Younger brother gets second chance with Red Bull Team USA

Danny Bergeson was happy for his brother but he knew should be competing on Jan. 14 at Red Bull Crashed Ice St. Paul.

At tryouts in Duluth for the ice cross downhill event in early December, Bergeson finished first, defeating his brother, Andrew, and had the fastest qualifying time for all of the Minnesota tryouts.

Danny, 21, continued his strong performance on Jan. 12 in St. Paul, finishing the course in 46.2 seconds, good for sixth place out of all the American competitors. But during competition Jan. 13, Danny fell early on and despite a valiant effort was not able to finish in the top two of his heat and was eliminated.

“I was pumped for my brother but obviously I was bummed I didn’t get in,” Bergeson said.

But Thursday, Bergeson got a call he never expected. Because of his great qualifying times and his potential, Team USA selected Bergeson as an alternate for the rest of the 2012 Red Bull Crashed Ice season. If anyone is injured or cannot make a competition, Red Bull will fly Bergeson out and cover all his expenses. He was also called to a training camp last weekend with the rest of the Team USA members.

“It’s awesome that I get a second chance at it,” Bergeson said. “I felt good about my runs … I feel really lucky, that’s for sure. I know there were a lot of guys who wish they could be in my shoes.”

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