USA Bobsled/Skeleton Team Trials rescheduled

LAKE PLACID, NEW YORK (October 28, 2019)  The 2002 Olympic track in Park City, Utah has been temporarily closed, leading to the cancellation of the Park City USA Bobsled/Skeleton Team Trials races. The series has been rescheduled to take place at Mount Van Hoevenberg in Lake Placid, N.Y.

The Utah Olympic Park issued the following statement regarding the closure:

"The Utah Olympic Park is examining a mechanical malfunction with the refrigeration system at the sliding track. Until the engineering team can fully assess and diagnose the issue and implement a solution, the track will remain closed. The timeline on the repair remains unclear until the faulty pump can be removed from the system, and inspected, however expert resources are being deployed to make sure this process is both fast and meets best practice on engineering standards."

The USA Skeleton Team Trials races three and four are now scheduled to take place on Saturday, Nov. 2 and Sunday, Nov. 3 in Lake Placid. 

The USA Bobsled Team Trials will take place in conjunction with the Lake Placid North American Cup. Two-man bobsled will race Nov. 18 and 19. Women's bobsled is scheduled for Nov. 19- 20, while four-man bobsled will compete from Nov. 20-21. 

USABS statement regarding BCS's release of Kaillie Humphries

Photo courtesy of
International Bobsleigh & Skeleton Federation

LAKE PLACID, NEW YORK (September 28, 2019) It was announced today that Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton (BCS) released Kaillie Humphries (shown right), making her eligible to compete for a spot on the USA Bobsled/Skeleton (USABS) team.

Please find a statement from USABS Chairman Emeritus and Interim CEO John Rosen below:

"Today, USA Bobsled/Skeleton learned of the decision by Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton to release Kaillie Humphries. With this release, Kaillie is now eligible to become a member of USABS and compete on equal standing with our athletes for a position on the USA National Team. USABS is honored by her desire to continue her sliding career with the USA.  USABS recognizes this was not an easy decision for BCS. We believe, however, that ultimately they made the correct decision to honor the desires of this athlete over the interests of the federation. USABS has, on multiple occasions, faced similar decisions in dealing with athletes who have requested release from our program.  In each and every case we reached the same conclusion as BCS did with Kaillie. We wish Kaillie, and BCS, continued success in the finest traditions of Olympic sport."

Texas natives Olsen, Allison post 20th place finish in bobsled World Cup race.

Photo courtsey of 
U.S. Olympic Committee
via Flickr

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2019 All Rights Reserved


ST. MORITZ, SWITZERLAND (January 28, 2019) Texans Justin Olsen (San Antonio, Texas) and Kyler Allison (Austin, Texas) teamed up with Adrian Adams (Reidsville, N.C.) and Kyle Wilcox (Tampa, Fla.) to take 20th place for USA Bobsled & Skeleton (USABS) on Saturday, January 26 in the four-man bobsled World Cup in St. Moritz. They posted a combined time of 2:13.20 with the crew clocking start times of 5.15 and 5.16 seconds for runs of 1:06.53 and 1:06.67, respectively. 

The race completed the European portion of the World Cup. The tour now moves across the Atlantic Ocean, to North America, with the seventh stop in Lake Placid, N.Y.

Texan Nicole Vogt takes bronze at American Cup Bobsled Final

Photo courtsey of
Amanda Bird
Marketing and Communications DirectorUSA Bobsled & Skeleton

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2019 All Rights Reserved

CALGARY, CANADA (January 13, 2019) Nicole Vogt (shown right), along with sled mate Nicole Brungardt, took the bronze medal in the women’s two-person bobsled at the North American Cup Final in Calgary, Canada on Saturday, January 12, 2019. After being disqualified for failing to finish in their first race yesterday (on January 11), they returned for the final competition run on Saturday, posting a two-run total of 1:56.73 (58.13, 58.60) to secure the bronze medal.

Vogt, who calls Dallas, Texas home, and Brungardt started their Friday races with a start time of 5.84 seconds. Vogt drove the across the finish line with the time of 57.65 seconds, which was the second-best time of the heat. Vogt and Brungardt powered the sled to a 5.80-second start time in run two, however, a mistake caused the sled to flip and as a result, they were disqualified. 

Vogt and Brungardt returned to the line on Saturday for the final race of the weekend. The duo posted a first-run start time of 5.90 seconds to post a final first-run time of 58.13 seconds. They second-run of 58.60, when added to their first-run time, secured the total time of 1:56.73 and the bronze medal. The Dallas native was quoted in a USA Bobsled and Skeleton Federation post-race press release.

"Nothing about this season has gone how I'd planned. I've been fighting lots of mental battles this year and working to remain positive. Thank you to God for these opportunities to compete for Team USA, every woman who has gotten in my sled, (Mike) Dionne and (Nick) Cunningham who have been great coaches, and my parents who keep encouraging me. I'm looking forward to joining the World Cup team in Lake Placid in February."

Vogt will be racing her first World Cup of the season in Lake Placid, N.Y. in February when the tour comes to North America.

