From Park City, USA (Courtesy USBSF PR)
USA Bobsled & Skeleton today announced the 23 bobsledders and 11 skeleton athletes to represent the United States on the 2014-2015 World Cup and Intercontinental Cup tours.
“There is a wealth of talent on this team, which is a product of the recruitment tours from the offseason and our development programs managed by the Utah Olympic Park and the Olympic Regional Development Authority,” said Darrin Steele, USA Bobsled & Skeleton CEO. “We’re in a rebuilding phase as we enter the next Olympic quad, and our coaching staff couldn’t be more impressed by what these athletes brought to the line this season. It’s going to be another exciting year, and we’re looking forward to seeing how these veterans and rookies perform on the international stage.”
A star-studded line-up of nine athletes has been named to the women’s bobsled team. Elana Meyers Taylor(Douglasville, Ga.) and Jamie Greubel Poser (Newtown, Pa.) earned their positions at the helm of USA-1 and USA-2 by winning the 2014 Olympic silver and bronze medals, respectively. Olympian Jazmine Fenlator (Wayne, N.J.) earned her spot as pilot of USA-3 after finishing third behind Meyers Taylor and Greubel Poser in both women’s bobsled selection races.
The pool of women’s bobsled push athletes includes returning Olympian Lauryn Williams (Miami, Fla.), who earned a bye onto the team after claiming the silver medal with Meyers at the 2014 Sochi Games. Former national team member Cherrelle Garrett (Oakland, Calif.) returns to the team, and she’ll be joined by rookies Natalie Deratt (Asheville, N.C.), Lauren Gibbs (Denver, Colo.), Ajla Glavasevic (Erie, Pa.) andMichelle Howe (Johnson City, Tenn.). Olympic medalist Aja Evans (Chicago, Ill.) is not expected to compete while recovering from an injury, but may be added to the roster later this season.
Steven Holcomb (Park City, Utah) earned his position on the team with double bronze medal performances at the 2014 Olympics last February, and he will again lead the men’s team as pilot of USA-1. Nick Cunningham (Monterey, Calif.) won two of the three men’s selection races to earn his spot as driver of USA-2. Codie Bascue (Whitehall, N.Y.) qualified to race as USA-3 in two-man, while Meyers Taylor will pilot USA’s third four-man sled pending she meets the international federation’s 5-3-2 rule prior to the start of the World Cup tour. Meyers Taylor must race in a minimum of five races on three tracks before she is qualified to race four-man on the elite circuit, so she will start her season on the North American Cup, which kicks off this week in Park City.
The roster of men’s athletes includes Olympic gold medalist Justin Olsen (San Antonio, Texas). Former national team member Adam Clark (Owenton, Ky.) also returns to the roster this season, and development team athletes Adrian Adams (Reidsville, N.C.), David Cremin (Annandale, Va.) and Sam Michener(Gresham, Ore.) earned their first national team berth. First-year competitors Dustin Greenwood (Palmyra, Va.), Alex Harrison (Edmonds, Wash.), James Reed (Scarborough, Maine), Carlo Valdes (Newport Beach, Calif.), Aaron “Surf” Victorian (Laie, Hawaii) and Casey Wickline (Greenville, S.C.) complete the men’s pool of push athletes that can be selected to race in a World Cup sled.
Matt Antoine (Prairie du Chien, Wis.) raced to the men’s skeleton 2014 Olympic bronze medal in Sochi, and he will once again lead the squad this season. Antoine guaranteed himself a spot on the team with his Olympic performance, but he left no doubt he’s USA-1 after sweeping the U.S. trials races. He’ll be joined by veteranKyle Tress (Ewing, N.J.) and up-and-coming competitor Stephen Garbett (Parker, Colo.) will join the World Cup team after he completes his 5-3-2 requirement on the North American Cup.
Seasoned veteran Katie Uhlaender (Breckenbridge, Colo.) has a bye onto the women’s skeleton team, but she will not start the season while rehabilitating from surgery. Savannah Graybill (Denver, Pa.) was the points leader after trials and she will make her World Cup debut this season as USA-1. Annie O’Shea (Port Jefferson Station, N.Y.) was runner-up in selection race points to secure her spot on the team.
Skeleton athletes selected to the Intercontinental Cup tour are also part of the national team. Allen Blackwell(Jackson, Miss.), Alex Ivanov (Calisle, Mass.) and Greg West (Orange Beach, Ala.) make up the men’s team, and they will be joined by Veronica Day (Vienna, Va.), Kellie Delka (Denton, Texas) and Megan Henry (Roxbury, Conn.) on the women’s team.
The World Cup tour kicks off in Lake Placid, N.Y. from Dec. 12-13, while the Intercontinental Cup tour gets underway later this month from Nov. 21-22 in Lillehammer, Norway.
