U.S. skeleton team warming up for world championships

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The U.S. men’s team placed three racers in the top 10 during the final 2008-2009 skeleton World Cup circuit in Park City, Utah today. Zach Lund finished in fourth, Eric Bernotas took fifth and Matt Antoine placed seventh.

“This was a nightmare of a season for me,” Lund told the U.S. Bobsled and Skeleton Federation. “I see it as a learning opportunity and a chance to make myself better, and I realize how hard I need to work for next year mentally and physically.

‘I spent three years at the top of my game and I got my butt kicked this year,’ said Lund, who won the 2007 World Cup title and finished third last year in World Cup points. ‘It certainly put me in my place.”

The team will race later this month at the World Championships in Lake Placid, N.Y.

Lund said that his crew worked overtime on Wednesday to get his sled ready. It had been ‘chopped into pieces last night and welded back together again,” Lund said. “I got it straightened out, but it was very stiff to drive. It was running straight, but not where it needs to be yet.”

Alexander Tretiakov, also known as the Russian Rocket, won the gold medal. Germany’s Florian Grassl and Frank Rommel finished second and third, respectively.

Bernotas finished the 2008-09 World Cup season in 10th position with 1,160 points. Lund was 11th with 1,132 points and Antoine was 14th with 832 points. Antoine, however, competed in five out of eight World Cup events.

Bernotas is hoping that his home track at Lake Placid will prove to be a benefit: ‘We started to make some gains, and I’m humbly confident that we can do well in Lake Placid for the World Championships.”

-- Greg Johnson