Delaney: Hamlin and Americans training in Italy
With a break in the World Cup luge schedule this week to allow for the European Championships, Erin Hamlin and her U.S. teammates are training in Italy in preparation for the final race before next month's Winter Olympics.
Some European nations are following a similar strategy. The Germans, Italians and Austrian Olympic sleds are foregoing the championships in Latvia in favor of team testing.
The Americans will use the extra time for extra runs on the Cesana, Italy track that hosted the 2006 Winter Olympics. The Italian track, the site the season's eighth World Cup series race Jan. 30-31, has similarities to the Whistler track outside of Vancouver where the Olympic luge competition will be Feb. 13-17.
"It's good to have a good week of training," Hamlin said. "This is a good build up to Whistler, the speed and the technical aspects to get a lot of runs on."
Racing on a technical track such as Cesana and Whistler requires more skill from the slider, more driving, to get a clean run. Hamlin said the athletes will get approximately 20 runs this week in Cesana and additional runs next week before the World Cup race.
Hamlin spoke on a conference call from near Cesana, in northwest Italy on the French border, with teammates Tony Benshoof, Mark Grimmette and Brian Martin. Benshoof, a Minnesota native, is USA Luge's all-time singles leader in international medals. Grimmette and Martin are a doubles team and are the U.S.'s all-time leaders in international medals with 65.
Grimmette, who is from Michigan, and Martin, from California, won a silver medal at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City and a bronze at the 1998 Games in Nagano, Japan.
"It's a difficult track and it requires you to be precise and comfortable with the equipment," Martin said.
Hamlin is not spending much time this week dwelling on the Olympics. The Games are four weeks away, and Hamlin is maintaining a week-by-week, one-race-at-a-time focus. She was ninth at Cesana last year.
"The tracks still have so many differences and we have a race next week that I'm thinking about more because I have to compete on that track in a week-and-a-half," Hamlin said.
Some European nations are following a similar strategy. The Germans, Italians and Austrian Olympic sleds are foregoing the championships in Latvia in favor of team testing.
The Americans will use the extra time for extra runs on the Cesana, Italy track that hosted the 2006 Winter Olympics. The Italian track, the site the season's eighth World Cup series race Jan. 30-31, has similarities to the Whistler track outside of Vancouver where the Olympic luge competition will be Feb. 13-17.
"It's good to have a good week of training," Hamlin said. "This is a good build up to Whistler, the speed and the technical aspects to get a lot of runs on."
Racing on a technical track such as Cesana and Whistler requires more skill from the slider, more driving, to get a clean run. Hamlin said the athletes will get approximately 20 runs this week in Cesana and additional runs next week before the World Cup race.
Hamlin spoke on a conference call from near Cesana, in northwest Italy on the French border, with teammates Tony Benshoof, Mark Grimmette and Brian Martin. Benshoof, a Minnesota native, is USA Luge's all-time singles leader in international medals. Grimmette and Martin are a doubles team and are the U.S.'s all-time leaders in international medals with 65.
Grimmette, who is from Michigan, and Martin, from California, won a silver medal at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City and a bronze at the 1998 Games in Nagano, Japan.
"It's a difficult track and it requires you to be precise and comfortable with the equipment," Martin said.
Hamlin is not spending much time this week dwelling on the Olympics. The Games are four weeks away, and Hamlin is maintaining a week-by-week, one-race-at-a-time focus. She was ninth at Cesana last year.
"The tracks still have so many differences and we have a race next week that I'm thinking about more because I have to compete on that track in a week-and-a-half," Hamlin said.
posted by Anne Delaney at
12:07 PM
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