USA Bobsled and Skeleton
Contact: Amanda Bird, USBSF Marketing & Communications Director
(518) 354-2250, abird@usbsf.com
First race of 2013 in Altenberg, Germany this week
ALTENBERG, Germany (Jan. 1, 2013)-Bobsled and skeleton athletes from around the world celebrated the New Year in Altenberg, Germany while training for the upcoming World Cup event from Jan. 4-6.
Although the second half of the competitive season is about to kick off, the U.S. bobsled team will be absent from the roster. The team has opted to take additional training runs on the 2013 World Championship track in St. Moritz, Switzerland instead of racing in the Altenberg World Cup, which is a strategy that has resulted in World Championship medals in years past. The U.S. skeleton team, however, will enter all three men’s and two women’s competitors into the World Cup.
The detailed schedule is as follows, with all times listed in local time and EST in parentheses:
Friday, Jan. 4
9:30 a.m. (3:30 a.m.) – Women’s bobsled race heat #1
11 a.m. (5 a.m.) – Women’s bobsled race heat #2
1:30 p.m. (7:30 a.m.)– Women’s skeleton race heat #1
3 p.m. (9 a.m.)– Women’s skeleton race heat #2
Saturday, Jan. 5
9:00 a.m. (3 a.m.)– Men’s two-man bobsled race heat #1
10:30 a.m. (4:30 a.m.)– Men’s two-man bobsled race heat #2
1 p.m. (7 a.m.)– Men’s skeleton race heat #1
2:30 p.m. (8:30 a.m.)- Men’s skeleton race heat #2
Sunday, Jan. 6
9:30 a.m. (3:30 a.m.)- Men’s four-man bobsled race heat #1
11 a.m. (5 a.m.)-Men’s four-man bobsled race heat #2
Katie Uhlaender (Breckenridge, Colo.) and Noelle Pikus-Pace (Orem, Utah) stayed in Europe during the holiday break to avoid jetlag leading into the second half of the season. Both competitors have medaled this season and are favorites for the podium. Uhlaender is the 2008 World Championship silver medalist on the complex Altenberg course, and Pikus-Pace is in peak form and is expected to also be a threat for the medals alongside her teammate.
John Daly (Smithtown, N.Y.) and Kyle Tress (Ewing, N.J.) will lead the men’s team on Saturday. The veterans will be joined by Intercontinental Cup medalist Brad Stewart (Hastings, Minn.), who is filling in for Matt Antoine (Prairie du Chien, Wisc.) while he extends his rehabilitation program for his knee before returning to competition second half.
Check your local listings to watch coverage of the events on Universal Sports. You can also watch the World Cup events live by visiting the official website of the U.S. Bobsled & Skeleton Federation at www.usbsf.com.
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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