TeamUSATracker: February 17, 2020
Biathlon, Luge, Speedskating & Sailing pick up World Championships Medals, Look Ahead at Bobsled, Curling, Fencing, Golf, & Tennis
Team USA Tracker: February 17, 2020
@TeamUSATracker
Thoughts and Feedback email me back at 247teamusa@gmail.com
THE STARTING BLOCKS
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP WINNERS
Congrats to Susan Dunklee for winning World Championship Silver on Valentine’s Day
She remains the only US Women Biathlete to win a World Championship Medal
Also Congrats to USA Luge - - The Mixed Relay Team took home Bronze -
Summer Britcher, Tucker West and Chris Mazdzer/Jayson Terdiman (who both have been overcoming injuries to compete) took bronze in Sochi.
Then Home Ice Advantage for the Speed Skating Track Distance Championships Joey Mantia took home a bronze in 1500M in Salt Lake City
And finally congrats to Team Shuster and Team Peterson (Team Roth skipped by Tabitha Peterson) on winning USA Curling Championships. Team Shuster and Team Ruohenon played a great game that Ruohenon matched Shuster shot by shot but in the 10th Shuster got the steal and the win.
Team Shuster and Team Peterson will both head to World Championships now
Women’s Curling Worlds are Prince George, British Columbia, Canada - March 14 to March 22
Men’s Curling Worlds are in Glasgow, Scotland starting March 28 ending April 5th. Team Shuster announced post the win they would be taking Colin Hufman from Team Ruohonen as an alternate.
I still have not seen who Team Peterson might be taking as an alternate
Next up for USA Curling is the Mixed Doubles Championships- Feb 27th to March 1 in Bemidji,
Minnesota.
List of participating teams:
Cory Christensen & John Shuster
Vicky Persinger & Chris Plys
Sarah Anderson & Korey Dropkin
Becca Hamilton & Matt Hamilton
Tabitha Peterson & Joe Polo
Alex Agre & Derrick McLean
Madison Bear & Andrew Stopera
Christine McMakin & Riley Fenson
Cristin Clark & Chris Bond
Monica Walker & Alex Leichter
🥇 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS BOBSLED PREVIEW
Bobsled & Skeleton World Championships start this week
2 Woman Bobsled and 2 Man Bobsled start this weekend in Altenberg, Germany (big home ice advantage for German) and they finish up next weekend with when 4 Man Bobsled, Skeleton (Man, Woman, Mixed Team).
Tracker Note 4 Woman Bobsled is not a World Championship event even though I think it should be added to the Bobsled World Cup and World Championship and Woman Monobob which will be added in 2022 Beijing is not an event either. (Monobob is competed by both genders at Youth Olympics)
The USA Bobsled Team both men and women skipped this past weekend World Cup in Latvia to train for World Championships
Leading the Women Bobsled is driver Kaillie Humphries competing in her first World Championships for Team USA. Humphries won 4 of 7 races on the World Cup Tour this year but skipped Latvia so lost her overall lead and finished 4th overall in the World Cup standings.
PyeongChang, Sochi Silver Medalist and Vancouver Bronze Medalist Elena Meyers Taylor is sitting out the 2019-2020 as she is pregnant with her first child but the USA Women’s Bobsled team is very deep and good.
Leading the Men’s Bobsled Team is Hunter Church who this season in the World Cup got Team USA first medal on the World Cup since 2017 in 4 Man Bobsled earlier this year in Innsbruck.
