The USA Luge headquarters is located on Church Street in Lake Placid.
(Enterprise photo
— Andy Flynn)
LAKE PLACID — USA Luge announced on Tuesday that its Executive Board has elected Robert “Bullet Bob” Hughes as president. Hughes succeeds two-time Olympian Erin Warren, who has served in the role since 2018. The national governing body announced Hughes had been elected to a two-year term, which will expire following the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympic Winter Games.
Hughes of St. James, North Carolina has a strong history with USA Luge having served as a National Team coach and Olympic team manager during the 1984 Winter Games. He then became the marketing director for the organization, a position he held during the 1990s.
“What USA Luge may lack in size, its staff, athletes and volunteers more than make up in passion and dedication,” Hughes said. “Under Erin’s leadership, we achieved an Olympic podium and the premiere of women’s doubles on an international stage. I want to thank Erin for her steadfast stewardship over the past six years. She certainly set a high standard for me to aspire, and I look forward in continuing her work.”
In addition to Hughes, the following individuals were elected to a two-year term to the board:
Walter “Ty” Danco: The Burlington, Vermont native was elected Treasurer. Danco is a two-time Olympian and a retired financial technology entrepreneur. In 1979, Danco was a Founding Officer of the United States Luge Association and has served on the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee Athletes Advisory Committee as well as the boards of the U.S. Olympic Foundation and the Amateur Athletic Union.
Rob Pokelwaldt: The Kitty Hawk, North Carolina native was elected Secretary. He is a seasoned corporate executive with more than 35 years of managerial and leadership experience. During his career, Pokelwaldt’s expertise and knowledge guided strategic plans related to the restructuring of organizations and developing new teams to sustain lasting improvement.
Jennifer Wesselholf: The Park City, Utah native serves as the President and CEO of the Park City Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau. In this role, she is responsible for the marketing and management of Utah’s premier luxury tourism destination. She previously led the Sedona Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Bureau, where she guided the chamber’s accreditation as a destination management organization and led the development of Arizona’s first Sustainable Tourism Plan.
Jeff Young: The Park City, Utah native has been involved with luge since a young age as a member of the Adirondack Luge Club. He is currently a member of the Wasatch Luge Club in Michigan, where he volunteers as a race official alongside his father and brother. He is currently the Executive Officer for the Wasatch Shooters Association, oversees the operations of a shooting facility for the Davis County Sheriff’s Office and manages over 130 Range Officers.
The newly elected board members join current board member Bruce Norman of St. Augustine, Florida.
The following individuals were elected as representatives:
Zack DiGregorio: The Medway, Massachusetts native was elected athlete representative for a four-year term. The 2022 Olympian DiGregorio, who lives in Lake Placid to train, started out as a men’s singles athlete and then joined Sean Hollander of Lake Placid in men’s doubles. DiGregorio and Hollander won the 2023 U23 World Championships, stood atop the podium at the 2023 Lake Placid World Cup and have earned six World Cup team relay medals. He is currently studying at Southern New Hampshire University.
DiGregorio joins current Athlete Representatives Summer Britcher of Glen Rock, Pennsylvania, Chris Mazdzer of Salt Lake City, Utah and Tucker West of Ridgewood, Connecticut.
Larry Dolan: The Plattsburgh native was elected to a two-year term as Eastern Club Representative. The 1998 Olympian is the current President of the Adirondack Luge Club. He began his luge career as a men’s doubles athlete but moved to singles at the end of the 1994 season. Dolan served as head coach for the Junior C and D teams in 2013 and was named head coach of the Junior National Team in 2018. Dolan also taught history and anthropology as an Adjunct Instructor at SUNY Plattsburgh and Clinton Community College.
Michael Thomas: The Park City, Utah native was elected to a two-year term as Western Club Representative. Thomas is an art dealer and historian. He served as an art consultant for private and corporate collections alike. Since 2014, Thomas has served as a luge official and has been actively involved with the Wasatch Luge Club.
The nine-circuit World Cup season will kick-off in Lillehammer, Norway, Nov. 29 to Dec. 1, with the 53rd World Championships scheduled for Feb. 6 to 9, 2025, in Whistler, Canada.
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