LAKE PLACID, N.Y.—The U.S. skeleton and bobsled teams will be competing in World Championships over the next two weeks in St. Moritz, Switzerland.  Host of the 1928 and 1948 Winter Olympics, the track was built in 1903, making it the oldest track in the world.

Unlike a World Cup race that consists of two heats in one day, the World Championships races will take place over two days, with two heats per day.  The World Champion in each of the five disciplines will be named based on the slider with the lowest combined time in four heats.

The schedule is as follows, with all times listed in Central European Time, which is six hours ahead of EST in the U.S.

• Women’s skeleton: Thursday, Jan. 25 at 1 p.m, and Friday, Jan. 26 at 1 p.m.
• Men’s skeleton: Friday, Jan. 26 at 9 a.m., and Saturday, Jan. 27 at 1:30 p.m.
• Men’s two-man bobsled: Saturday, Jan. 27 at 9 a.m., and Sunday, Jan. 28 at 9 a.m.
• Women’s bobsled: Friday, Feb. 2 at 9 a.m., and Saturday, Feb. 3 at 1:30 p.m.
• Men’s four-man bobsled: Saturday, Feb. 3 at 9 a.m., and Sunday, Feb. 4 at 9 a.m.
• FIBT Team race: Thursday, Feb. 1

Also being included in this year’s World Championship event will be an FIBT Team race, which was introduced during the Lake Placid, N.Y. World Cup.  Each nation will choose its top male and female skeleton and bobsled athlete, and each athlete will take a run in his or her discipline for a time. The team with the lowest total time will be named World Champion in the Nation race.

So far this season, the U.S. bobsled and skeleton teams have won twenty-five medals in twenty-five World Cup events, making it the best season ever. 

The athlete ranked first in overall World Cup standings is granted a waiver into World Championships. Because the U.S. has sliders ranked first in both men’s and women’s skeleton, all eight World Cup sliders will be permitted to slide in World Championships.

In women’s skeleton, Katie Uhlaender (Breckenridge, Colo.) enters World Championships ranked first in the world after winning four gold medals and a silver.  Ranked second overall is Noelle Pikus-Pace (Orem, Utah), who won silver and a bronze medal this season.  Adding to the medal count is Courtney Yamada (Boise, Idaho), who won her first World Cup medal this season, a bronze, and enters the competition in St. Moritz ranked fourth.  Bree Schaaf-Boyer (Bremerton, Wash.) has had impressive results despite a sprained ankle, ranked ninth in overall World Cup standings. 

Zach Lund (Salt Lake City, Utah) is World Cup leader, having won two gold and a silver medal leading up to the World Championships. Eric Bernotas (Avondale, Pa.) is ranked second in overall World Cup standings, adding a gold and bronze medal to the overall count. Ranked seventh overall is Chris Hedquist (Salt Lake City, Utah), and in tenth is Caleb Smith (Lake Placid, N.Y.) who won a silver medal on his home track in Lake Placid.

For men’s bobsled, Steven Holcomb (Park City, Utah) has won six World Cup medals this season, including three gold. Holcomb is ranked first in overall two-man standings, and second in overall four-man standings. Pushing with Holcomb will be athletes Steve Mesler (Calgary, Alberta), Pavle Jovanovic (Tom’s River, N.J.) and Brock Kreitzburg (Akron, Ohio).

Because Holcomb is the current world leader, two other U.S. sleds have qualified to compete. Drivers Mike Kohn (Chantilly, Va.) and Stephan Bosch (Park City, Utah) will be sliding with push athletes TJ Burns (Blue Bell, Pa.), Alex Sprague (Indianapolis, Ind.), Tim O’Mara (Salt Lake City, Utah), and Curt Tomasevicz (Lincoln, Nebraska).

In women’s bobsled, Shauna Rohbock (Orem, Utah) is ranked second in overall standings with brakewoman Valerie Fleming (Foster City, Calif.), claiming two gold, a silver and bronze this season. Joining Rohbock and Fleming will be Erin Pac (Farmington, Conn.) and Emily Azevedo (Chico, Calif.), who both made their World Cup debut last week in Igls, Austria, and push athlete Julie Childress (Advance, N.C.).

The World Championships in St. Moritz will be televised nationally on SPEED Channel from Jan. 28- Feb. 4. Men’s and women’s skeleton will be aired on Sunday, Jan. 28 at 12 p.m., followed by men’s two-man bobsled at 1 p.m.  On Saturday, Feb. 3 at 1 p.m. the women’s bobsled race will be aired, and on Sunday, Feb. 4 the four-man competition will be televised at 1 p.m. All times are in Eastern Standard Time. 

For LIVE results during the races, visit www.bobsleigh.com, the Web site of the Fédération International de Bobsleigh et de Tobogganning (FIBT).