USBSF Hall of Fame induction Saturday

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February 22, 2012

Anonymous Press-Republican The Press Republican Wed Feb 22, 2012, 02:23 AM EST

LAKE PLACID — The U.S. Bobsled and Skeleton Federation (USBSF) will induct its second class of Hall of Fame members at 2 p.m. this Saturday, Feb. 25.

The event will take place after the first two heats of the World Championship four-man bobsled race at the Mt. Van Hoevenberg Lamy Lodge.

Tony Carlino, Brian Shimer, Jill Bakken, Stanley Benham, and Eddie Eagan will be the five inductees for this year's Hall of Fame.

"We have a rich history, and it's important for our current athletes to have a connection with that history," said Darrin Steele, USBSF Chief Executive Officer. "Recognizing former athletes and contributors to the sport that helped pave the way for where we are today is essential. It's also important for our future athletes to look at what today's champions have done to continue that legacy of success."

Fans are invited to reserve their tickets for the induction by 9 a.m. Thursday to get free admission to World Championship events on Saturday in addition to the Hall of Fame ceremony.

The USBSF Hall of Fame recognizes individuals who have made a significant contribution to the sports of bobsled and skeleton.

Carlino invested his career in the sport of bobsled as an athlete, coach, administrator, and as the manager of the Olympic Sports Complex. Carlino competed on the national team from 1976-1988 and was a medal winner in many national events before transitioning to a head coach and international federation jury, sports commission and track commission member. He is a proactive track manager that is fondly referred to as the "Bobfather" by competitors worldwide. Carlino has successfully hosted World Cup and World Championship events, fostered beneficial relationships with foreign nations, and continues to enable the development and success of the U.S. team.

As an athlete and coach, Shimer has helped create one of the strongest men's bobsled teams in U.S. history. Shimer began coaching in 2002 after an illustrious career spanning five Winter Olympic Games, which culminated with a bronze medal in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Since Shimer took the helm of the men's team, he's helped men's bobsled pilot Steven Holcomb make history. Holcomb broke a 50-year medal drought by winning the 2009 World Championship title in four-man, a 62-year gold medal drought by winning the 2010 Olympic four-man race, and most recently claimed the first-ever two-man bobsled World Championship title for the U.S. in Lake Placid just this Sunday.

Bakken was the youngest bobsledder in the history of competition at the age of 16. She teamed with Vonetta Flowers to win the inaugural women's bobsled Olympic gold at the 2002 Winter Olympic Games to help carve the path for women in bobsled. Bakken's win started the team on a trajectory of success by capturing the first U.S. bobsled gold medal since 1952. She and Flowers inspired generations of women's bobsledders that followed them, and fought to represent their country for the first time in the sport's history.

Stanley "Stan" Benham was an American bobsledder who won several World Championship, Olympic and North American Championship titles for the U.S. during his competitive career from the late 1940s to the early 1960s. Benham's World Championship titles were the first for the U.S. program. After retiring from competition, Benham served as an official with the international federation and did some commentary for televised bobsled competitions.

At the 1932 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, Eagan became the first and only person to ever win a gold medal in two different sports at both the Summer and Winter Olympic Games. Eagan competed as a boxer in the 1920 Summer Olympics, where he won gold in the light heavyweight division.

Twelve years later, Eagan arrived in Lake Placid and competed with pilot Billy Fiske and fellow push athletes Clifford "Tippy" Grey and Jay O'Brien to win the four-man Olympic gold medal in 1932.

He was the first of only four Olympians to medal in both the Winter and Summer Games, and remains the only competitor to win gold medals in both.