By Chris Callanan
When the 2002 Olympic Winter Games introduce the world to the fast-paced sport of skeleton, the United States' fastest slider, Tricia Stumpf, will be leading the way. Skeleton combines thrilling high speed and jaw-dropping danger as sliders approach 80 miles per hour while descending a track headfirst. Although Tricia is a newcomer to the sport, she has consistently been the US Team's best performer and has taken her place among the top three sliders internationally, making herself a serious medal contender for Salt Lake City.
Born in River Falls, Wisconsin, Stumpf was an avid outdoor athlete as a youngster. In high school she was a competitive skier. By the age of fifteen, she was ranked among the top 30 nationally in Giant Slalom and Slalom. Her competitive skiing career was derailed when Tricia's mother was tragically killed in an automobile accident in 1986.
Tricia graduated from the University of Utah in 1994 with a degree in Communication with a marketing emphasis. After college, Tricia worked in Park City both as a ski instructor and in various professional marketing capacities. During her time in Park City, she was introduced to the sport of skeleton and was instantly hooked. In 1999, when the IOC added skeleton to the 2002 Winter Games, Tricia decided to put her marketing career on hold to try out for the US Team.
Since devoting herself to skeleton full-time, Tricia has become an international sensation. She won the US National Championship in 2000 and 2001, setting the Park City Olympic track record at 50.74 seconds. She finished second at the World Cup event in LaPlange, France last December and third at the World Cup event in Ingls, Austria. At the 2001 World Championships in Calgary, Stumpf repeated her third place performance from the previous year.
Tricia continues to train and compete with the US Skeleton Team in preparation for the Salt Lake City Games. With each competition, Tricia's star continues to rise. She is the US Women's Team leading medal contender for the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City.
What is Skeleton?Skeleton drivers descend bobsled & luge tracks in a head first face down position. Skeleton speeds reach an excess of 80 m.p.h. with the athletes chin only inches off the ice.
Skeleton, the world's first sliding sport, was organized in the late 1880s in the village of St. Moritz, Switzerland. Men and women descended down the icy slopes from St. Moritz to the town of Celerina. The winner received a bottle of champagne. The invention of bobsled was actually two skeleton sleds tied together.
Skeleton appeared in the 1928 & 1948 Olympic Games. The sport faded from popularity in the 1970s, but the World Cup competition started up again in 1984.