Noelle Pikus-Pace
Encyclopedia
Noelle Pikus-Pace (born December 8, 1982 in Orem, Utah
) is an American
skeleton racer
who competed from 2000 to 2010. She won three medals at the FIBT World Championships
with a gold (Women's skeleton: 2007
) and two silvers (Women's skeleton: 2005
, Mixed bobsleigh-skeleton team event: 2007).
After winning the silver medal in the women's skeleton event at the 2005 FIBT World Championships
in Calgary
, Pikus-Pace emerged as one of the favorites to medal at the upcoming Winter Olympics
in Turin
. That would change on October 19, 2005 at the bobsleigh
, luge
, and skeleton track
in Calgary when she broke her right leg after she and her teammates were hit by a four-man bobsleigh that failed to brake after the finish line. The bobsleigh ejected out of the end of the track and hit Pikus-Pace and teammate Lea Ann Parsley
, narrowly missing three other teammates. Pikus-Pace underwent surgery
to repair her broken leg, including an insertion of a titanium
rod in her right leg. She would return to competition seven weeks later at Igls, Austria
, finishing 20th. She would chronicle her comeback from the 2005 freak accident which prevented her participation at Turin. This story was first told in the critically acclaimed documentary 114 Days: The Race to Save a Dream. The US Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation would petition both the FIBT and the IOC to include Pikus-Pace in the women's skeleton competition, but to no avail. The only American representative would be Katie Uhlaender
in women's skeleton, and she would finish sixth in the event.
Pikus-Pace announced in an October 3, 2007 Associated Press
report that she would take the 2007-08 Skeleton World Cup off due to being six months pregnant. Her child, a girl, would be due in January 2008. This was also announced on FIBT's website on October 5, 2007.
On January 19, 2008, Noelle and her husband Janson welcomed their daughter Lacee Lynne Pace. She weighed 7 pounds, 12 ounces and was 21 inches long.
Pikus-Pace won the women's Skeleton World Cup overall title in 2004-5.
She finished fifth in the 2008-09 Skeleton World Cup season opener in Winterberg
on November 28, 2008.
It was announced on 17 January 2010 that Pikus-Pace had qualified for the 2010 Winter Olympics
. She competed in the 2010 Games, finishing in fourth place, with a sled designed by her husband after her two other sleds had been damaged, including one where her leg was broken in October 2005 during a practice run in Calgary. Her second sled was damaged during transport to the FIBT World Championships 2009
in Lake Placid, New York
. Pace's husband, a project manager at NuQuest, a metal fabrication company in Salt Lake City, Utah
, designed a skeleton sled in accordance to FIBT regulations to help her out.
Pikus-Pace finished fourth in the women's skeleton event, her last race as a skeleton racer.
Orem, Utah
Orem is a city in Utah County, Utah, United States, in the north-central part of the state. It is adjacent to Provo, Lindon, and Vineyard and is about south of Salt Lake City. Orem is one of the principal cities of the Provo-Orem, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Utah and...
) is an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
skeleton racer
Skeleton (sport)
Skeleton is a fast winter sliding sport in which an individual person rides a small sled down a frozen track while lying face down, during which athletes experience forces up to 5g. It originated in St. Moritz, Switzerland as a spin-off from the popular British sport of Cresta Sledding...
who competed from 2000 to 2010. She won three medals at the FIBT World Championships
FIBT World Championships
The FIBT World Championships, part of the Fédération Internationale de Bobsleigh et de Tobogganing , have taken place on an annual basis in non-Winter Olympic years since 1930. A two-man event was included in 1931 with a combined championship occurring in 1947...
with a gold (Women's skeleton: 2007
FIBT World Championships 2007
The FIBT World Championships 2007 took place in St. Moritz, Switzerland for the record twenty-first time, doing so previously in 1931 , 1935 , 1937 , 1938 , 1939 , 1947, 1955, 1957, 1959, 1965, 1970, 1974, 1977, 1982, 1987, 1989 , 1990 , 1997 , 1998 , and 2001...
) and two silvers (Women's skeleton: 2005
FIBT World Championships 2005
The FIBT World Championships 2005 took place in Calgary, Alberta, Canada for the fourth time, doing so previously in 1992 , 1996, and 2001 .-Two man:-Four man:-Two woman:-Men:-Women:...
, Mixed bobsleigh-skeleton team event: 2007).
After winning the silver medal in the women's skeleton event at the 2005 FIBT World Championships
FIBT World Championships 2005
The FIBT World Championships 2005 took place in Calgary, Alberta, Canada for the fourth time, doing so previously in 1992 , 1996, and 2001 .-Two man:-Four man:-Two woman:-Men:-Women:...
in Calgary
Calgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
, Pikus-Pace emerged as one of the favorites to medal at the upcoming Winter Olympics
2006 Winter Olympics
The 2006 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XX Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Turin, Italy from February 10, 2006, through February 26, 2006. This marked the second time Italy hosted the Olympic Winter Games, the first being the VII Olympic Winter...
in Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
. That would change on October 19, 2005 at the bobsleigh
Bobsleigh
Bobsleigh or bobsled is a winter sport in which teams of two or four make timed runs down narrow, twisting, banked, iced tracks in a gravity-powered sled that are combined to calculate the final score....
