Western Pennsylvania native makes Olympic debut in skeleton

Western Pennsylvanian Dan Barefoot made his Olympic debut in skeleton on Thursday.

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The Johnstown man is sitting in 19th place with more runs set for Friday.

Channel 11’s Jenna Harner talked to Dan on the phone just before he was set to go to bed ahead of tomorrow’s competition.

He said the first two heats of men’s skeleton provided a whirlwind of emotions: a blend of what he sadi me was overwhelming and simply perfect.

“There were so many US fans there. Honestly felt almost like a home race. I got to the line, and all of a sudden, ‘USA’ chants were coming from my right that were so loud, you couldn’t help but look over,” Barefoot said. “Then they became even louder. You know what? You look over, and I look back at my coach. My coach gave me this smirk, and I was like, holy cow, like, I think at that moment, it was kind of real to me.”

Now that he’s had a day of competition under his belt, Barefoot said he anticipates there will bring less jitters and more excitement.

His entire family is in Milan, cheering him on, something that means more than he can describe.

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“Having the support team, that really is the reason that I’m here. Being here in person is insane. Being in the Olympics, one thing, but then having the people that help you get there, you know, being there with you, family members, teammates...It’s really just incredible,” Barefoot said.

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