Schaaf/Azevedo and Butner/Berkeley win first bobsled selection races
(USBSF Press Release)
LAKE PLACID, N.Y. (Oct. 21, 2011)-Men’s and women’s two-man bobsled team selection races kicked off on schedule tonight at Mount Van Hoevenberg despite several days of rain and warm temperatures. Bree Schaaf (Bremerton, Wash.) and Emily Azevedo (Chico, Calif.) teamed together to win the women’s race, while Cory Butner (Yucaipa, Calif.) and Chuck Berkeley (Walnut Creek, Calif.) took the lead in the men’s bobsled competition.
Venue manager Tony Carlino and the Lake Placid track crew worked throughout the night to prepare the track for the first race of the 2011-2012 season.
“We can’t thank Tony and the track crew enough for getting the ice prepared for our race,” Azevedo said. “They worked so hard to make this race happen, and we had a great start to our season because of their dedication.”
Schaaf and Azevedo clocked a total time of 1 minute, 57.87 seconds to lead the women’s field by over two-tenths of a second. The 2010 Olympic teammates trained together in Colorado Springs, Colo. during the offseason and were excited to be back in competition mode.
“We had a shocking calculation at dinner,” Schaaf said. “One of the rookies asked me how it felt to be racing again and I realized it’s been eight months since we last raced. After training specifically for this, it’s almost surreal to be back on ice. It feels so good to be racing again.”
Several rookie athletes that were recruited over the summer were in a sled for the first time last week. Todd Hays, women’s bobsled head coach, will lead a fairly new team this season. Schaaf is the most veteran driver on the team with only three years of experience in a bobsled.
“Todd has done an amazing job,” Schaaf said. “This is a new era in women’s bobsled. All of the girls are super supportive, and it’s fun to have this kind of beginning where there is so much positivity.”
Elana Meyers (Douglasville, Ga.) posted the fastest start times of the competition, 5.62 and 5.56 seconds, with national push champion Katie Eberling (Palos Hills, Ill.). The pair finished in second with a combined time of 1:58.11, while Jazmine Fenlator (Wayne, N.J.) and Hilary Werth (Springfield, Ill.) were third with a two-run total of 1:59.16.
Olympic and World Champion Steven Holcomb (Park City, Utah) was granted a bye onto the national team for his bronze medal performance at 2011 World Championships. Holcomb partnered with world push champion Steve Langton (Melrose, Mass.) to forerun the men’s competition. The duo clocked start times of 5.06 and 5.05 seconds tonight, which are the fastest push times on the Lake Placid course for an American team since the 2003 World Cup event.
“It’s easy to get complacent when you have a bye, so we worked really hard to treat today like a race day,” Holcomb said. “I’m really pumped. Langton pushed really well, and he’s just unstoppable. I think we’re going to surprise some people and take the lead at the start of the season.”
With Holcomb out of the mix, Butner and Berkeley stepped up to win the men’s two-man competition by 0.11 seconds. The duo was 0.14 seconds behind veteran John Napier (Lake Placid, NY) after the first heat, but Butner moved into the lead after crossing the finish line in 57.21 seconds for a total time of 1:54.51.
“It feels good to start the season like this,” Butner said. “I’m happy to be racing with Chuck, who is one of my best friends, and the track crew did a phenomenal job getting the ice ready for us today. It was fun, and I’m really enjoying myself.”
Napier and Jesse Beckom (Chicago, Ill.) slid a combined total of 1:54.62, while Nick Cunningham (Monterey, Calif.) and Johnny Quinn (McKinney, Texas) crossed the finish in 1:55.31 for third.
Women’s and four-man bobsled racing continues on Friday, Oct. 28. Skeleton athletes will take to the ice tomorrow and Sunday for the first two of four competitions to determine the national team.
