Bobsled and Skeleton World Cup Tour Continues in Altenberg, Germany

Contact: Amanda Bird, USBSF Marketing & Communications Manager

(518) 523-1842, ext 106, abird@usbsf.com

For Immediate Release

December 15, 2009

Bobsled and Skeleton World Cup Tour Continues in Altenberg, Germany 

ALTENBERG, Germany- The first half of the 2009-2010 bobsled and skeleton World Cup season will conclude in Altenberg, Germany from Dec. 18-20.  Athletes will have a one-week break for the holiday before returning to Germany for the second half of tour. 

The schedule is as follows, with all times listed in EST:

Friday, Dec. 18th: Men’s skeleton at 3 am, Women’s skeleton at 7 am

Saturday, Dec. 19th: Women’s bobsled at 4 am, Men’s two-man bobsled at 7:30 am

Sunday, Dec. 20th: Men’s four-man bobsled at 4 am

Universal Sports will be televising the events with delayed coverage on the following days, with times listed in EST:

Tuesday, Dec. 22nd: Men’s skeleton at 8 pm, Women’s skeleton at 11 pm

Wednesday, Dec. 23rd: Women’s bobsled at 8 pm, Men’s two-man bobsled at 11 pm

Thursday, Dec. 24th: Men’s four-man bobsled at 8 pm

To find out if Universal Sports is available in your area and for additional coverage of bobsled and skeleton, please visit www.UniversalSports.com.

Bobsled pilot Steven Holcomb (Park City, Utah) continues to lead in four-man standings with 843 points and will be a threat for the podium on the difficult Altenberg course.  John Napier (Lake Placid, N.Y.) continues to impress the international field as he inches closer to the top three standings each week. The 23-year-old is currently just 15 points away from third in four-man standings. 

The bobsled community will miss Todd Hays (Del Rio, Texas) in this week’s competition.  Hays announced his retirement last night due to medical injuries sustained last Wednesday in a four-man crash in Winterberg, Germany.  The full story about Todd’s farewell can be read by visiting www.usbsf.com.

All three U.S. women’s bobsled pilots are in the top seven standings, which makes qualifying three sleds in the 2010 Winter Olympic Games promising for the squad.  Shauna Rohbock (Park City, Utah) is currently in third with 753 points, Erin Pac (Farmington, Conn.) is closely behind in fourth with 752 points, and Bree Schaaf (Bremerton, Wash.) is seventh with 664 points.  German pilots Cathleen Martini and Sandra Kiriasis, who are ranked first and second, respectively, will be tough competition on their home track.

The U.S. skeleton team will be eager to claim their first medal this season on the German course.  Eric Bernotas (Avondale, Pa.) leads the men and is tied for fourth in international rank with 680 points, while teammate Zach Lund (Salt Lake City, Utah) sits just outside the top ten in 11th with 576 points.  U.S. favorite Matt Antoine (Prairie du Chien, Wisc.) joins the World Cup squad this week from the Intercontinental Cup tour. 

Noelle Pikus-Pace (Orem, Utah) and Katie Uhlaender (Breckenridge, Colo.) are back-to-back in women’s skeleton standings in seventh and eighth position, respectively.  Rebecca Sorensen (Fort Collins, Colo.) continues her rookie season on the challenging track and will look to improve her 25th place rank.

Please contact Amanda Bird, USBSF Marketing & Communications Manager, at (518) 523-1842, ext. 106, or at abird@usbsf.com for any questions regarding the U.S. team.

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: Allianz Life, Under Armour, Vilter Manufacturing, 776 Original Marketing, KBC Helmets, Luminox Watch Company, EDAS/Ripxx and Ferris Mfg. Corp. The USBSF would also like to thank the following sponsors and suppliers for their partner, the Bo-Dyn Bobsled Project:  Whelen Engineering, PPG, Columbia Sportswear, JEGS Automotive, Lucas Oil, Mac Tools, EXA, Lumber Liquidators, ServiceMaster Clean, National Guard, Lincoln Electric and Racing Electronics.  For more information, please visit the USBSF website at http://bobsled.teamusa.org.

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