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Lawrence "Larry" Sidney (born February 25, 1972) is a retired 2-sport Israeli National Team Athlete in the Winter Olympic Sports of Skeleton and Curling. He was an Olympic Alternate Athlete in Skeleton at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. He currently works as a Holistic Financial Advisor and as Secretary General of Bobsleigh Skeleton Israel.
Biography Lawrence Sidney was born in Grenoble, France to American parents Stuart Sidney (Professor of Mathematics) and Joan Seliger Sidney (English teacher/writer). He is the third of four children. His grandfather taught Lawrence and his siblings how to play chess, and in 1977 Lawrence won the Connecticut State Chess Championship for his age group (K-2). He repeated his victory again in the K-2 age group in 1979.
In 1990, Sidney attended Wesleyan University, where he played Varsity Football and Indoor and Outdoor Track. He is believed to be the first graduate from his high school, Edwin Oscar Smith High School, to earn a collegiate varsity letter in football. He transferred to the University of Connecticut in 1991, where he completed his B.S. and M.A. degrees in Sport Pedagogy. After college, Sidney taught Health and Physical Education for 15 years in Texas and Connecticut. He also coached interscholastic soccer, track and field, and softball during that time. Sidney gained Israeli citizenship in 2015 by making Aliyah, giving him dual American-Israeli citizenship.
Olympic Sports Skeleton Career Sidney jumped from the USA Elite Developmental Skeleton Program to the Israeli Skeleton Team at the beginning of the 2015-16 season. He spent 2015-2018 competing on the North America’s Cup and Europa Cup Race Tours. In his final season, Lawrence set career best times on every track he raced: Whistler, Calgary, Park City, and La Plagne. While his world rank at the end of 2017 could have qualified Lawrence for an Olympic position, his teammate AJ Edelman had a large enough point lead that there was no chance of passing him in the IBSF World Rankings, so Lawrence concluded his racing season early. He attended the Pyeongchang Olympics as an Assistant Coach and Olympic Alternate Athlete for Israel. Upon his retirement following those Olympics in 2018, Lawrence joined the Federation, Bobsleigh Skeleton Israel, as Vice President. In 2019 he was named Secretary General, a role which he continues today.
Skeleton Career Highlights 2014-15 Member, USA Elite Developmental Program 2015-16 Runner-up, Israeli National Championships 2016-17 125 World Ranking 2017-18 84 World Ranking at time of retirement (91 Final World Ranking) Olympic Alternate Athlete, Skeleton Assistant Olympic Skeleton Coach, Israel
Curling Career Lawrence was selected to the Israeli Mixed Curling Team in 2015. The team competed at the Inaugural Mixed World Curling Championships in September 2015 in Bern, Switzerland. Shortly after those championships, Lawrence took a hiatus from competitive curling in order to focus on his skeleton career. He returned to curling post-Olympics in 2018 and was named to the Israeli Men’s National Team. The team competed at the 2018 Gruyere European Men’s Championships in Tallin, Estonia. The following year, Lawrence continued with the National Team and competed at the 2019 Gruyere Men’s European Championships in Helsingborg, Sweden.
Professional Career Lawrence is a Holistic Financial Advisor. Special areas of interest include: - International and professional athletes - Sustainable and ESG investing
Speaking Career On October 14, 2023 Lawrence presented his TEDx Talk at the TEDxSouthLakeTahoe event. His presentation, titled “The Power of Pursuing Audacious Dreams”, focused on overcoming fear to pursue one’s passions. In 2016, Lawrence began giving speaking engagements. These presentations have run the gamut, including business groups, government groups, religious groups and schools. His talks focus on motivation, pursuing passions, and overcoming obstacles in life and in sport.