Nicholas Tucker Olympic Hopeful 2026

 

Hello, my name is Nicholas Tucker. I am a currently a member of The United States Bobsled/Skeleton Team as a Skeleton Development Athlete. Skeleton is a winter sliding sport where you run 40 meters or so on a slab of ice then jump on a small sled known as a Skeleton Bobsled where you go down a frozen track while lying face down headfirst, hitting speeds up to 80+MPH.

 

The reason I started this Journey is to have the chance to represent the USA for the 2026 Olympics in Milan, Italy.

 

HOW IT STARTED

One night in February 2021 I was watching TV and saw a commercial come across my screen for the Tokyo Olympics. As cliché as it sounds my mind started to race, I remember growing up and always watching the Olympics whether it was the summer or winter games. For a span of 17 days my family was glued to the TV, it didn’t matter the sport or who was competing, we cheered on whoever wore the USA logo.

 

I pulled up Google and typed in Summer & Winter Olympic Sports. I went through a list of sports that I thought I could compete in while also having a serious look at myself on what was possible and what wasn’t. One after the other I went through the list of sports and then came across the sport of Bobsled and Skeleton. I immediately started doing research on other athletes currently on the roster  and their athletic background. Right then and there I realized I could compete, or would have the closest chance to represent the United States through the sport of Skeleton.

 

HOW ITS GOING:

Fast forward a couple months, I was invited to compete in a Rookie Camp back in June 2021 in Lake Placid at the Olympic Training Center where I finished 1st in our Push Championship. From there I was invited back to compete against our National Team for the National Push Championship in September for the 2021-2022 season, where I finished Top 5. I recently trained/competed in Park City Utah for the month of November for sliding school where I was able finish 1st out of the Rookie Athletes.

 

NEXT STEPS: I NEED YOUR HELP

The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation supported by individuals and corporate sponsors. Unlike most other nations, the USOPC does not receive direct government funding for Olympic programs. This includes the USA Bobsled/Skeleton team (USABS).

 

The mission of USABS is to enable United States athletes to achieve sustained competitive excellence in Olympic competition and to promote and grow the sports of bobsled and skeleton in the United States.

 

As a member of the USABS Development Team, I depend on private donations and sponsorships to help get to the World Cup Championships and Olympic Gold. Due to the high cost of staff, equipment, travel, transportation, insurance, healthcare and training, the annual operating budget of the USABS only covers the highest-ranking athletes in the sport who qualify for World Cup Competition and even then, it is not guaranteed. As a result, members of the Development Team like me must fund the road to our Olympic Dream through part time or full-time work, personal sponsorships and family/friends.

 

Although I am a Rookie in the Sport of Skeleton, I am ready to commit 100% of my life to this sport and will reach the end of goal of the Olympics no matter what it takes. I will be updating this weekly/monthly on how everything is going so you can see the progress of this journey. I thank you all so much and am very thankful to be in this position to hopefully represent the United States of America in the 2026 Olympics.

 

See below for Annual Costs:

Annual Costs

Travel $13,000

Equipment $13,100

Training $ 2,350

TOTAL $28,450

 

My goal is to compete in the 2026 Olympic Games and I project the cost to achieve my goal to be $113,800

 

 

IF you are interested in donating on other applications please feel free to see below

• GoFundMe

• Venmo: Nicholas-Tucker-20

• 501(c)(3) nonprofit: Follow link: utahskeletonandboblsed.org/donate (Follow 3 step on website, TAX ID 870682120) Sent through PayPal @NicholasATucker

• PayPal: NicholasATucker

 

 

Follow along with my season the pages listed below

Instagram: nickfrombaltimore

Facebook: Nick Tucker

TikTok: Nickfrombaltimore

Featured Story: https://godutchmen.com/news/2021/11/24/general-bobbing-for-victory-lvc-alum-trains-for-the-olympics.aspx

 

 

 

 

Olympic Training Center: Lake Placid, NY

 

National Team Push Championships Top 5 2021-2022: Lake Placid, NY

Start Line: Lake Placid, NY

 

 

 

In front of Bobsled/Skeleton Track Lake Placid, NY

 

 

Push House: Lake Placid, NY

 

 

Utah Olympic Park; Park City Utah

 

 

Utah Olympic Park; Park City Utah

 

 

USA Skeleton Development Athletes: Me, Austin Hayes, Andy St Faluer

 

 

National Push Championship: Lake Placid, NY