Re World Championships, USA could contend for medals in 2 Woman Bobsled and 4 Man Bobsled but Germany will have a huge home track advantage they will need to overcome
Also sound smart to your Bobsled Friends: Being a Junior is Bobsled is for anyone 26 and under so 3 of the 4 best pilots for Team USA are still considered juniors (Hunter Church, Codie Bascue, & Geoff Gadbois)
USA Bobsled/Skeleton will likely announce the teams later this week but assuming team might look like this
Women Drivers: Kaillie Humphries (USA 1), Brittany Reinbolt (USA 2), Kristi Koplin (USA 3)
Push Athletes: Lauren Gibbs, Sylvia Hoffamn, Jazmine Jones
Men Drivers: Hunter Church (USA 1) , Codie Bascue (USA 2), Geoff Gadbois or Nick Cunningham (USA 3)
Men Push Athletes who competed in World Cup : Kris Horn, Jimmy Reed, Josh Williamson, Kyle Wilcox (USA 1),
Rest of Men Push Athletes named to USA Team: Adrian Adams, Chris Avery, Michael Fogt, Dakota Lynch, Blake McConnell
Women Skeleton: Megan Henry, Savannah Graybill, Kendell Wesenberg
Men Skeleton: Austin Florian, Andrew Blaser, Alex Ivanov
🥈Olympic Qualification Watch
USA Sailing sent 5 sailors to Tokyo this past weekend
Nacra: Riley Gibbs & Anna Weis
49erFX: Stephanie Roble & Maggie Shea who won Bronze and World Championships locking up Olympic Berth and then qualifying
Men Laser: Charlie Buckingham
49er: Nevin Snow & Dane Wilson put Team USA in position to qualify in 49er as first alternate so if another team drops out
Full Coverage Here
https://www.ussailing.org/news/aus-worlds20-r1/
THIS WEEKEND WATCH FENCING
Qualification could happen for Team USA Women Foil Team. They are in 4th position coming into the team event in Kazan, Russia which would be automatic qualification but they because Canada is in 6th place there is a scenario that Team USA Foil might not qualify if they finish 6th overall and Canada is 5th overall in the final standings.
Also the Men's Foil World Cup is in Cairo this weekend.
As laid out in depth by @TeamUSATracker - The US Men have 4 men in the Top 8 in the FIE Rankings competing for 3 individuals spot so this competition will be fierce.
Here are the current rankings for Men’s Foil according to USA Fencing
1) Gerek Meinhardt 2) Alexander Massialias 3) Nick Itkin 4) Race Imboden 5) Miles Chamley-Watson
https://www.usafencing.org/page/show/695494-senior-junior-cadet-and-veteran-men-s-foil-points
In addition to Cairo Grand Prix, US Men Foil Fencers will have 2 US Event the Anaheim Grand Prix in March and April Division 1 National Championships in St Louis to pick up points
This is the last team competition of the year for 2019 World Champions Men’s Foil Team who as a team will hope to get a medal at the Olympics and improve from their bronze medal finish in 2016.
🥉COUNTDOWN AND TOP EVENTS THIS WEEK
This Week
Tennis
Check out Delray Beach Open: 12 Americans in Draw
Taylor Fritz, Reilly Opelka, Frances Tiafoe, Jack Sock, Ryan Harrison, Mackenzie McDonald, Brandon Nakashima, Tommy Paul, Noah Rubin, & Steve Johnson
Dubai: Sofia Kenin (now #5 in Live Rankings ) will face Elena Rybakina (who is now in the Top 20) after making the Finals in St. Petersburg in the 1st Round.
Jennifer Brady qualified for Dubai but faces #3 Elina Svitolina
World Golf Championship:
Dustin Johnson looks to win again in Mexico.
The big story re Olympics is the list of Americans who might make the USA Golf Olympic Team not playing in Mexico where they are guaranteed World Ranking points including Tiger Woods, Brooks Koepka, Patrick Cantlay, & Rickie Fowler.
COUNTDOWN:
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
4 Days Until Bobsled World Championships
12 Days Until USA Sevens Rugby in Los Angeles (11 Days Until LA Invitational Sevens begin)
25 Days Until Short Track Speed Skating World Championships
26 Days Until Women's Curling World Championships
30 Days Until Figure Skating World Championships
OLYMPIC QUALIFICATION:
25 Days Until Wrestling Pan American Qualification Tournament
32 Days Until Men’s Soccer Olympic Qualification Tournament
123 Days Until Track and Field US Trials
125 Days Until US Swimming Trials
129 Days Until 2020 US Gymnastics Trials
158 Days Until Tokyo Olympics