Koenigssee marks halfway point of bobsled and skeleton World Cup tour this week

Photo courtsey of 
U.S. Olympic Committee via Flickr

Texan Justin Olsen (shown right) to see action in Koenigssee on Saturday for USA Bobsled  

KOENIGSSEE, GERMANY (January 9, 2019) The bobsled and skeleton World Cup tour will mark the halfway point of the season with its fourth stop in Koenigssee, Germany from Jan. 11-13. Koenigssee is the first permanent artificially refrigerated sliding track in the world, and the course will celebrate 50 years as an artificial track this year.

The schedule is as follows, with times listed in local CET and EST in parentheses:

Friday, Jan. 11

10 a.m. (4 a.m.): Men's skeleton

1:30 p.m. (7:30 a.m.): Women's skeleton
 

Saturday, Jan. 12

1:30 p.m. (7:30 a.m.): Women's bobsled

4:30 p.m. (11:30 a.m.): Two-man bobsled
 

Sunday, Jan. 13

1:30 p.m. (7:30 a.m.): Four-man bobsled
 

The Olympic Channel and NBCSN will broadcast the Koenigssee event with some live and same day delay coverage. Please check your local listings for up-to-date times. NBCSports.com and OlympicChannel.com will also provide live streaming of the events.
 

Men's skeleton athletes Kyle Brown (Concord, N.H.), Greg West (Springfield, Mo.) and Austin Florian (Southington, Conn.) will kick off the fourth stop of the tour on Friday morning. Savannah Graybill (Denver, Pa.) and Kendall Wesenberg (Modesto, Calif.) will represent Team USA in the women's skeleton race, which will follow the men's competition on Friday.

In women's bobsled, Elana Meyers Taylor (Douglasville, Ga.) will once again race with Lake Kwaza (Sycamore, Ill.) in the BMW sled. The pairing has already claimed two medals in the two races they've teamed together in, earning bronze medals in Winterberg and Altenberg, Germany. Brittany Reinbolt (Searcy, Ark.) will race with Olympic silver medal push athlete Lauren Gibbs (Los Angeles, Calif.) in the KOA-branded BMW-made sled.

In men's bobsled, Codie Bascue (Whitehall, N.Y.) is scheduled to race with Hakeem Abdul-Saboor (Powhatan, Va.) on Saturday in the two-man race in the BMW sled. Bascue and Abdul-Saboor are expected to be joined by Jimmy Reed (Garmisch, Germany) and Josh Williamson (Lake Mary, Fla.) in Sunday's four-man competition.

Justin Olsen (San Antonio, Texas) is scheduled to race with Blaine McConnell (Tacoma, Wash.) in the Lake Placid 2021 World Championship wrapped BMW sled in Saturday's two-man race. Olsen's four-man team is expected to be McConnell, Adrian Adams (Reidsville, N.C.) and Kyle Wilcox (Tampa, Fla.). 

2010 Winter Olympics: USA-1 Bobsled Wins Gold Medal, Respect

By Robert H. Kelly
Copyright 2010 TexSport Publications

PASADENA, TEXAS (February 27, 2010) Tonight, while sitting in the comfortable confines of my home outside Houston, TX, I was fortunate to observe the gold medal performance of the USA 4-man bobsled team, aptly named "Night Train."

NBC broadcast the medal ceremony for the four-man bobsled and showed the four athletes, pilot Steven Holcomb, and pushers Justin Olsen, Steve Mesler and Curt Tomasevicz, receiving their medals.

They were all dressed alike, in their multi-colored USA team jackets, and when the national anthem was announced, they promptly placed their hands over their hearts and showed the proper respect for their country, their performance, their sport, and the Olympic ideal.

It was a proud moment for everyone. The United States had not won a gold medal in the four-man bobsled since the 1948 Winter Games in St. Moritz, Switzerland.

As the national anthem was played, the camera focused on Holcomb. He stood tall and proud, showing how humbled he was of their achievement. Viewers could see his lip quivering, fighting to hold back the tears of joy that he and teammates were feeling.

When the camera pulled back, everyone could see the pride and power of this simple yet moving scene; four men who had done something that had not occurred in 62 years.

They had won the Olympic gold medal in the four-man bobsled for the United States. They were proud and emotional and did not care who knew it. The showed the valves, respect and positive demeanors that their fellow citizens want to see in their athletes.

Many of our Olympic athletes should observe and that heed their example. This is the type of behavior and pride we expect to see from our Olympic athletes.

We do not want to see our medal winners waving to the fans during the national anthem.

We do not want to see our medal winners playing air guitars during the national anthem.

We do not want to see medal winners bringing disrespect to our country.

We do not want our athletes wearing their medals like a belt; allowing girls to kiss it.

We want; NO, WE DEMAND; they act like the four men from USA 1; proud, humble, and not afraid to show the emotions which brings a positive light to themselves, their sport and our country.

Kudos ho out to the four athletes of "Night Train." Your performance and your demeanor at the award ceremony make us very proud of you. We, as I know you are, are proud to be Americans.