Athletes of the Year Announced

At the annual National Luge Committee meeting on Saturday, 1976 and 1980 luge Olympian John Fee of Naples, Fla., was elected to serve a four-year team as the president of the USA Luge executive board. Fee, who has served on the executive board as its secretary for 20 years, begins his term immediately. He replaces Dwight Bell of Atlanta, Georgia, who chose not to run for a second four-year term to focus his efforts on relations with the International Luge Federation. Bell also served as president from 1989-1998, while his last term began in 2006.

USA Luge also announced its Athlete and Team of the Year awards. 2010 Olympian Erin Hamlin of Remsen, N.Y took the female athlete of the year award after winning three World Cup medals during the 2009-10 World Cup season. Tony Benshoof of White Bear Lake Minn. took the award in the men’s category, while Mark Grimmette of Muskegon, Mich. and Brian Martin of Palo Alto, Calif. won the Team of the Year award. The Junior female Athlete ofthe Year award was given to Emily Sweeney of Suffield, Conn., while Shane Hook ofGrapevine, Texas won Junior Male Athlete of the Year honors.

In other meeting news, Pete Motta of River Falls, Mass., former Junior National Team assistant coach, was elected as executive board secretary for the next two years and the organization also approved its 2010-2011 operating budget.

In other luge news, the International Luge Federation congress begins on Friday, June 18 in Sochi, Russia.