JetBlue Airways U.S. National Start Championships slated for Friday

LAKE PLACID, N.Y. --- Catch all of the excitement of the annual JetBlue Airways U.S. National Luge Start Championships on-line, at www.usaluge.org, Friday, Oct. 9, beginning at 7 p.m. America's top luge athletes will be racing head-to-head on the indoor, fully-refrigerated start ramps at USA Luge's headquarters in Lake Placid, N.Y.  The event will be carried live on the USA Luge EarthCam, with enhanced data services provided by West World Media.

USA Luge's Ashley Walden (Westborough, Mass.) is eyeing her 10^th-career start championship crown.  The 26-year-old is coming off a silver medal finish at the Meransan, Italy international start championships in September.

American Chris Mazdzer (Saranac Lake, N.Y.) will try to defend a pair of wins from last year's race... the men's singles crown and the doubles title, won with teammate Jayson Terdiman (Berwick, Pa.).  During that race, the pair set a new track record of 1.23 seconds.

Absent from Friday's race will be Walden's teammate, Julia Clukey (Augusta, Maine), who underwent knee surgery on Sept. 30 to repair a torn meniscus in her right knee.  The 24-year-old suffered the injury while wheel training earlier this summer and is expected to return to off-season training next week.  

During Friday's race, be sure to log on to http://www.usaluge.org/contest.php for your chance to win a pair round-trip airline tickets from JetBlue Airways to anywhere they serve in the continental United States.  All participants in the contest must be at least 18 years of age and at least a permanent resident of the United States to be eligible.  The winner will be randomly selected and notified by phone and/or email within 72-hours of the giveaway, no purchase necessary and only one entry per person.