US kicks off America’s Cup finale with sweep
By LOU REUTER, Enterprise Senior Sports WriterArticle Photos
LAKE PLACID - United States bobsledders John Napier and Bree Schaaf drove to victory Wednesday in the opening event of the America's Cup season finale in Lake Placid.
Although Napier and Schaaf are among some of the younger drivers of the U.S. team, they headed into the two-man bobsled competition after posting some solid results on this season's recently completed World Cup tour and the World Championships, which were held on the same mile-long track at Mount Van Hoevenberg.
Wednesday's men's and women's races were two-heat contests. Napier, along with his brakeman Steven Langton, put down the fastest times in each run to top a men's field that started with 18 sleds. Meanwhile, Schaaf, and her push athlete Tracy Call, turned in the fastest opening heat and the second-best second run to beat out a women's field featuring seven sleds.
Napier said he was fortunate to team up with Langton, who was back racing for the first time since being sidelined from hip surgery last October. Langton, a resident of Melrose, Mass., won the 2008 U.S. men's push championships, and he helped Napier turn in a personal-best start time on their first run.
"It was great having the opportunity to race with Steve," Napier said. "It was his first time back on the ice this season and he did a great job. I had two really good runs today, especially my first run. There isn't as much pressure in a race like this as there is in the big races, but you always want to win. This is my home track, and really, if I didn't win, I would have looked bad."
Napier, who competed on both the senior World Cup level and at the World Championships this season, turned in consistent runs of 57.24 and 57.48 seconds for a winning 1:54.72 total.
"This was a big win," Langton said. "It's my first time back, I'm feeling better than I have in years, and Napes and I always have a lot of fun sliding together. It was a great day for us."
U.S. driver Grayson Fertig and his brakeman Christopher Fogt finished runner-up with a 1:55.68 total, which included the second-fastest times in each heat. Fertig made up time near the bottom of the track on his second run to edge out third-place finisher Hiroshi Suzuki of Japan, who drove to a 1:55.86 total.
"I always want to win, and I always expect to win, but finishing second to John, I'm pretty happy with that," Fertig said. "I'm always proud to be in a race with John. We are the young guys on the team, and I think John and I will be racing together for a long time."
Canada's Adam Anderson and Chris Ripley finished fourth in 1:56.48 and Milan Jagnesak and Robert Krestanko of Slovakia rounded out the top five with a 1:56.74 total.
A dozen nations from around the globe had teams competing in Wednesday's men's race, including four from the U.S. Also for the Americans, driver Ethan-Albrecht-Carrie and his brakeman Ryan Greer finished sixth in 1:57.01 and Dehan Chase drove to a 16-place result, joining brakeman Avian Jordan to finish in 2:01.10.
Schaaf, who has competed in just two senior World Cup races and participated in her first World Championships this past February, came through by a narrow margin to top Canadian driver Amanda Stepenko and her brakeman Shelly-Ann Brown. Schaaf and Call took the top spot in the first heat with a 59.07 run, and finished second in heat No. 2, which ultimately gave them the win by a mere five-hundredths of a second over Stepenko. They triumphed with a 1:58.26 total, with Stepenko and Brown finishing with a 1:58.31 runner-up total. Belgian driver Elfje Willemsen and Evi Petro placed third in 2:00.86, and Aoife Hoey and Leona Byrne of Ireland took fourth in 2:01.79.
U.S. teams placed fifth and sixth. Driver Jamie Greubel and her brakeman Amy Greubel, who are cousins, rounded out the top five in 2:02.30, while Jazmine Fenlator and her brakeman Jamie Kovac finished sixth in 2:03.00.
America's Cup racing at Mount Van Hoevenberg runs through Saturday. Thursday's slate includes more men's and women's two-man racing, Friday features skeleton and four-man bobsled competitions, with the season wrapping up Saturday with another four-man event.
