Lou Moreira came to America early in life as a Brazilian immigrant.
“I didn’t know how to speak English,” he told NBC 5. “I had a tough time in school- you know, the last one getting picked to play football.”
After primary school, he enlisted in the army and served in the 82nd Airborne Infantry for six years. After discharge, Lou took advantage of the GI Bill and enrolled at at Southern Methodist University in Dallas to earn a degree.
But he says the transition was difficult for him.
“I was in the army for so long. Being in a classroom with 20 year olds was difficult.”
Outside the classroom Lou discovered competitive bodybuilding. The discipline and intensity offered him what his new civilian life lacked.“Bodybuilding was great. It kept me busy. It gave me a new goal. It gave me a good reason to get up and pursue the day.”
Through dedication and talent, Lou won “Mr. Texas 2014.”
Then fate threw Lou a new adventure. Longtime training partner and Olympic medalist Steven Langton approached him with a proposal to start training bobslead.
With his natural power, especially in the posterior chain, Lou quickly became an effective pusher, the team member who starts behind the sled and is responsible for its acceleration off the line. He says bobsled gives him an adrenaline rush similar to the jumps he was used to in the Airborne.
“It’s such a great opportunity to continue to be an athlete, especially in my early 30s.”
Lou is now in the process of qualifying for the 2018 Winter Olympic team, which will be named in January.
“I’m potentially looking at competing in the Olympic Games. It feels good to be an American,” he said.
Even though bobsled is not the most conventional sport, it satisfies all Lou’s criteria for a fulfilling activity. It is intensely physical, offers a spectacular adrenaline rush, and it gives him another change to wear the stars and stripes.
“This is another way to represent my country, just at the elite level of athletics.”
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