For four years, Elon University alumna Veronica Day mastered her craft as a jumper and sprinter for the track and field team. Now she's in a new place learning a new sport.

For Day, her new journey started in the winter of 2010. Watching the Vancouver Winter Olympic Games on television with roommate and teammate Justine Robertson, the two athletes struck up a plan to one day become Olympic bobsledders.

But after further investigation, Day found out that dream would be impossible, and that's when she discovered her current passion. "One day we got bored and looked up what the qualifications are for being a bobsled athlete... and I couldn't do bobsled," Day said. "I wasn't tall enough. But I could do skeleton. I met all the qualifications for that."

Day, a three-time Southern Conference champion who holds school records for indoor and outdoor long jump, indoor and outdoor triple jump and the outdoor 4x100 meter relay, describes herself as a go-getter. So it was only natural that she followed through with the process and sent her athletic resume to the USA Bobsled and Skeleton Federation (USBSF).

"I talked to Coach (Mark) Elliston about it. He's always for athletes growing and continuing their athletic career. He was like, 'go do that V-Day, I'm proud of you.'"

When told of Day's plans, the Elon athlete's friends and family didn't know what to think.

"I'm pretty sure my mother didn't know what it was," Day said. "My dad kept saying 'It's like a Flexible Flyer on ice.' I still to this day don't know what a Flexible Flyer is. I think it's a toy kids used to play with."

Some weren't sure if Day was even serious.

"When they realized that's what I was actually doing, (my teammates) were like, 'I thought you were joking,'" she said. "They know I'm a competitive person. It's not an ideal situation to be going 75 miles per hour four inches above a sheet of ice."

Upon receiving her resume, the USBSF invited Day up to Lake Placid, N.Y., for a three-day combine this past August. The event challenged Day with four running events (15-, 30- and 45-meter dashes and a 30-meter fly) and four strength tests: a standing broad jump, a shot toss, a power clean and a three-rep squat max.

Day passed the USBSF's expectations. The federation required a score of 625 out of a possible 800 points to get an invite back. Day scored 727, the highest of any new recruit.

This meant that Day, who double-majored in international business and international studies, would extend her athletic career past college. Her plans to either teach English somewhere in Southeast Asia or work in marketing or graphic design would have to wait.

Day spent the summer working for Beautyscope, a company based in Virginia, to supplement enough of an income to survive in Lake Placid. While her coaching, training, housing and food are paid for by the USBSF, eventually Day will have to spend $5,000 to $10,000 on a new sled.

"I'm still trying to figure that (getting enough money for a sled) out, to be honest with you," Day said.

Since arriving at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in October, her days have been consumed by skeleton. Day starts her routine by waking up early in the morning, five days a week, and eating breakfast.

Day then goes to the gym for sprint workouts before lifting weights for an hour and a half. After taking a lunch break, Day leaves for Mt. Van Hoevenberg, where she spends five hours working on her sled and making practice runs. Those runs can be tough, as Day learned soon after arriving in Lake Placid.

"I fell off my sled the first week," Day said. "But it didn't hurt. I was told I'm graceful at falling off the sled."

But Day's goal of making the Olympic team won't be easy. With Katie Uhlaender and Annie O'Shea likely cinches to make the Sochi Games, Day is one of 22 girls competing for perhaps one vacant ticket to Russia in 2014 (world rankings determine the number of racers each country gets). Day remains determined, eager to make her dream a reality.

"No one is going to spend this amount of money, put a career on hold and invest this amount of time in this if they didn't think that they had a real shot at making it big time, of making it onto the Olympic circuit," Day said.

While most of her friends from Elon's Class of 2011 are starting their careers, Day is still making the most of her athletic abilities. Even so, Day says she wouldn't change anything if given the chance.

"No regrets," Day said. "Not at this point. Nope. I'm confident in the decision that I made and if I decided not to do this and give it a go, I think I would regret it. I meet all of the requirements they're looking for. It's just a matter of learning the skills. I don't know if I can learn these skills efficiently, quickly or even do them well until you try them."

Check out Veronica Day's blog about her journey at frostbittenfollies.wordpress.com