Helen Upperton, Calgary
Women’s Bobsleigh
Pilot – Canada #1

Helen burst on to the scene during the 2005-06 season when she won Canada’s first ever World Cup Gold Medal and delivered this country’s best ever Olympic result in women’s bobsleigh placing 4th in Torino, Italy.

Improving each season, Helen and teammates, Jennifer Ciochetti of Edmonton and Heather Moyse of Toronto have delivered 5 World Cup medals in 8 races this past winter. With these results they climbed into third overall behind the two powerful German teams.

Helen’s team has set an objective of becoming the first women in Canadian sports history to win an Olympic medal, in bobsleigh in 2010.

Jennings Capital Inc. is both proud and excited to sponsor the pursuit of excellence as Canada prepares to welcome the world in Vancouver in 2010 for the Winter Olympic Games.

2007 – 2009 World Cup Race Results

Helen Upperton Biography

Helen Upperton Biography (PDF)

Canadian National Bobsleigh Team - Helen Upperton (Bobsleigh Pilot Proudly Sponsored by Jennings Capital Inc.) and Jenny Ciochetti (One of two Brakemen for Helen Upperton)

Helen Upperton and Jenny Ciochetti, World Cup Lake Placid New York, Finish Doc., Dec 2007

Jenny Ciochetti, Helen Upperton, Heather Moyse, Post Race Cesena Pariol, Italy, Jan 2008

Helen Upperton, race

Helen Upperton and Jenny Ciochetti, World Cup Calgary, Nov 2007

Helen Upperton’ Injury in Konigssee
(January 15th, 2009)

Helen received a rib injury while loading into the sled on the first run of the World Cup in Koenigssee. She completed the run in some pain, and after receiving medical attention she opted to complete the race. She was helped back into the sled, and Jenny “ Powerhouse” Ciochetti did an unbelievable solo push that helped Helen hold onto a top 10 finish for World Cup#5.

After limited training for the subsequent 2 World Cups in St Moritz, Helen opted to continue to race. She partnered with Shelley-Ann Brown for the World Cup #4 make-up race, and finished 10th. Then partnered with Jenny Ciochetti in World Cup #6 and finished 5th. She is back to doing running loads, but continues to be in some pain and this is affecting her start times and drives.

With this brave continuation of racing, Helen is holding on to a #4 World ranking.

The teams have now completed the European races. Sleds will be shipped to North America, and Helen will get a much needed break before the Whistler World Cup takes place on Feb 6th.

Best wishes to a healthy and strong recovery, Helen! ‘Thumbs Up’ to your teammates, Jenni Ciochetti and Heather Moyse for their amazing support and strength that continues to carry your team forward. Cheers Team!

Canada's Upperton earns 2^nd bobsleigh gold

CBC, December 12, 2008
www.cbc.ca

Calgary's Helen Upperton captured her second women's World Cup bobsleigh race after winning the two-man competition Friday in Igls, Austria.

Upperton and brakewoman Heather Moyse of Summerside, P.E.I., powered their sled to a two-run combined time of one minute 49.07 seconds.

"I was pretty good in training all week and I thought I would be in the mix today," Upperton said. "Igls is always a close race because it is a short track which makes the start so important."

Americans Shauna Rohbock and Valerie Fleming earned the silver medal in 1:49.21, while defending world champion Sandra Kiriasis and partner Romy Logsch of Germany settled for third with a time of 1:49.23.

The victory marks the return to the Canada 1 sled for Moyse, who has struggled with a shoulder injury the past year.

"Coming back with a gold medal is definitely a mental relief for me," said Moyse. "To know we were strong at the starts, with the second- and third-fastest times, and to see that Helen and I still have chemistry together was very important for me today because it has been such a frustrating injury."

Upperton opened the season in Winterberg, Germany, by upsetting Kiriasis to win gold on Nov. 29. One week later in Altenberg, Germany, Upperton barely missed a podium result, finishing just behind German Kathleen Marini.

The Canadian still leads the overall World Cup standings with 642 points, seven ahead of Kiriasis.

Calgary's Kalillie Humphries and Shelly-Ann Brown of Pickering, Ont., raced to seventh in 1:49.80.

CANADA TAKES OVER WORLD CUP BOBSLED LEAD WITH WIN IN AUSTRIA

TSN, December 12, 2008
www.tsn.ca

IGLS, Austria - Canadian Helen Upperton won a women's bobsled World Cup race Friday to take the lead in the overall standings.

The Calgary driver and brakeman Heather Moyse of Summerside, P.E.I., posted the fastest time in both heats and won in a two-run combined time of one minute 49.07 seconds.

"I was pretty good in training all week and I thought I would be in the mix today," Upperton said. "Igls is always a close race because it is a short track which makes the start so important."

