The Australian Bobsleigh and Skeleton Association has named four women in the National Touring Team to contest World Cup skeleton events in a campaign for representation at the Torino 2006 Olympic Winter Games.
The Australian Bobsleigh and Skeleton Association has named four women in the National Touring Team to contest World Cup skeleton events in a campaign for representation at the Torino 2006 Olympic Winter Games.
The four came out on top in a three-event selection trial last weekend in Lake Placid, New York.
Named in the team are Michelle Steele, the fastest slider on all three days of the trials, Emma Lincoln-Smith, Melissa Hoar and Bindee Johnston.
Steele and Hoar will travel to Calgary, Canada, for the opening World Cup of the season on November 9. Lincoln-Smith and Johnson are remaining in Lake Placid to prepare for the second World Cup which commences on November 14.
The novel approach of splitting the team and alternating events has been adopted in the belief that retaining four World Cup sliders will give athletes more time to prepare on each track and reduce the amount of international travel they face.
"The four of us who have won through to the World Cup National Touring are obviously thrilled and really looking forward to the job we have in front of us," said Steele.
"It's going to be a tough competition, with everyone improving all the time, and just 15 places available in the Torino field."
Seven female skeleton athletes contested the Lake Placid trials, with the four who made the World Cup National Touring Team all emerging from the Australian Institute of Sport talent identification research program that was established last year.
Two others from that program, Bronwyn Magdulski and Nicole Apps, and America's Cup competitor Kim Hardy all missed the cut at the trials.
"We were delighted with how well all the athletes performed," said ABSA President Henry Jolson.
"Michelle Steele's effort in finishing first in the trials - and recording such good times along the way - has been a great achievement given how little experience she has had in the sport."
"I'm sure that Kim, Bronwyn and Nicole, the three athletes who missed out, will be disappointed. They have put in an enormous amount of work to get to this point in the process and have sacrificed a lot They should be very proud of what they have achieved."
"The whole effort to gain Australian skeleton representation in Torino has certainly benefited from their involvement."
Australia must be ranked among the top eight skeleton nations in order to qualify one woman for the Torino Games, and ranked among the top three countries to qualify two women.
Following the two North American events, the World Cup circuit moves to Europe, with events in Igls, Austria, Sigulda, Latvia, and Konigsee, Germany.
The four came out on top in a three-event selection trial last weekend in Lake Placid, New York.
Named in the team are Michelle Steele, the fastest slider on all three days of the trials, Emma Lincoln-Smith, Melissa Hoar and Bindee Johnston.
Steele and Hoar will travel to Calgary, Canada, for the opening World Cup of the season on November 9. Lincoln-Smith and Johnson are remaining in Lake Placid to prepare for the second World Cup which commences on November 14.
The novel approach of splitting the team and alternating events has been adopted in the belief that retaining four World Cup sliders will give athletes more time to prepare on each track and reduce the amount of international travel they face.
"The four of us who have won through to the World Cup National Touring are obviously thrilled and really looking forward to the job we have in front of us," said Steele.
"It's going to be a tough competition, with everyone improving all the time, and just 15 places available in the Torino field."
Seven female skeleton athletes contested the Lake Placid trials, with the four who made the World Cup National Touring Team all emerging from the Australian Institute of Sport talent identification research program that was established last year.
Two others from that program, Bronwyn Magdulski and Nicole Apps, and America's Cup competitor Kim Hardy all missed the cut at the trials.
"We were delighted with how well all the athletes performed," said ABSA President Henry Jolson.
"Michelle Steele's effort in finishing first in the trials - and recording such good times along the way - has been a great achievement given how little experience she has had in the sport."
"I'm sure that Kim, Bronwyn and Nicole, the three athletes who missed out, will be disappointed. They have put in an enormous amount of work to get to this point in the process and have sacrificed a lot They should be very proud of what they have achieved."
"The whole effort to gain Australian skeleton representation in Torino has certainly benefited from their involvement."
Australia must be ranked among the top eight skeleton nations in order to qualify one woman for the Torino Games, and ranked among the top three countries to qualify two women.
Following the two North American events, the World Cup circuit moves to Europe, with events in Igls, Austria, Sigulda, Latvia, and Konigsee, Germany.
