COME OLYMPIC TIME, look for some familiar names on the leader board. Utahns are already starting to make the big push.
Steve Holcomb, a former Park City junior racer and track and field star, was recently named as an alternate on the U.S. Bobsled Team. He passed a series of tests given in July and was then invited back to Lake Placid for training.During trials at the Winter Sports Park last week, in his first try, he finished 8th out of 21.
His next big push will be into the front lines.
Although it's not an Olympic sport yet, skeleton could be if the Salt Lake Olympic Committee says so. And, if it is, keep an eye on Tristan Gale of Salt Lake City and Tricia Strumpf of Park City.
Gale is the No. 1 woman on the B team and Strumpf is No. 2.
Gale, 18, was a member of the Snowbird Ski Team. She attended a public track test for bobsled this summer, similar to the one Holcomb attended, and was invited to Lake Placid.
To gain some experience on the track she attended a skeleton school. And she liked it. She was then invited to train for the national team and, yes, she made the B team.
Chris Haeter of Park City, was the second name on the men's B team.
Gaining a seat on the first-team skeleton crew was Lincoln Dewitt of Park City. His was the third name posted in the A team.
Gaining the No. 1 spot on the men's team was Jim Shea of Lake Placid. Juleigh Walker of West-point, N.Y., was the top woman slider.
Terry Holland of Pittsfield, Mass., was No. 2. Finishing up the A team for the women was Babs Isak-Kill of Devil Hills, N.C., and Fallon Vaughn of Dallas, Tex.
The placement of Vaughn completes the husband/wife skeleton team. Her husband, Robbie, was the fourth name placed on the A team.
Robbie and Fallon Vaughn, the parents of two children, are now teammates for the 1998-99 skeleton season.
Robbie Vaughn took a couple of training runs at the Winter Sports Park last year, liked it and returned a few months later with a group from Texas, which included his wife, for more training.
Neither expected to make the national team . . . but they did, as a team.
To help get more local involvement, the U.S. Bobsled and Skeleton Federation and the SLOC has started a program called "Learn to Bob."
At a cost of $20 per run, youths between 10 and 18 will be able to see if this is the sport for them.
The first session was today at the park. Two more are scheduled Dec. 11 and Dec. 18. Hours will be 4 to 5:30 p.m.
It is, says Patrick Brown, program director, an opportunity to "expand the sport of bobsled by informally offering any interested youth the experience and understanding of an Olympic sport offered right here in Utah."
For seating reservations call 435-655-0220.
U.S. drivers Jim Herbrich, in USA I, and Brian Shimer, in USA II, opened the World Cup season today.
The two will compete in two days of four-man and two-man competition in Calgary.
Steve Maiorca, head bobsled coach, doesn't expect his young U.S. team to burn up the track, but believes they can make a strong showing.
The Women's Bobsled Driving School is currently underway at the Sports Park.
Women from Jamaica, Japan, Poland, Puerto Rico, Hungary, Great Britain and, of course, the United States, are registered. The school will finish on Saturday.