Name.com visits the New Zealand Bobsled Team

This is Part 1 in a series of posts and videos about Name.com’s adventures with the New Zealand Bobsled team. Go to Part 2  |  Go to Part 3

After what seemed like an impossible coordination, Tim Johnson, the CEO of .KIWI, and the manager of the New Zealand Bobsled Team, pulled Name.com, .XYZ, .BUZZ, .NINJA, and .CLUB together to sponsor the Kiwi sledders. He also included the new domain .HIV to get more exposure for their incredible work. Then all he had to do was get some people to Whistler, B.C., the home of the 2010 Winter Olympics, to experience the sport in person. I volunteered, as did .XYZ CEO Daniel Negari.

The thought of bobsledding seems like a lot of fun until you tell someone you’re going to bobsled. “Didn’t a guy die doing that?” asked one well-meaning friend. Another pointed out that I’d be going 80 miles an hour without a seat belt. I like seat belts. One once saved me in a wreck when I was going about 65. The car had a roof, too. And soft seats. Wrecking in a bobsled, it turns out, can melt your underwear to your body.

The bobsled looks really good on the outside. It’s a sleek missile that makes this awesome/daunting rocket noise as it glides around the turns of the track. On the inside, however, it’s a bit like a modified port-a-john with the cushioned amenities of a coral reef. The captain of the team, an athletic horse named Martin, asked if I was sure I could fit into the bobsled. I told him yes, as I couldn’t imagine that I wouldn’t. Also, in my head I still see myself as I was when I was 19.

Coming up: The story behind name.com and the New Zealand Bobsled team, Daniel Negari of .XYZ makes a bet … and then it goes downhill fast.*

*It should be noted that Whistler’s bobsled track is the fastest in the world.

I mentioned them earlier, but we’re thrilled to be joined by some awesome New Domain extensions as official sponsors: .KIWI, .XYZ, .BUZZ, .NINJA, .CLUB, and .HIV. Some of these extensions are already live (we’re currently accepting Preorders for .CLUB, and .NINJA Preorders begin on Wednesday, Feb. 19), and you use our New Domains Watcher to get email notifications about the status of the other domains.