For Jean and Ryan Prahm, the cosmos must have been in line and some kid in Seattle had to have been playing around with a late night radio show to make this one work. Or perhaps fate truly does exist.

Racine, a two-time World Cup bobsled champion and 2002 Olympian had flown to San Bernadino, California to support the Derek Parra Gold Medal Celebrity Golf Classic. Coincidently, the event was held the same weekend as the Minor League Baseball All-Star Game and the two events were combined for dinner. Later that evening, Racine met a 6-5 blond haired pitcher for the Akron, Ohio Indians.

“I would say that it was love at first site,” said Racine, who stands just inches over five feet tall in heels,” but Ryan said it took a little bit longer than that. I know this sounds cheesy, but the night we met, we actually ended up walking around and talking all night – then we both flew out the next morning. For a while after that, our relationship was casual. We would take turns visiting each other and then it just got to the point when you realize that this is it.”

‘It’ happened December 23rd while celebrating Christmas with his family. Prahm said that he had one more present to give Racine and insisted that they go to a nearby park to give it to her. 

“I thought he was going to come out with a big box full of catching gear because I was always saying that I wanted to catch for him. Now, it’s like minus 17 degrees outside and I’m freezing, so he told me to sit down on a swing and he got out a pair of gloves. He then helped me put the left one on first and at the tip of one of the fingers was a ring.”

Which Size Dress?

With the 2006 Olympic season on the horizon, the two decided to scrap plans for the traditional down home wedding in favor of an all-inclusive resort in Negril, Jamaica.

“It was the best thing for us,” said Prahm. “Jean was busy training for the Olympic season, so we both just started looking through our planners and decided that September 17 was the day. The only thing we had to do was rent a tux, get into a dress and plan what we were going to do the next day.”

But what dress?

Unlike any other bride to be, Racine spent the months leading up to her big day trying to gain weight. At 125 pounds, she was the lightest driver on the World Cup tour last season – too light to compete for an Olympic spot in 2006.

“I actually bought two dresses and ended up giving one away, but it wasn’t all that bad. How many girls can say that they were eating more than their fiancé in the weeks leading up to the wedding? We would actually share each others meals and I’m not really not much of a salad and water girl anyway.”

In all 30 close friends and family attended the wedding, but the newlyweds only had a couple of days to enjoy the honeymoon before returning to the United States to start the preparation for the World Cup team trials.

Restart

Now with a new name and a new Olympic season on the horizon, Jean Prahm is looking to blaze past the highly publicized breakup with former brakeman Jen Davidson just prior to the Salt Lake Games, in which the pair was favored for gold.

However, musical bobsleds is nothing new in the sport and Racine was promptly teamed with Gea Johnson, who was posting the fastest start times leading into the games. But as fate would have it, Johnson was injured at Salt Lake and the pair finished 5th, a result that led to further media scrutiny for Racine. It also opened the door for Jill Bakken and Vonetta Flowers' historic gold-medal finish, where Flowers became the first African American to win a gold medal at the Olympic Winter Games.

After giving birth to twin boys, Flowers reversed her decision to retire and returned to the sport with Racine in the driver seat. Now in their third season together, the pair feels they have the momentum for a podium in Italy.

“Salt Lake was probably the most difficult period in my life,” said Prahm. “There was a point when I actually had to stop reading the newspapers because they had labeled me ‘Mean Jean,’ but I’m a fighter.

No one has the picture perfect life and this time around I’m a bit more quiet, more careful and I’m just going to enjoy the process preparing for an Olympic season. It was tough to be deemed at the gold medal favorite and now, it’s nice not to have that around my neck. Jill and Vonetta winning gold is probably the best thing that could have happened to women’s bobsled – things happen for a reason.”

Days of our Sleds

But is the suspense over? It is highly probable that come February there will be two gold medalists in separate sleds as both Prahm and Flowers along with Jill Bakken and brakeman Amanda Moreley cruised through early season trials to be named to the World Cup team.

Also in the picture for an Olympic slot is Shauna Rhobock, who is currently playing backseat driver after switching from brakeman to pilot before last season. Bethany Hart is also in the mix as she as spent some time pushing for Bakken.

“Our team is stronger than it’s ever been,” said Prahm. “There are three really good drivers out there right now and only two of them get to go to the Olympics.”

Tune in November 11, when the World Cup drama kicks off in Calgary. The official Olympic team will be named January 15. But, the real question may be will Disney or MTV pictures snag up the rights to this one.