USA Bobsled Joins the Skeleton Team on the World Cup Tour & Much More

World Cup: 

ALTENBERG, GERMANY (December 8, 2024) - USA Bobsled joined the USA Skeleton World Cup Team on tour in Altenberg, following two World Cup stops in Asia for the skeleton team only. 

Races kicked off with Women’s Skeleton. Due to snowstorm delays, the race became a one-heat race as opposed to the typical two-heats seen in World Cup races. Sara Roderick placed ninth with a time of 1:01.96, followed by Katie Uhlaender in 14th with a time of 1:02.21, Kelly Curtis in 16th with a time of 1:02.31 and Mystique Ro in 20th with a time of 1:02.61. 

The Men’s Skeleton races, was a two-heat race. Austin Florian placed sixth with a combined time of 1:54.08. Dan Barefoot placed 21st with a time of 1:56.16 and Hunter Williams placed 29th with a one-heat time of 59.40.

In the Mixed Team Competition held, Roderick and Florian slid into a second-place finish with their combined one-heat times of 2:01.56. Curtis and Williams placed 13th with a combined time of 2:04.55. 

“I’m really excited about the progress being made. I’ve been working with my team of coaches to find consistency and connection and my races in Altenberg are showing that progress in the right direction. Team racing is always a blast. It’s a little less pressure and really brings out the camaraderie of the sport,” shared Roderick about her exciting World Cup medal.

“I’m very happy with how this week went back in Altenberg! It’s one of my favorite tracks and I always feel comfortable there. It felt good to be competing again with the top guys and I know I’m able to put a top result in. I’m also extremely excited for Sara as well! The silver in the team race was awesome and I’m glad we were both able to throw down some good runs and get a medal! I’m excited for Sigulda this coming week before Christmas,” shared Florian.

Kicking off the season for the World Cup Bobsled Team, Frankie Del Duca and Dylan Gilbert competed in the 2-Man competition, placing 14th with a time of 1:51.06.

In Women’s Monobob, Kaillie Armbruster Humphries placed seventh with a combined time of 2:01.46. Kaysha Love placed ninth with a time of 2:01.77. Sylvia Hoffman placed 18th with a time of 2:03.57. After unfortunately experiencing a crash in Heat 2 but crossing the finish line still in her sled, Elana Meyers Taylor placed 20th with a time of 2:07.01.

In 2-Woman bobsled, Armbruster Humphries and Jasmine Jones placed fifth with a time of 1:53.28, followed by Meyers Taylor and Emily Renna in sixth with a time of 1:53.30. Love and Bailey Golden placed ninth with a time of 1:54.04 and Hoffman alongside Jestena Mattson placed 15th with a time of 1:54.99.

In 4-Man bobsled, Del Duca, Carsten Vissering, Charlie Volker and Manteo Mitchell placed 13th with a one-run time of 55.33. 

Europe Cup: 

The Europe Cup (EC) division held races in Winterberg, Germany recently, with male and female sliders from Team USA competing. In Women’s Skeleton, Michelle Toukan placed sixth with a time of 1:55.64. In Men’s Skeleton, Nick Tucker placed 12th with a time of 1:52.76, Darryl Payne Jr. placed 18th with a time of 1:53.41 and Sam Allred placed 32nd with a one-heat time of 57.46. 

This past weekend, the EC division moved to Lillehammer, Norway for back-to-back days of sliding. In Race 1, Toukan slid into another top-six finish, placing fifth with her two-heat time of 1:46.90. In the Men’s Skeleton division, Tucker placed tenth in Race 1 with a combined time of 1:44.63. Payne Jr placed 26th with a one-run time of 52.77 and Allred placed 36th with his one-run time of 53.40. 

In Race 2 for the women, Toukan claimed the top spot with her time of 1:46.27. In the men’s division, Tucker took 15th with a one-run time of 52.69, Payne Jr took 25th with a time of 53.02 and Allred placed 44th with a time of 55.32.

North American Cup & Pan American Championships: 

The North American Cup (NAC) completed its time in Whistler, Canada with more bobsled races (see November 24th’s press release for 2-Man and Monobob results) and Skeleton sliding.

On the bobsled side of things, In 4-Man, Grady Mercer, David Rodriguez, Brandon Jetter and Nate Breud took sixth with their time of 1:46.31, their Race 1 finish also counting for the Pan American Championships. In Race 2 the following day, Team Mercer placed fourth with a time of 1:46.25. In 2-Woman racing, Riley Tejcek and Andin Fosam placed fifth with a time of 1:49.52, their Race 1 finish also counting for the Pan American Championships. In Race 2, Tejcek and Hannah Beattie placed fifth with a two-run time of 1:49.80. Lauren Brzozowski and Dominique Biron also competed in 2-Woman but unfortunately experienced disqualifications due to not making sled weight and equipment failure.

In NAC Skeleton up in Whistler, Kendall Wesenberg had back-to-back wins in Women’s Skeleton. In Race 1 on the first day, her time was 1:50.20, followed by Logan Wudi’s fourth-place time of 1:54.22, and Sha’Londa Terry, Liesel Baker, and Hannah Gaskin’s sixth, seventh and eighth-place finishes with respective times of 1:55.20, 1:55.92 and 1:56.05. In Race 2, Wesenberg took home another gold with her time of 1:50.42. Wudi again placed fourth with a time of 1:54.73, Baker placed sixth with a time of 1:55.29, Terry placed seventh with a time of 1:56.11 and Gaskins took eighth with a time of 1:56.99.

