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Competition begins with women’s skeleton on Thursday, Nov. 29 at 9 am MST. 2007 World Cup Champion Katie Uhlaender (Breckenridge, Colo.) will begin to defend her overall title after having won seven medals last season, including a World Championship bronze. Joining Uhlaender in the hunt for medals will be 2007 World Cup medalist Courtney Yamada (Boise, Idaho), and 2007 America’s Cup Champion Annie O’Shea (Port Jefferson Station, N.Y.), who will be making her World Cup debut in Calgary.

The men’s skeleton competition will follow the women on Thursday, Nov. 29 at 1 pm. 2007 World Cup Champion Zach Lund (Salt Lake City, Utah) will also look to add to his medal collection from last season, which includes a bronze World Championship medal. World Championship silver medalist Eric Bernotas (Avondale, Pa.) and 2007 World Cup medalist Caleb Smith (Lake Placid, N.Y.) will join Lund in the chase for medals.

Women’s bobsled will kick off the season on Friday, Nov. 30 at 2 pm. 2006 Olympic silver medalists Shauna Rohbock (Orem, Utah) and Valerie Fleming (Foster City, Calif.) placed second overall last season, and will begin their quest for the overall title on Friday. Erin Pac (Farmington, Conn.) made her driving debut on the World Cup circuit last season, and will be joined by rookie push athlete Michelle Rzepka (Novi, Mich.) for the start of the 2007-08 season as USA II.

Also on Friday, Nov. 30 will be the men’s two-man bobsled event at 6 pm. The U.S. will start the season with three sleds, piloted by 2007 World Cup Champion Steven Holcomb (Park City, Utah), 2007 two-man National Champion Mike Kohn (Myrtle Beach, S.C.), and World Cup veteran Stephan Bosch (Pleasant Grove, Utah). Holcomb will begin the season with Curt Tomasevicz (Shelby, Neb.), who helped push Holcomb to a gold medal on the 2006 Olympic track in Cesana, Italy last season. Joining Kohn and Bosch will be rookie push athletes Steve Langton (Melrose, Mass.) and Charles Berkeley (Concord, Calif.), respectively.

The Calgary World Cup will conclude with men’s four-man bobsled on Saturday, Dec. 1 at 4 pm. Holcomb will be pushed off the block with the help of Pavle Jovanovic (Tom’s River, N.J.), Brock Kreitzburg (Akron, Ohio) and Steve Mesler (Houston, Texas). Kohn will be joined by Jamie Moriarty (Winnetka, Ill.), TJ Burns (Blue Bell, Pa.) and Steve Langton (Melrose, Mass.), while Bosch’s USA III team will include Chris Fogt (Orem, Utah), Theron Johnson (Wheaton, Md.) and Chuck Berkeley (Concord, Calif.).

WHAT: Bobsled and Skeleton 2007-08 World Cup Season Opener

WHERE: Calgary, Alberta

WHEN: All times in MST:
· Thursday, Nov. 29: Women’s skeleton at 9 am, men’s skeleton 1 pm
· Friday, Nov. 30: Women’s bobsled at 2 pm, men’s two-man bobsled at 6 pm
· Saturday, Dec. 1: Men’s four-man bobsled at 4 pm

Media interested in attending the races can contact Amanda Bird, Marketing and Communications Manager for the USBSF, at (518) 523-1842, ext. 106 or abird@usbsf.com.

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, Columbia Sportswear Company, CW-X, KBC Helmets, Racing Electronics, Schenker Logistics, Speedo and Whelen Engineering. For more information, please visit the USBSF Web site at www.usbsf.com.