Tucker West sets record at U.S. Start Championships

Lake Placid (FIL/18 Aug. 2023) On Friday, August 18, 2023, the annual U.S. Start Championships were held at the USA Luge headquarters in Lake Placid.

The event, located at 57 Church Street, was open to the public and admission was free. The annual start championships are used by the U.S. National Team to monitor progress in the all-important start technique.

For the eleventh time, Tucker West of Ridgefield, Connecticut won the Norton Start competition, setting a new record. The speedy starter edged out national teammates Jonny Gustafson of Massena, Connecticut, and Marcus Mueller of Brookfield, Wisconsin.

Defending women's champion Summer Britcher of Glen Rock, Pennsylvania, was followed by Ashley Farquharson of Park City, Utah, and Elana Morrison of Twin Lake, Michigan.

Zack DiGregorio of Medway, Massachusetts, and Sean Hollander of Lake Placid were the fastest in the men's doubles, ahead of Marcus Mueller and Ansel Haugsjaa (Framingham, Massachusetts). Dana Kellogg of Chesterfield, Massachusetts, and Frank Ike of Lititz, Pennsylvania, were third.

In the women's doubles, Chevonne Forgan of Chelmsford, Massachusetts and Sophie Kirkby of Ray Brook defeated Maya Chan of Chicago, Illinois, and Elana Morrison, who was filling in for Reannyn Weiler.

The start championship format consists of three timed heats with the lowest overall time winning. The first two heats are normal starts and the third is a reaction start. Held annually in late summer and early fall, the competition marks the countdown to the teams' return to the ice and the crucial training camps in preparation for the EBERSPAECHER World Cup Series.