In Men’s Skeleton, Andy Whittier took fifth in Race 1 with a time of 1:49.99. Dylan Burris placed 12th with a time of 1:53.49, Tyler Lutz placed 14th with a time of 1:55.74 and Lukas Kissell placed 15th with a time of 1:57.57. In Race 2 for the men, Burris placed 11th with a time of 1:53.64, Kissel placed 13th with a time of 1:54.80 while Lutz and Whittier placed 14th and 15th with respective times of 1:56.21 and 1:56.56. 

The NAC tour then moved back to American soil for a week of racing in Park City, Utah. In 2-Man bobsled, Geoff Gadbois and Bryce Cheek placed first with a time of 1:37.02, followed by Kris Horn and Martin Christofferson in second with a time of 1:37.03. Mercer and Seth Baylus placed eighth in the NAC division with a time of 1:38.36. This NAC Race 1 also counted for the Junior Pan American Championships and Junior Pan American U23 Championships competitions, which they placed first in both categories for. Shane Fisher and Trevor Chase placed 11th in this first Park City NAC race. In NAC Race 2, Horn and Hunter Powell took gold with a time of 1:36.27, followed by Gadbois and Boone Niederhofer in second with a time of 1:36.42. Mercer and Adrian Adams placed ninth with a time of 1:38.13 and Fisher alongside Otto Zaccardo placed 12th with a time of 1:38.58.

In Women’s Monobob, NAC Race 1 also counted for the Junior Pan American Championships and Junior Pan American Championships U23. Brzozowski placed fourth in NAC Race 1 with a time of 1:43.31, followed by Tejcek in sixth with a time of 1:44.36. Emily Bradley’s time of 1:47.32 earned her a 12th-place finish in NAC Race 1 as well as a first-place finish in the Junior Pan American and Junior Pan American U23 categories. In NAC Monobob Race 2, Brzozowski and Tejcek again claimed fourth and sixth, with respective times of 1:43.04 and 1:43.51. Bradley placed 11th with a time of 1:46.82. 

The NAC Skeleton team slid next at Park City. In Race 1, Whittier secured a first-place finish with a time of 1:39.16. Noah Park placed fifth with a time of 1:41.17, Baden Park placed seventh with a time of 1:41.30, Burris placed 11th with a time of 1:42.46, Lutz placed 14th with a time of 1:43.21 and Kissell placed 16th with a time of 1:43.44. This NAC Race 1 also counted for the Junior Pan American Championships and Junior Pan American Championships U20. In the Junior Pan American Championships category and U20 category, N. Park placed first. B. Park placed third in the Junior Pan American Championships and second in the U20 category. Kissell placed sixth in the Junior Pan American Championships category.

In Women’s Skeleton, Wesenberg won another gold in Race 1 with a time of 1:39.70. Terry placed third with a time of 1:42.08, Baker placed fourth with a time of 1:42.40, tying with Gaskins. Wudi placed sixth with a time of 1:42.58.

NAC Race 2 for Skeleton brought yet another gold for Wesenberg in the Women’s division, with a time of 1:39.95. Gaskins placed third with a time of 1:42.24, followed by Baker’s fourth-place finish of 1:42.51, Wudi’s fifth-place finish of 1:42.54 and Terry’s sixth-place finish of 1:42.64. 

On the men’s side, Whittier also earned another gold with his time of 1:38.48, followed by B. Park’s eighth-place time of 1:40.75, N. Park and Lutz’ tied tenth-place time of 1:41.37. Nick Brooks had a 12th-pace time of 1:41.41 and Tony Furnell had a 17th-place time of 1:43.35.

Next up in Park City was NAC 4-Man Bobsled. In Race 1, Horn, Hakeem Abdul-Saboor, Powell, and Martin Christofferson claimed the top spot with a one-heat time of 47.69. Gadbois, Adams, Cheek and Niederhofer placed second with a time of 47.73. Mercer, Rodriguez, Baylus, and Breud placed eighth with a time of 48.55. Fisher, Chase, Denim Rogers and Zaccardo placed ninth with a time of 48.59. 

In 2-Woman Bobsled Race 1, Brzozowski and Lolo Jones tied for fourth with their one-run time of 49.88 with Mackenzie Stewert and Morgan Ramsey of Canada. Tejcek and Kelsey Kiel placed sixth with their time of 50.31. Bradley and Hannah Cunningham placed eighth with their time of 51.14.

In Race 2 for 4-Man bobsled, Horn, Abdul-Saboor, Powell and Adams took first with a time of 1:35.46, followed by Gadbois, Collin Storms, Cheek and Niederhofer in second with a time of 1:35.72, Fisher, Chase, Rogers and Zaccardo in eighth with a time of 1:37.00 and Mercer, Rodriguez, Baylus and Jetter in ninth with a time of 1:37.09. 

In 2-Woman race 2, Brzozowski and Jones placed second with a time of 1:39.47, and Bradley and Cunningham placed sixth with a time of 1:42.16.

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About USA Bobsled/Skeleton

USA Bobsled/Skeleton is the national governing body for the sports of bobsled and skeleton racing in the United States. Based in Lake Placid, NY, USA Bobsled/Skeleton oversees the development and training of American athletes at all levels of competition.