Americans Shauna Rohbock and Valerie Fleming took second, 0.14 seconds behind, while German duo Sandra Kiriasis and Romy Logsch came third, trailing the winners by 0.16 seconds.

The victory marked a sweet return to the Canada 1 sled for the 30-year-old Moyse, who has battled a shoulder injury the past year.

"Coming back with a gold medal is definitely a mental relief for me," said Moyse. "To know we were strong at the starts, with the second and third-fastest times, and to see that Helen and I still have chemistry together was very important for me today because it has been such a frustrating injury."

Calgary's Kaillie Humphries and Shelley-Ann Brown of Pickering, Ont., were seventh at 1:49.80 while Lisa Szabon of Nanton, Alta., and Amanda Moreley of Surrey, B.C., finished 13th at 1:50.90.

Upperton, who teamed up with Edmonton's Jenny Ciochetti in a World Cup race in Winterberg, Germany last month, leads the overall standings with 642 points.

Kiriasis is second, seven points behind, and Cathleen Martini of Germany third with 594 points. Rohbock and Pac are fourth and fifth with 578 and 528 points, respectively.

Fortunes change for Calgary's Upperton
Gets 'redemption' with gold medal

Calgary Herald, November 30, 2008
www.calgaryherald.com

The bobsleigh track at Winterberg, Germany, had not been kind to Canada's Helen Upperton. That is until Saturday.

Upperton, a 29-year-old from Calgary, and Jenny Ciochetti of Edmonton, won the gold medal at the Bobsleigh World Cup in a two-run time of one minute and 55.86 seconds.

Upperton finished fifth on the challenging German track last season.

"It was definitely nice to get some redemption here in Winterberg," said Upperton, the pilot of the women's Canada 1 sled. "The weather changes so fast here and it makes it difficult for selecting the proper runners for the conditions. But today fate was on our side and we put all our preparation together to get onto the podium."

Upperton praised the efforts of Ciochetti.

"Jenny was absolutely great again today and played a critical part in this win," said Upperton, who has Ciochetti and Heather Moyse of Summerside, P.E.I., splitting time on the brakes in her sled again this year.

Ciochetti and Moyse pushed Upperton and the Canada 1 sled to five World Cup podium finishes last year.

Kaillie Humphries of Calgary and Shelley-Ann Brown finished sixth in the Canada 2 sled with a two-run time of 1:56.62.

Lisa Szabon of Nanton, Alta., matched her best result on the World Cup circuit with an eighth-place finish on Saturday. Szabon teamed up with Amanda Moreley of Surrey, B.C., to post a time of 1:57.25 in the 21-sled field.

Germans took the silver and bronze medals.

Two-time Olympic medallist Sandra Kiriasis, who has won nearly every World Cup that she has competed in at Winterberg, teamed up with Romy Logsch to finish second at 1:56.11. Cathleen Martini and Janine Tischer drove the Germany 2 sled to the final spot on the podium with a time of 1:56.39.

On the men's side, Edmonton's Pierre Lueders and David Bissett were forced to settle for a fifth-place finish.

The 38-year-old Lueders led the Canadian men with a combined time of 1:52.26.

Lyndon Rush of Humboldt, Sask., piloted the Canada 2 sled to 14th place. Rush teamed up with Calgary's Lascelles Brown to post a time of 1:52.76.

Beat Hefti of Switzerland and brakeman Thomas Lamparter took World Cup gold in 1:51.79.

© Copyright (c) The Calgary Herald

Upperton, Ciochetti win women's bobsleigh gold in Germany

TSN, November 29, 2008
www.tsn.ca

Canada's Helen Upperton and Jenny Ciochetti captured gold at the Bobsleigh World Cup in Germany on Saturday.

The pair had a combined time of one minute and 55.86 seconds.

"It was definitely nice to get some redemption here in Winterberg," explained Upperton. "The weather changes so fast here and it makes it difficult for selecting the proper runners for the conditions. But today fate was on our side and we put all our preparation together to get onto the podium."

Two German teams, Sandra Kiriasis and Romy Losgsch (silver) and Cathleen Martini and Janine Tischer (bronze) were also on the podium.

Kaillie Humphries and Shelley-Ann Brown guided Canada 2 to a sixth-place finish and Lisa Szabon and Amanda Moreley were eighth.

On the men's side, Canada's Pierre Lueders and David Bissett finished fifth and Lyndon Rush and Lascelles Brown were 14th.

Beat Hefti and Thomas Lamparter took the men's gold while Germany's Andre Lange and Kevin Kuske finished in second and Thomas Florschütz and Marc Kuhne, also of Germany, ended in third.