Humboldt bobsledder chasing Olympic dream to honour friends who couldn't
Luke Puto headed to Europe for bobsledding World Cup events in January
A Saskatchewan athlete is taking a big step toward his dream of bobsledding in the Olympics, a passion that took hold in aftermath of the tragic 2018 Humboldt Broncos crash.
Luke Puto is gearing up to compete in Europe at a series of World Cup bobsledding events in January, his first World Cup races.
Puto spent his teenage years playing hockey in his hometown of Humboldt, Sask. Like many young Saskatchewan players, Puto dreamed of making it to the NHL, but eventually realized it wasn't going to happen.
He set down his skates and thought his sports career was over. He stopped going to the gym and staying fit.
"I just fell out of love with the game," he said. "I kind of was just done with sports."
Then the Humboldt Broncos bus crash happened. The team was on the way to a playoff game when a semi driver blew a stop sign and drove into the path of the team bus. Sixteen people were killed, many of them close friends to Puto.
"When the accident happened it changed that perspective a little bit," he said. "I realized that there was something missing. And what was missing turned out to be sport."
Puto said sports had helped him cope as a child. After the crash, he got back in the gym.
"It wasn't about trying to make the Olympics or trying to pursue sport at a high level," Puto said. "It was more about trying to process the grief."
A turning point came when he was helping clean out the room of his friend Jacob Leicht, who dies in the crash. Puto found several pamphlets for post-secondary schools and the RCMP training program.
"[Leicht] still thought that all those dreams were going to come true, and unfortunately [the Broncos] don't have that opportunity," Puto said.
"It was a real eye-opener for me. I knew that there were still dreams left to dream."
Puto said he began to look at his life in a new way. He Googled sports you get into as an adult at a competitive level and found bobsledding. He said almost every bobsled athlete started out in another sport and turned to bobsledding for a second chance.
"I was really itching to find something competitive and something that I could be good at again," Puto said. "That's exactly what I needed."
Puto completed a business degree from the University of Saskatchewan and moved to Calgary to work for a financial advising company. Calgary happens to be the home of one of the only bobsledding tracks in the country.
Calgary's WinSport arena is the only facility in Canada where bobsledders can train with a real sled on a replicated 60-metre track. Puto started training there four days a week.
"It's a very adrenaline-fuelled sport," Puto said. "If you can imagine a combination of a roller-coaster, a waterslide and really rough turbulence on an airplane, that kind of fits. It's terrifying, a little bit."
Now, after proving his abilities and athleticism, Puto has spent the last year on the national development team, learning how to be a brakeman.
He is now on a team with Pat Norton, one of Canada's top male bobsled pilots. The squad is gearing up for several European events. Puto said this is a big step up in his career.
"Europe is a lot bigger in terms of sliding sports culture," Puto said excitedly. "There's more tracks, there's more fans, the infrastructure is a little bit more in place."
If Puto's team scores enough points at the European events, it will qualify for the 2026 Winter Olympics.
"It's all about scoring as many points as we can," Puto said. "It's just about working together with not only our team, but with Team Canada as a whole."
Lyndon Rush, who is also from Saskatchewan, has been guiding Puto throughout his bobsledding career as one of the national team coaches. Rush is a former U of S Huskie football standout who went on to be an Olympic bobsleigh medallist.
He said it has been great seeing Puto develop.
"It's always encouraging watching somebody continue to grind away and put in the work, and then it starts to come together for them," Rush said. "You just keep trying to climb the ladder and see where you can get."
Rush said the World Cup will be a challenge, as top bobsledders from across the world will be in attendance.
"If it was easy, it wouldn't be fun," Rush said. "If you look at Luke's progression, if he continues to progress like he is, he'll be in that mix for the Olympic sport."
Puto said he hopes his story can inspire others across the province to pursue their dreams, big or small.
"You're never too old to have a dream," Puto said. "I don't think I would have ever thought that I'd be doing bobsleigh five or 10 years ago. Just keep an open mind, keep working hard and those opportunities are going to come up for you."
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