Lake Placid’s Maya Garrison rounds a corner during a meet in Saranac Lake on Sept. 10. (Press photo — Parker O’Brien) Lake Placid’s Jessie Carlson leads Saranac Lake’s Cadence Kennedy during a meet at Dewey Mount Recreation Center on Sept. 10. (Press photo — Parker O’Brien) U.S. Team bobsledder Lauren Brozowski poses at the indoor push start facility on Friday, Sept. 6. (Press photo — Parker O’Brien)
Team USA bobsledder Lauren Brozowski poses at the indoor push start facility on Friday, Sept. 6. (Press photo — Parker O’Brien)
LAKE PLACID — Lauren Brozowski was in Europe chasing her dreams of becoming a track and field star when the coronavirus pandemic hit and suddenly everything she had built was taken away from her.
“It was exactly what I wanted in life.” She said. “I was very happy and was doing well in athletics.”
She was faced with the choice of catching the next flight home or being effectively stranded overseas as borders closed.
Like many others, she turned to social media, primarily TikTok, as a way to have fun during that time. But Brozowski was searching for a bigger purpose. Her ultimate goal was always to represent the U.S. and compete at the highest level possible. That’s when she turned to bobsledding.
Brozowski, 27, is currently aiming for an Olympic spot with the U.S. women’s bobsled team, and she’s documenting her entire journey into the sliding sport through her social media accounts.
She has over 100,000 followers on TikTok and over 59,000 on Instagram. Her videos range from explaining the finer points of being a bobsledder to showing off a more personal side, like the time her truck broke down in Lake Placid. Her most-viewed TikTok has been viewed over 10 million times.
Brzozowski, of Wyckoff, New Jersey, calls her “a “Zozie” — a play on her last name. Her followers even send fan mail to her room at the Olympic and Paralympic Training Center in Lake Placid. Her intention was not to gain a following, but rather to showcase her journey for her own sake.
“I’m just posting to see the progress of the bobsleigh.” She said. “It’s so easy to watch sports and see someone reach the finish line and think, ‘I guess I didn’t try hard enough this week,’ and forget all the work that went into getting to that moment. So when I’m able to see it visually on the TikTok platform or on Instagram, it really brings those feelings back and it’s so powerful.”
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The Age of Influencers
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It’s no secret that Olympians — or, in Brozowski’s case, potential Olympians — are starting to use social media to their advantage, turning to TikTok and Instagram to generate revenue to fund their travels and bring new viewers to their somewhat niche sport.
During the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France, American athletes like gymnast Fred Richards and Vermont rugby star Ilona Maher have been making waves on social media, garnering thousands of followers.
Maher, in particular, attracts an audience of nearly four million on Instagram, where her videos don’t focus specifically on rugby per se, but rather on body image positivity. In fact, Brozowski reached out to Maher around 2022.
“I thought, ‘Can you teach me some things? I want to be an advocate for my sport like you are.’ She said. “I actually have her phone number and she gave me some of the best advice back then. Just knowing that she had the success she did inspires other athletes like me to continue that strong tradition and strive to be a good role model for people, especially young women.”
Brozowski acknowledges that her content isn’t exactly the same as Maher’s — she enjoys educating others about her sport and her journey from being an underdog — while Maher’s content has more of a comedic side.
Brozowski also loves going live on social media because it’s a great way to engage with her community, and TikTok Live is what got her her trademark cowboy hat.
She said the hat fits well with the bobsled theme, which is a dangerous ride.
“One of the first things a fan sent me was a cowboy hat.” Brozowski said. “The cowboy hat arrived right before media day, so I thought, ‘I’m going to wear this hat because it represents America. I’m proud to wear the Stars and Stripes.'”
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Underdog
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It’s been Brozowski’s dream to compete in the Olympics since she started the sport, but she knows it’s not guaranteed. She said her long-time followers who have been rooting for her are one of the biggest reasons she keeps working hard.
“I always say that even if I don’t make the Olympic team, that’s the moment that makes this whole process worthwhile.” She said. “Because we’re learning about a whole new fan base that not only loves sports, but women in sports and in bobsledding.”
Brozowski said he’s never been the best athlete, but when things seem to be going well, something happens and it makes him a stronger competitor.
Just last season, she finally took the biggest step in her journey when she competed in the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation World Cup and European Cup. But the journey didn’t last long.
After a practice session in Innsbruck, Brozowski sprained his ankle, broke his foot in two places and partially tore ligaments.
“It was a strange fracture because I broke my calcaneus and talus, but the way it’s broken means you can walk on your heels for a while and not even know it’s broken.” She said. “That’s exactly what happened to me.”
She thought she had just sprained her ankle and spent a few days in Europe.
“It was like I couldn’t even kick with my feet. So my season was over, but I didn’t take that as an excuse and stayed for another three weeks to learn everything I could off the ice. I made the decision to return home four days before the biggest race of my career.”
The plane’s high altitude only made things worse, causing blood clots, which essentially meant her rehabilitation lasted nearly eight months, a journey she documented entirely on TikTok.
“So when I got injured, I had a constant stream of encouraging messages from people I didn’t even know, just cheering me on, commenting, contacting me.” She said.
Brozowski has since recovered and just started pushing his sled again about two weeks ago at Mount Van Hoevenberg’s indoor push start facility. He’s getting back into shape for the season, so far so good, and is thankful he didn’t get injured during an Olympic year.
“I learned a lot from the injury and was able to embrace it.” She said. “Definitely it’s good to have some good experience coming into the year. I’ll just try to be ready whenever the team needs me.”
