Doug Sharp has had a long career in sports, though only a short one in bobsledding. He competed in the pole vault while a student at Purdue University, winning a Big Ten Championship, and posting a personal best of 18-5 (5.61). He also competed in football and ice hockey while in high school. He was trying to qualify for the Olympic Trials in 1996 in pole vault when he was injured, and his trainer had experience with the bobsled and encouraged him to try it. This led to a four-year career on the sled, and a bronze medal in the four-man in 2002. While competing, Sharp served in the US Army, in artillery and with the World Class Athlete Program. He somehow found the time to earn a chiropractic degree and now practices chiropractic. However, he has also spent time as a volunteer assistant at the University of Louisville, coaching the pole vaulters, after doing that at Augustana College while he was at Palmer Chiropractic College.
United States