Lake Placid (pps) Julia Clukey, Tucker West and Matt Mortensen-Preston Griffal have won the USA Luge Start Championships, carried out at the indoor refrigerated training center in Lake Placid. The competition tested start reaction to a gate that swung from closed to open to begin each heat. After her recovery from a back injury two-time Olympian Julia Clukey held off former junior World champion Kate Hansen as well as former World champion Erin Hamlin to second and third place respectively. Tucker West, who became the youngest ever US start champion of all times last year, successfully defended his title. West, who earned the gold medal in the Team Relay Event with his teammates at the Youth Olympic Games in Innsbruck, defeated Chris Mazdzer and Nick Gerardi. Matt Mortensen-Preston Griffal took the title in the doubles; Christian Niccum-Jayson Terdiman did not compete as Niccum is still recovering from a back injury and will be getting back to action not before January 2013.