Olympic tilt mirrors the Hollywood film 'Cool Runnings', starring John Candy, which was loosely based on the Jamaican bobsled team at the 1988 Calgary Olympics.
"It's one of my favourite movies but I don't know if I want to put eggs down my underpants though," Rathbone joked.
"You don't get many opportunities to go to the Olympics so that piqued my interest."
Rolleston, who competed at the 2006 Turin Games in Italy where he finished 22nd in the men's two with Shane McKenzie, is searching Australia for potential sliders.
Rathbone reported his knee was holding up well and the rest of his body was in great shape, and was enjoying the massive pre-season workload for the first time.
"A couple of years ago pre-season was a bit of punishment, you get flogged all the time and your body's tired but now I go out there with a smile on my face," he said.