News stories tagged with "torino"

(04/04/06) Two months after a disappointing run at the Winter Olympics in Torino, the U-S Bobsled and Skeleton Federation has named a new acting director. Terry Kent is a former Olympian who has been sports director with the Lake Placid-based Federation for two years. Kent takes over following a series of scandals involving former skeleton coach Tim Nardiello. The team's top men's slider, Zach Lund, was also disqualified for using a banned hair-growth supplement. Leading women's slider, Noelle Pikus-Pace, was sidelines by injuries. The Federation accounted for a third of America's gold medals in 2002, but only claimed one silver medal in Torino. The controversy exposed deep rifts with US Olympic Committee officials in Park City. Kent told Brian Mann that he plans to rebuild and hopes to keep the organization in Lake Placid.

(02/28/06) The Winter Olympics are all done in Turin, Italy. It was a rocky few weeks for some of America's athletes. Lake Placid's sled teams fell far short of the medal count that they racked up four years ago in Salt Lake City. The U.S. Hockey team melted down. Brian Mann has been checking in with Lake Placid photographer Nancie Battaglia, who was our correspondent at the games. She's back home now and told Brian that the Winter Olympics had plenty of highs as well as lows.

(02/24/06) Sasha Cohen has extended the US medal streak in women's figure skating to 11 consecutive Olympics. Cohen landed the silver medal, finishing second behind Japan's Shizuka Arakawa. World champion Irina Slutskaya was the bronze medal winner. Americans Kimmie Meissner and Emily Hughes took the sixth and seventh spots. It was a beautiful, but grueling, evening. Cohen fell twice, on her first two jumps. Slutskaya fell once in her performance. The stadium was sold out, as usual. Figure skating is among the most popular events at the Winter Games. It's one of the most graceful sports. It's also one of the most punishing for young athletes. This year, Michele Kwan was forced to bow out because of injuries. Sasha Cohen competed despite a reported pulled groin muscle. Some critics blame the high rate of injuries on the design of boots and skates first invented a century ago. Brian Mann has the story.

(02/24/06) The Olympic figure skating competition in Torino, Italy, featured a sheet of gleaming ice created by an expert from Lake Placid's Olympic Regional Development Authority. Denny Allen is one of 15 technical experts, judges and coaches from the north country who've taken part in this year's Winter Games.

(02/22/06) Following two month's of scandal and turmoil, U.S. sled teams based in Lake Placid claimed their first Olympic medal on Tuesday. A women's two-person bobsled claimed a silver medal at Turin. Gregory Warner spoke with Nancie Battaglia, who was trackside for the race.

(02/21/06) The Olympics continue today in Italy. Vermontville native Bill Demong competed Tuesday in the Nordic combined, an event that combines ski jumping with cross-country racing. He finished 25th in a field of 49 racers. Brian Mann caught up with Bill's mother Helen while the race was still underway.

(02/20/06) America's sled teams struggled again over the weekend in Turin, Italy. The two-man bobsled combination of Todd Hayes and Pavle Jovanovic finished seventh in Olympic competition, despite being favored for a gold medal. In a prepared statement, Hayes said he didn't "feel real good about it". Team officials based in Lake Placid say heavy snow made track conditions difficult.

On Saturday, two Adirondack biathlon racers from Lake Placid and Paul Smiths competed in the 12.5 kilometer ski-and-shoot competition. Our correspondent Nancie Battaglia was at the track in the Alps and spoke with Brian Mann.

(02/17/06) Saturday in Turin, two ski racers from the Adirondacks will represent the U.S. in the biathlon. Tim Burke from Paul Smiths and Lowell Bailey from Lake Placid out-skied more mature American teammates to qualify for the exclusive 12.5 kilometer pursuit. Bill McKibben divides his time between the Adirondacks and Vermont. He spent a year training with America's best ski racers and wrote a book about the experience called Long Distance. Bill told Brian Mann that Burke and Bailey represent the future of America's biathlon program.

(02/17/06) It's been a tough week so far for America's sled racers in Turin, Italy. Katie Uehlander, who races on the skeleton sled, finished in a disappointing sixth place yesterday. Women's luge hopeful Samantha Retrosi, from Lake Placid, crashed on Monday and suffered a concussion. Doubles luge racers Brian Martin and Mark Grimmette, both from Lake Placid, also crashed Wednesday on Turin's highly technical sled track. Our correspondent Nancie Battaglia has been watching the races. She told Brian Mann that Grimmette and Martin had real hopes for winning gold.

(02/15/06) Earlier this week, Saranac Lake luge slider Samantha Retrosi crashed during a race at the Olympics. Brian Mann spoke yesterday with Samantha's mother Alicia, who says her daughter is still being monitored by doctors in Italy after suffering a mild concussiona and memory loss.