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In the case of Jeremy Bloom, that may be an understatement. Bloom, 5-foot-9, 180 pounds, who is fighting to make the Pittsburgh Steelers' 53-man roster, jumps out of helicopters to hit virgin snow on the slopes in Canada for fun.
"I love it," Bloom said. "It's exciting. I'm an action-sports guy, and returning kickoffs would probably fall into those categories."
There's a reason Bloom, who has been the subject of a number of films by legendary snowboard and ski director Warren Miller, is so fond of action sports.
He's a world-class skier, a three-time world champion and two-time Olympian, to be exact.
Yet while football is the name of the game for Bloom these days, with the Summer Games getting headlines, it's a given in the little spare time he has, he's tuned into what is happening in Beijing.
"It's always exciting for me, because the Olympic Games will always hold a special place in my heart," Bloom said. "So I'm very excited for the Summer Games. I think we are sending a great team, and I'll be watching when I can."
Asked if there was one special moment that defined his Olympic career, Bloom smiled, and didn't hesitate with his answer.
"You know, I have a lot of memories," Bloom said. "But I guess the most special was probably in 2002 at the Salt Lake City Games, during the opening ceremony when the U.S. walked into the stadium. It was right after Sept. 11, the whole country was unified and the Olympics were bigger than just the Olympics, so that is special."But how exactly do skiing and football go hand in hand? There have been Olympic track stars such as Willie Gault on NFL rosters, but a skier is a different story.
In Bloom's case, it goes back to a dream he had when he was at the University of Colorado.
While there, he was one of the best return men in the nation, and set many school records during two years with the Buffaloes, including a 96-yard touchdown reception, the longest in school history. He also had five career plays of 75 yards or longer.
But when he wanted to ski for the U.S. at the 2006 games in Italy, the NCAA squashed his football career.
"It was terrible," Bloom said. "I had worked hard to get to the point where I would come in and be the starting receiver. The thing that frustrates me the most was it wasn't my ability that stopped me from doing that. It was an organization in the NCAA, who wanted to control the sport of skiing."
Bloom distinguished himself as a champion for student-athlete rights following his ordeal with the NCAA, but after the 2006 Olympics, gave up the sport of professional skiing because he still had the dream of playing in the NFL.
"That's why I am here," he said. "I've been blessed. I've gone to two Olympic Games and three World Championships, and I said if I get a chance to play in the NFL, I'm going to take it. Now I have that opportunity, and so far camp's been a blast. There is a lot of competition, which makes everyone better. It's just great to be out there playing."
Bloom was a fifth-round draft pick of the Eagles in 2006, but spent his time on injured reserve with a hamstring injury before being released at the end of training camp. He was signed by the Steelers prior to their playoff game against Jacksonville Jan. 11.
(880) (177) (159) (83) (18) (16) (11) (9) (6)He says he's garnered a lot of knowledge from Hines Ward, Santonio Holmes and other Steelers receivers.
"I've learned a lot," he said. "If I have a question, Hines and the guys help me out, and just watching them and the way they play the game, it's like they have a doctorate in football. Being a new guy in a new system, that doesn't come easy, so they've been very helpful."
With the depth the Steelers have at the receiver slot, Bloom is a longshot to make the roster, but seems to relish that role.
"That's OK with me," he said. "You're only as good as what you have on paper. Whether you're a longshot or a starter, people get beat out. So at the end of the day, I'm just trying to play my best and hope it all works out."
