WORLD CLASS: Israel Debuts on FIBT World Cup Circuit

On Friday, February 3rd, skeleton athlete Bradley Chalupski proudly represented Israel at the FIBT World Cup race held at the Whistler Sliding Centre in Vancouver.  This was the same track made infamous by the death of Georgian luge athlete Nodar Kumaritashvili in training runs for the 2010 Vancouver Games.

In a field of 25 athletes, Bradley finished in 25th place with a time of 56.61 seconds, failing to qualify for a second run.  However, Brad's push time of 4.76 was good for a tie for 17th place in the first heat.  Giving a sense of how tightly packed the field was, 4 athletes were tied for 13th with a 4.75 start, and the 10th fastest push was a 4.73.  Bradley actually out-pushed German Alexander Kroeckel (4.77), who placed fourth overall.

"The track was fast and very difficult," said Chalupski, "but by the end of the race, I was doing better than I expected.  I was only two-tenths of a second behind the next guy ahead, and took a bad bump in the 16th turn, actually the worst I drove it out, including my training runs.  My sliding was actually too controlled [in the race], and that's given my confidence a huge boost."

Bradley looks to open it up a little more on his return to the track at Calgary in next week's World Cup race there, which will be the last stop before returning to Lake Placid for World Championships.


Official results can be found on the FIBT website:  http://www.fibt.com/index.php?id=526&tx_pxresults_pi1[event_id]=26575&cHash=ec1a1dc6dccbbf80580fa68bd439640f

An Author and an Athlete

Skeleton athlete Brad Chalupski has been picked up by Birthright Israel's "Alef Next" website as a recurring columnist.  In a series of articles, Bradley will explain the motivation behind his competing for Team Israel, and the role his Jewish faith has played during his Olympic campaign.

His latest entry, "An Athlete For Israel", can be found here.

Skeleton Team Adds Two World Cup Races to Schedule

The Israeli Skeleton Team is proud to announce that it will be competing in the North American leg of the FIBT World Cup season.  Once the World Cup tour ends its European swing later this month, the best athletes in the world will be competing in:

• Vancouver (January 29 - February 4) - World Cup race at the Whistler Sliding Center, used during the 2010 Games and widely considered the fastest track in the world;
• Calgary (February 5 - February 11) - World Cup race at Calgary.  Brad competed on this track in an America's Cup race earlier this season, and hopes to leverage that experience into a competitive finish;
• Lake Placid (February 13 - February 26) - World Championships in Lake Placid.  In December, Brad earned Israel her first ever medal in Skeleton on this track.  In February, Brad will attempt to make Team Israel a fixture in the world rankings.

World Cup races are televised by NBC Universal, and highlights featured on the FIBT website.  Keep a sharp eye out for any clips of Team Israel, as ours figures to be one of the more compelling ones on the World Cup circuit.

For more information on watching the World Cup races in person, please contact office@israelibobsled.com.

Israeli Skeleton Featured on Israeli Consulate Blog

The Israeli Skeleton Team's triumph at Lake Placid has earned the attention of the Israeli consulate in New York!

www.isrealli.org, a project of the Israeli consulate, is the official blog of the State of Israel.  Isrealli features articles on some of Israel's best-kept cultural secrets and what's new and happening in Israeli society.

BREAKING - Israel Wins First Ever Medal in Skeleton

With a 5th place finish in today's America's Cup race in Lake Placid, NY, skeleton athlete Bradley Chalupski has earned Israel her first ever medal in Skeleton.

"It's an incredible honor to win a medal for an entire nation.  I feel thankful, proud and amazing," said Chalupski.

David Greaves, the Secretary-General of the Israeli Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation, had this to say: "As a former athlete member of the IBSF, my role now as volunteer is to help in any way that I can and to assist young Jewish athletes hoping to represent Israel in the sports of Bobsled and Skeleton.  If these great young athletes can take away even half the of what I got out of my experience as an athlete, then all our work with be well worth it.  News of Bradley’s first medal and our Federation’s first ever skeleton Medal will now sit alongside our bobsled medals and will help blaze a trail for other young athletes. Bradley and Israel and all Jewish sports enthusiasts should be proud, as I am. Mazal tov Brad."

The IBSF extends its undying gratitude to the generous supporters who have brought us to this point in our history.  And to Bradley, a hearty MAZEL TOV!

Schedule Announced For FIBT Skeleton World Championships

The Federation Internationale de Bobsleigh et de Tobogganing (FIBT) has announced the schedule for the World Championships of bobsled and skeleton, to be held in Lake Placid, NY from February 13-26, 2012.  Skeleton athlete Brad Chalupski is slated to compete in the men's skeleton championships, to take place on Friday and Saturday, February 24 and 25, 2012.

The FIBT (www.fibt.com) conducts competitions in five disciplines: 2-man bobsleigh, 4-man bobsleigh, women’s bobsleigh, men’s skeleton and women’s skeleton.  In addition to the Olympic Winter games and World Championships, the FIBT conducts World Cup, Intercontinental Cup and America's Cup events.

Skeleton Team to Appear at Event in Boston December 16

Skeleton athlete Brad Chalupski will speak at a Shabbat dinner at the Vilna Shul in Boston, Massachusetts on 16 December 2011. The event is co-hosted by Havurah on the Hill and Boston-Haifa Connection.

Event details can be found at http://www.jewishboston.com/events/11447-shabbat-w-boston-haifa-bradley-chalupski-world-cup-skeleton-athlete.

The IBSF (www.israelibobsled.com) is a US-based not-for-profit corporation, based in Lake Placid, NY, with the mission of supporting Israel's national teams in the Olympic sliding sports of Bobsled and Skeleton.

Havurah on the Hill (www.vilnashul.org) is a program of the Vilna Shul in Boston, MA, and a volunteer-run organization engaging young Jewish adults through dynamic learning opportunities and a welcoming community. One Friday evening each month, HOH invites participants to celebrate Shabbat, Jewish culture, learning and community at the historic Vilna Shul in Beacon Hill, Boston. 

Boston-Haifa Connection (www.cjp.org) is a program of Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Boston. Boston-Haifa Connection has been changing lives and opening hearts since 1989, building “living bridges” between the sister cities and strengthening the social fabric of both societies.