Bobsled and skeleton athletes from around the world have descended upon Mount Van Hoevenberg in Lake Placid, N.Y. for the 2014-2015 World Cup opener this week. USA Bobsled & Skeleton will also induct the fifth class to its Hall of Fame in the Lamy Lodge during a ceremony on Saturday, Dec. 13th at 4 p.m. ET.
"It's always a benefit to start the World Cup on home ice, and it's a special opportunity to recognize athletes that have contributed to the sports of bobsled and skeleton when the team is present," said USA Bobsled & Skeleton Director of Sport Tuffy Latour. "We traditionally do well in Lake Placid, which is one of the most technically difficult tracks on the tour. Hats off to the Olympic Regional Development Authority, track manager Tony Carlino and the track crew for another outstanding job. The ice has been close to track record speeds leading up the race."
The race schedule is as follows, with all times listed in ET:
Friday, Dec. 12
9 a.m.: Men's two-man bobsled run #1
10:30 a.m.: Men's two-man bobsled run #2
12:30 p.m.: Women's skeleton run #1
1:30 p.m.: Men's skeleton run #1
2:45 p.m.: Women's skeleton run #2
3:45 p.m.: Men's skeleton run #2
Saturday, Dec. 13
9:30 a.m.: Women's bobsled run #1
11 a.m.: Women's bobsled run #2
12:30 p.m.: Four-person bobsled run #1
2 p.m.: Four-person bobsled run #2
4 p.m.: USABS Hall of Fame ceremony
The schedule is subject to change, so please check www.usabs.com for updates.
The final run for the two-man bobsled, women's bobsled and four-person bobsled races will be broadcast live in Universal Sports. The final run for the women's and men's skeleton competitions will air same day delayed at 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. ET respectively. To find Universal Sports in your channel lineup, please visit universalsports.com.
Matt Antoine (Prairie du Chien, Wisc.) and Kyle Tress (Ewing, N.J.) are strong medal threats in the men's skeleton race. This will be Antoine's first international race since he claimed the 2014 Olympic bronze medal in Sochi, Russia. His first-ever World Cup win was on home ice in Lake Placid last season, which was the catalyst for his breakthrough season. Tress hopes to better his career-best finish in Lake Placid, which was fifth in 2012, by cracking into the medals. Stephen Garbett (Parker, Colo.) is a newcomer to the World Cup squad. Garbett began racing just last season on the North American Cup tour, and he caught the coaches' attention with impressive performances in team selection races.
Three years ago Savannah Graybill (Denver, Pa.) made the women's skeleton national team in her rookie season, and she is now preparing to make her World Cup debut this Friday. Graybill is the reigning U.S. National Champion, and starts the season as USA-1 after winning national team selection races. Two-time U.S. National Champion Annie O'Shea (Port Jefferson Station, N.Y.) is back on track and feeling healthy after several years plagued with injuries. During training this week, O'Shea clocked times faster than the track record she set en route to her first national title in March 2011.
Elana Meyers Taylor (Douglasville, Ga.) has made headlines recently after qualifying to race in the four-person discipline on the World Cup tour. The International Bobsleigh & Skeleton Federation announced this fall that the four-man event would be open to female athletes. Meyers Taylor, who is still reeling after winning the 2014 Olympic silver medal, was in the driver's seat of a four-man sled weeks later and she earned her spot as USA-3 in the four-person event this season. She and Canadian Kaillie Humphries opted to wait until next week to make their four-person World Cup debut in Calgary, Canada, but both drivers are scheduled race in the women's bobsled race in Lake Placid this Saturday. Meyers Taylor will pilot the Under Armour-wrapped BMW-manufactured sled with veteran Cherrelle Garrett (Hayward, Calif.) on the brakes.
Jamie Greubel Poser (Newtown, Pa.) made a name for herself last season by wining five World Cup medals en route to her 2014 Olympic bronze medal performance. Greubel Poser will be driving the KOA-wrapped BMW sled with first-year athlete Lauren Gibbs (Denver, Colo.) pushing her. Jazmine Fenlator (Wayne, N.J.) and newcomer Natalie DeRatt (Asheville, N.C.) will be racing in the BMW sled dedicated to the Aspen Institute's Project Play. Meyers Taylor, Greubel Poser and Fenlator finished 2-3-4, respectively, in last season's Lake Placid World Cup.
Three-time Olympic medalist Steven Holcomb (Park City, Utah) once again leads the men's bobsled team as the most decorated athlete on the squad. Holcomb won four-man gold at the 2010 Vancouver Games, and followed it up with bronze medal finishes in both two-man and four-man at the 2014 Sochi Games. He swept last season's Lake Placid event, and will drive the BMW two-man sled and BoDyn's Night Train 2 four-man this year. Justin Olsen (San Antonio, Texas) was a member of Holcomb's winning Olympic four-man crew, and he will once again push Holcomb in both the two-man and four-man races this weekend. First-year competitors Alex Harrison (Edmonds, Wash.) and Aaron Victorian (Laie, Hawaii) will join his four-man crew.
Nick Cunningham (Monterey, Calif.) won his second-career World Cup medal in Lake Placid's two-man race last season and he hopes to capitalize on home ice again this year. Cunningham will be driving the Century 21 wrapped sled. Sam Michener (Gresham, Ore.) has raced on the North American Cup series and joins Cunningham this season. Newcomers Casey Wickline (Greenville, S.C.) and James Reed (Garmisch, Germany) have posted big numbers alongside Michener and will push Cunningham in the four-man event.
Codie Bascue (Whitehall, N.Y.) qualified as the USA-3 pilot and he will race the BMW sled dedicated to It's On Us. Since Meyers Taylor will not be racing four-man this week, Bascue will take the reigns of the Classroom Champions sled. His four-man teammates will be Carlo Valdes (Newport Beach, Calif.), David Cremin (Annandale, Va.) and Adrian Adams (Reidsville, N.C.). Holcomb's sledmate Harrison will push Bascue in the two-man race.
About USA Bobsled & Skeleton: USA Bobsled & Skeleton, based in Lake Placid, N.Y., is the national governing body for the sports of bobsled and skeleton in the United States. The USABS would like to thank its sponsors, suppliers and contributors for their support: BMW of North America, Century 21 Real Estate, Under Armour, Kampgrounds of America CEVA Logistics, Boomerang Carnets, Latta Kefir, Azad Watches, Park City Lodging, Inc., Classroom Champions, Aspen Institute's Project Play, EDAS/Ripxx, Tesa Tape, UberSense and Ferris Mfg. Corp. For more information, please visit the USABS website at www.usabs.com.
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