LAKE PLACID, N.Y. -- Tucker West took the mens crown, Summer Britcher claimed the womens title and the doubles team of Jake Hyrns and Anthony Espinoza also won Thursday at USA Luges annual indoor start championships.West won for the fifth time. Britcher and the Hyrns-Espinoza team both finished second last year in the preseason event held on the refrigerated ramps at USA Luges headquarters.Hopefully this will transfer over to the real track, into the season, and Ill be able to take this speed and get faster down times, West said.Former Canadian national team slider John Fennell, now racing for the U.S., was second and doubles racer Matt Mortensen took third in the mens event.This morning it was a weird feeling. Everything really sunk in that I was competing for the U.S., Fennell said. This is the first step going into fall trials and it was a surreal moment, the fact that I was competing not for Canada but the U.S. now.Britcher nearly broke the track record held by eight-time start champion Julia Clukey, who retired this summer. Olympic bronze medalist and former world champion Erin Hamlin was second, and junior national team member Grace Weinberg was third.I definitely looked forward to the start competition this year, Britcher said. We really re-vamped our start training this year to have more of an emphasis on stronger coaching, and focusing more on combining the amount of reps we do with our weightlifting. I was anxious to see how that would show in a competition setting.Hyrns and Espinoza had the fastest two heats in the doubles event. Mortensen and Jayson Terdiman -- who were fifth in the overall World Cup standings last winter -- were second, and 2015 start champions Justin Krewson and Andrew Sherk were third.There were a number of key athletes who missed the start championships for a variety of reasons.Two-time Olympian Chris Mazdzer was at an International Luge Federation meeting in Moscow, part of his requirements as a member of the groups executive board. Aidan Kelly (back) and Riley Stohr (shoulder) also missed the mens event with injuries. On the womens side, World Cup veteran Emily Sweeney (wrist) and Raychel Germaine (shoulder) were out while both continue recovering.National team members are expected to begin training in Norway in a couple of weeks, then return to Lake Placid for on-ice training in mid-October.The event was originally scheduled for Friday night, but was moved up because several members of USA Luges national staff will travel to Delaware for Fridays funeral of three-time Olympian Frank Masley . Raiders Jerseys China . -- Tony Stewart is 20 pounds lighter and has a titanium rod in his surgically repaired right leg. Custom Raiders T-shirts . Vancouver Whitecaps and Toronto FC failed to make the postseason while Montreal Impact fell at the first hurdle losing heavily to Houston Dynamo in the Eastern Conference Knockout Round. http://www.customraidersjersey.com/ . Perez, 35, posted a 1-2 record with a 3.69 earned-run average in 19 relief appearances last season. 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Brisbanes emergence as a genuine A-League title threat will only inspire further improvement in a high-octane Christmas period, says coach John Aloisi.The Roar flew largely under the radar until a fortnight ago, avoiding defeat since that woeful round-two 4-0 loss to Newcastle but held back by four consecutive 1-1 draws.But Aloisis side have sprung firmly into the reckoning following back-to-back wins over Adelaide and Central Coast.Sundays 2-1 defeat of the Mariners in Gosford lifted them into third, on equal points with second-placed Melbourne Victory, while extending their undefeated run to nine games.A pre-Christmas home clash with interstate rivals Western Sydney now looms on Friday night, before the Roar travel to face leaders Sydney FC and Victory, with a home meeting against the Jets sandwiched in between.Were still picking up points, were still playing some good stuff, creating chances, defending with desperation when we have to, Aloisi said.But we know theres still a lot of improving left in our side in a lot of different areas.Any team that wants to win needs to look to improve each week, they have to look for motivvation from within.ddddddddddddWeve got those players.Weve got a good Christmas period coming ... the players are very easy to motivate when youre playing the Wanderers at home.Veteran Thomas Broich was instrumental in Sundays victory, his inch-perfect pass putting the 76th-minute winner on a plate for Jamie Maclaren five minutes after coming off the bench.Aloisi pointed out he hadnt dropped the 35-year-old two-time Johnny Warren Medallist.Thomas has played a few games in a row so we have to look after his loading a little bit, he said.Hes been doing really well for us, scored a goal (against Adelaide) and setting up goals.The ball he put on for Jamie Maclaren was a different class.The coach also praised the phenomenal workrate of Maclaren and Dimi Petratos, who netted a whopper of a first-half free-kick.Aloisi said contract talks with Maclaren were ongoing.Theres been a lot of talk about his future, but hes put that out of his mind and just focused on football and doing well for the team, he said. 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