• USA Bobsled and Skeleton
• Features
• US Skeleton National Team Announced

USA Bobsled and Skeleton

• Features
• Events
• Results
• Athletes
• Recruitment
• Donate
• Membership
• Resources
• Sponsors
• Shop

Contact: Amanda Bird, USBSF Marketing & Communications Director
(518) 354-2250, abird@usbsf.com

U.S. Skeleton National Team Announced

PARK CITY, Utah (Nov. 1, 2012)- The 2012-2013 skeleton national team includes a dynamic mix of Olympians, world champions and emerging elite athletes.  The 10-athlete roster was decided after a series of four selection races held in Lake Placid, N.Y. and Park City, Utah.

“Our team will be competitive on all circuits with the Germans, Latvians and British teams,” said head coach Tuffy Latour.  “I really need to credit the Olympic Regional Development Authority and the Utah Olympic Park for their development programs, because we now have a deep field of athletes that we expect to medal on all of the international tours this season.”

The skeleton national team consists of two women and three men that will compete on the World Cup circuit, and two women and three men that will race on the Intercontinental Cup.

Reigning world champion and two-time Olympian Katie Uhlaender (Breckenridge, Colo.) headlines the women’s World Cup squad. Kimber Gabryszak (Park City, Utah) will join Uhlaender for her third season on the elite tour.

Noelle Pikus-Pace (Orem, Utah) swept the selection races in her comeback to the sport, but she is not yet qualified to compete on the World Cup circuit per International Bobsled and Skeleton Federation (IBSF) criteria.  The rule states that athletes must have competed in five races on four tracks over 24 months, but the IBSF did grant Pikus-Pace a waiver to compete on the World Cup after competing in only four races on two tracks this season.  She will be eligible for the World Cup after racing in the Park City, Utah and Calgary, Canada North American Cups.

Annie O’Shea (Port Jefferson Station, N.Y.) continues her battle back from knee surgery and will compete on the Intercontinental Cup circuit in an attempt to help the U.S. women earn back a third sled on the World Cup team.

Matt Antoine (Prairie du Chien, Wisc.), John Daly (Smithtown, N.Y.) and Kyle Tress (Ewing, N.J.) began the sport together and will once again compete alongside one another on the World Cup circuit. 

Brad Stewart (Hastings, Minn.), Tom Santagato (Astoria, N.Y.) and Mike Dellemann (Oregon, Wisc.) accumulated enough points in team selection races to earn a spot on the men’s Intercontinental Cup team. 

The World Cup circuit kicks off on home ice in Lake Placid, N.Y. from Nov. 8-10, while the Intercontinental Cup will begin later this month from Nov. 30-Dec. 1 on the 2010 Olympic track in Whistler, Canada.

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.

###