Delaney: Grimmette knows how Hamlin feels

Mark Grimmette has been here before.

One member of the top U.S. men's doubles luge team has been to four Olympics. Grimmette is going for his fifth this fall and third with partner Brian Martin.

Grimmette and Martin have pre-qualified for the U.S.'s 2010 Olympic Luge Team, as has Remsen's Erin Hamlin. Grimmette and Martin can finalize their qualification with a top 5 finish in any of the first four World Cup series races. Hamlin, as the reigning women's singles World Champion, is in the same situation. Earlier this week, Hamlin said she'd like to nail down a spot as soon as possible.

Grimmette, who earned a silver medal with Martin at the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City, said his place on two of those Olympic teams came down to the fourth and final fall series World Cup race.

"As each race goes by, and you don't accomplish what you need to do, you feel stress," Grimmette said. "You get ramped up a little bit."

Being "ramped up" is not conducive to a good run in a sport where the athletes are navigating a small sled down a narrow track at speeds up to 90 miles per hour. A cool head is the way to go on an ice-covered track.

History is on Martin and Grimmette's side this year. They've done well at all four of the tracks hosting the fall races (Calgary, Igls, Austria, Altenberg, Germany and Lillehammer, Norway).

The biggest challenge among the four is Altenberg, in eastern Germany on the border with the Czech Republic.

"Altenberg is a tough one for us," Grimmette said. "We have had good races there but it's been a long time.

We know what he have to do."