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Oct
15
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U.S. bobsled and skeleton team selection races start Saturday
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Oct 15, 2012,
7:32 PM ET
Contact: Amanda Bird, USBSF Marketing & Communications Director
(518) 354-2250, abird@usbsf.com
U.S. bobsled and skeleton team selection races start Saturday
LAKE PLACID, N.Y. (Oct. 15, 2012)-Bobsled and skeleton athletes from around the country have convened in Lake Placid, N.Y. for the start of the 2012-2013 sliding season. Athletes have been waiting months to get back on ice and are eager for the start of official training tomorrow.
“I’m anxious, curious, excited, and always a little nervous,” reigning women’s skeleton World Champion Katie Uhlaender said about her upcoming first run of the season. “You can never take the sport for granted. If the ice is slow it is usually less stressful, but still taxing on the body. If the ice is fast, I don’t talk much and sit quietly until the first run is out of the way. It’s always fun, and by the second run I’m in love with the sport all over again.”
Selection races will take place at Mt. Van Hoevenberg over the next two weeks as athletes vie for a coveted spot on the national team. The U.S. has qualified three sleds in women’s and men’s bobsled, three sleds in men’s skeleton, and two sleds in women’s skeleton for the World Cup tour. The selection race schedule is as follows, with all times listed in EST:
Saturday, Oct. 20: Women’s bobsled and men’s two-man bobsled from 6:30-9 pm
Tuesday, Oct. 23: Women’s and men’s skeleton from 9 am- 12 pm
Wednesday, Oct. 24: Women’s and men’s skeleton from 9 am – 12 pm
Friday, Oct. 26: Women’s bobsled and men’s four-man bobsled from 7-9 pm
The bobsled national team will be announced in Lake Placid following races on Oct. 26. The skeleton athletes will continue selection races in Park City, Utah on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1, and the team will be announced following the final competition.
The 2011-2012 season concluded with the World Championships in Lake Placid, where the U.S. team claimed five medals, four of them gold. The upcoming World Cup season will start where last season left off with the first World Cup event in Lake Placid from Nov. 8-10.
“The expectations are pretty high since we won here last February, but it’s not something that I really think about or dwell on,” said Steven Holcomb, who claimed three World Championship titles last season.
“I love getting back on the ice,” Holcomb said. “Summer is nice, but I belong on the ice. This is the start of my fifteenth season, so getting back on the ice isn’t anything crazy for me anymore. Although, there is always that small thought in the back of your mind wondering if you have completely forgotten how to do it. But it’s like riding a bike- it all comes flooding back to you the second you go into the first curve.”
Please contact Amanda Bird, USBSF Marketing & Communications Director, at abird@usbsf.com or 518-354-2250 with media inquiries.
About the U.S. Bobsled and Skeleton Federation
The United States Bobsled and Skeleton Federation, based in Lake Placid, N.Y., is the national governing body for the sports of bobsled and skeleton in the United States. The USBSF would like to thank its sponsors, suppliers and contributors for their support: BMW of North America, Under Armour, United States National Guard, Kampgrounds of America, Vivat!, Global Forwarding, KBC Helmets, Susan G. Komen for the Cure, Autism Speaks, Park City Lodging, EDAS/Ripxx, UberSense, Tesa Tape and Ferris Mfg. Corp. For more information, please visit the USBSF website at http://bobsled.teamusa.org.
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