Winter fast approaching for USA Luge, which opens its 2010-11 training camp season on Friday

USA Luge team to open training camp Friday

LAKE PLACID, N.Y. — Former women’s world champion Erin Hamlin and three-time Olympian Tony Benshoof are among 14 athletes who will be part of USA Luge’s season-opening training camp starting Friday.

It’ll be the first camp overseen by five-time Olympian Mark Grimmette, who retired from sliding a month after the Vancouver Games and is now USA Luge’s sport program manager.

Vancouver Olympians Julia Clukey, Chris Mazdzer and Christian Niccum are expected to be part of the camp as well, as is 2006 Turin Games competitor Courtney Zablocki, among others.

Grimmette will be assisted by three-time Olympian Duncan Kennedy and Bill Tavares, who is transitioning over from a long stint with the U.S. bobsled team.