The Utah Skeleton and Bobsled Association (USBA), in conjunction with the U.S. Bobsled and Skeleton Federation and the Utah Olympic Park, announce the first annual Push & Load in Park City, September 4th- 8th.

What started as a Summer Push Track Competition for National Team members has been expanded into a multi-day event to recruit athletes to the sports of bobsled and skeleton, while providing more experienced sliders the opportunity to hone their push start abilities in a competitive format.

USBA’s Executive Director, Don Croce, says the need for new athletes is critical. “We have an incredible World Cup Team right now, but the number of athletes in the pipeline needs to be increased significantly, especially in the sport of Bobsled and especially female athletes. Push and Load in Park City will make it easy for talented athletes to access our sports and give them a try.”

Push & Load in Park City will provide an Evaluation Day for U.S. National Team members to complete their off season evaluation testing requirements. For new athletes, the Evaluation Day is an opportunity to demonstrate their athleticism to U.S. Bobsled & Skeleton Federation coaches who look to events such as this to identify new talent for future development.

“There is a significant population living less than an hour’s drive of the Utah Olympic Park,” shares Greg Sand, Assistant Coach and Trainer for the U.S. Skeleton Team. “That’s a lot of athletes with easy access to one of only two tracks in our country. It just makes sense to set up shop for a few days and invite them to show us their skills. We can teach them the sport.”

Push & Load in Park City will also feed athletes’ head with a Seminar Day designed to provide a thorough overview of what every new and developing bobsled and skeleton athlete should know. Then on Race Day athletes put it all together to compete in the 2007 Bobsled & Skeleton International Push Competition—a competition where the sports’ national governing bodies from around the world have been invited to participate and all other sliders can compete in an “Open” category.

Push & Load in Park City is fortunate to have received support from the Shea Family Foundation. “This is exactly the type of event the Shea Foundation loves to support,” explains Jimmy Shea, the 2002 Olympic Gold Medalist for Skeleton. “Any time we can get kids interested in Winter Olympic sports, especially Skeleton and Bobsled, my foundation is there to help. The USBA has done a great job of bringing together some incredibly talented folks willing to share their knowledge of the sports. I only wish I had that type of introduction to the sport when I started!”

For more information on Push & Load in Park City please call 435-487-9019 or visit www.utahice.org.

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, Schenker Logistics, Speedo and Whelen Engineering. For more information, please visit the USBSF Web site at www.usbsf.com.