, luge
Luge
A Luge is a small one- or two-person sled on which one sleds supine and feet-first. Steering is done by flexing the sled's runners with the calf of each leg or exerting opposite shoulder pressure to the seat. Racing sleds weigh 21-25 kilograms for singles and 25-30 kilograms for doubles. Luge...
, and skeleton track
Canada Olympic Park bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track
The Canada Olympic Park bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track is a bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track located in Calgary, Canada. Part of Canada Olympic Park, it hosted the bobsleigh and luge competitions at the 1988 Winter Olympics...
in Calgary when she broke her right leg after she and her teammates were hit by a four-man bobsleigh that failed to brake after the finish line. The bobsleigh ejected out of the end of the track and hit Pikus-Pace and teammate Lea Ann Parsley
Lea Ann Parsley
Lea Ann Parsley is a retired American skeleton racer from Granville, Ohio. She was the first female skeleton athlete to win a world cup medal for the United States and earned a silver medal in the women's skeleton event, a first in Olympic history, during the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympic Winter Games...
, narrowly missing three other teammates. Pikus-Pace underwent surgery
Surgery
Surgery is an ancient medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a patient to investigate and/or treat a pathological condition such as disease or injury, or to help improve bodily function or appearance.An act of performing surgery may be called a surgical...
to repair her broken leg, including an insertion of a titanium
Titanium
Titanium is a chemical element with the symbol Ti and atomic number 22. It has a low density and is a strong, lustrous, corrosion-resistant transition metal with a silver color....
rod in her right leg. She would return to competition seven weeks later at Igls, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, finishing 20th. She would chronicle her comeback from the 2005 freak accident which prevented her participation at Turin. This story was first told in the critically acclaimed documentary 114 Days: The Race to Save a Dream. The US Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation would petition both the FIBT and the IOC to include Pikus-Pace in the women's skeleton competition, but to no avail. The only American representative would be Katie Uhlaender
Katie Uhlaender
Katie Uhlaender is an American skeleton racer who has competed since 2003. She won four medals at the FIBT World Championships with one silver and three bronzes .Uhlaender won the women's Skeleton World Cup title twice...
in women's skeleton, and she would finish sixth in the event.
Pikus-Pace announced in an October 3, 2007 Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
report that she would take the 2007-08 Skeleton World Cup off due to being six months pregnant. Her child, a girl, would be due in January 2008. This was also announced on FIBT's website on October 5, 2007.
On January 19, 2008, Noelle and her husband Janson welcomed their daughter Lacee Lynne Pace. She weighed 7 pounds, 12 ounces and was 21 inches long.
Pikus-Pace won the women's Skeleton World Cup overall title in 2004-5.
She finished fifth in the 2008-09 Skeleton World Cup season opener in Winterberg
Winterberg bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track
The Winterberg bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track is a bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track located in Winterberg, Germany. It is the only track of its kind in the world with a turn that has corporate sponsorship with turn seven being sponsored by Veltins, a German brewery who has its headquarters...
on November 28, 2008.
It was announced on 17 January 2010 that Pikus-Pace had qualified for the 2010 Winter Olympics
2010 Winter Olympics
The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially the XXI Olympic Winter Games or the 21st Winter Olympics, were a major international multi-sport event held from February 12–28, 2010, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with some events held in the suburbs of Richmond, West Vancouver and the University...
. She competed in the 2010 Games, finishing in fourth place, with a sled designed by her husband after her two other sleds had been damaged, including one where her leg was broken in October 2005 during a practice run in Calgary. Her second sled was damaged during transport to the FIBT World Championships 2009
FIBT World Championships 2009
The FIBT World Championships 2009, officially known as the Bauhaus FIBT Bobsleigh & Skeleton World Championships, 20 February to 1 March 2009 at the bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track in Lake Placid, New York for the ninth time, doing so previously in 1949, 1961, 1969, 1973, 1978, 1983, 1997 , and...
in Lake Placid, New York
Lake Placid, New York
Lake Placid is a village in the Adirondack Mountains in Essex County, New York, United States. As of the 2000 census, the village had a population of 2,638....
. Pace's husband, a project manager at NuQuest, a metal fabrication company in Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. The name of the city is often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC. With a population of 186,440 as of the 2010 Census, the city lies in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a total population of 1,124,197...
, designed a skeleton sled in accordance to FIBT regulations to help her out.
Pikus-Pace finished fourth in the women's skeleton event, her last race as a skeleton racer.
External links
- Official website (28 November 2008 article accessed 29 November 2008).
- List of women's skeleton World Cup champions since 1997.
- Mixed bobsleigh-skeleton world championship medalists since 2007
- NBCOlympics.com 16 January 2010 on the bobsleigh and skeleton slots for the US Team for the 2010 Winter Olympics. - accessed 17 January 2010.
- Skeletonsport.com profile
- US Olympic Committee story on Pikus-Pace's return from her injury in late 2005
- Women's skeleton world championship medalists since 2000