Lyndon Rush still has some work to do to consistently finish among the upper echelon on the world bobsleigh scene, but he’s making a steady rise in that direction.

Rush didn’t become involved in the sport until 2004, but has already moved into the top 20 as a driver in both the two-man and four-man rankings on the World Cup circuit. He was 14th in the two-man and 19th in the four-man.

“It’s progressing well,” said Rush, who was spending some time with his family in Sylvan Lake prior to leaving for the Canadian championships in Whistler, B.C.

“There’s things I still need to work on, but my driving is getting better and better . . . more consistent each year,” he said. “The biggest thing now is to continue to work at it and to get better equipment.

“In fact the equipment is the biggest issue we need to address,” he said. “Right now we have older sleds and to continue to improve we need newer equipment and that means more sponsorship.”

The Canadian association helps, but generally provides the best equipment to the top sleds, and right now that’s Pierre Lueders.

Rush has tested a number of new sleds in Europe and believes he has the sponsorship available to purchase a two-man sled, which is listed for around $70,000.

“I also have a line on a four-man sled, but we still need to funding ($80,000) for it,” said Rush, who believes the funding will come.

Rush was born and raised in Humbolt, Sask., and grew up playing football and racing motorcycles and snowmobiles. Bobsleigh racing was the furthest thing from his mind.

The 28-year-old was first contacted by Bobsleigh Canada after his fifth year with the University of Saskatchewan Huskies football team.

“After the season I received a message on my recorder that they were interested in me trying out for the team,” explained the six-foot, 225-pound Rush, who played linebacker. “They said they like recruiting athletes, who played football or competed in track and field. They said I had the right body type for the sport.”

At first Rush laughed it off as he thought his friends were playing a joke on him.

“But once I found out it was real, they asked if I would attend a camp in Calgary and considering I didn’t have any real plans after university it seemed like a good idea. The first time I got in the sled I was hooked.”

The association recruited Rush as a pusher, but late in the camp he pulled a hamstring and they switched him to a driver or pilot position and he’s been there ever since.

Rush became part of the Own The Podium program, which was set up to develop Canadian athletes into medal contenders for the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic Game, and by 2007 he was competing in the World Cup.

His first year he raced on the American Cup circuit, strictly as a two-man competitor. The following two years he competed on the Europa Cup circuit in two-man and four-man, while also gaining experience on the World Cup.

He competed in the world championships in 2007 in Switzerland, finishing 17th in two-man and 26th in four-man.

He was a fulltime member of the World Cup in 2007-08, placing 17th in the two-man and 24th in the four-man. He was 13th in the two-man and a 16th in four-man at the 2008 world championships.

This year Rush posted his best-ever finish on the World Cup, with a fourth in the two-man at Whistler.

Rush gives his breakman, Lascelles Brown a lot of credit for his success on the two-man sled.

“He is the best in the world, so that’s certainly a benefit to me,” he said.

But despite his success in the two-man sled, Rush says he likes four-man better.

“I like it because it’s a team and we’re all battling and competing together,” said Rush, who spends his summer in Sylvan Lake and Red Deer.

He lives in Sylvan Lake, but sells real estate for Royal LePage in Red Deer along with this father.

Rush and his wife Krysta have a three-year old daughter Olivia and are expecting again in July, which may limit how long he competes on the world scene.

“I’ll continue until after the 2010 Olympics, then re-evaluate it,” he said. “It’s tough to be away from the family for so long in the winter. But we’ll see.”

Contact Danny Rode at drode@reddeeradvocate.com