Geistown Native Aims for 2026 Winter Olympics in Skeleton

LAKE PLACID, N.Y. — Daniel Barefoot, a local from Geistown, Pennsylvania, is now a member of the United States Skeleton Team, training for the upcoming Winter Olympics in Milan Cortina, Italy. Barefoot’s journey to this point is both surprising and inspiring.

After graduating from Richland High School and later Penn State, Barefoot had never considered competing in a winter sport. A simple internet search changed his path, leading him to skeleton sledding, a sport he’d never tried before. Now, he is focused on securing his spot in the 2026 Olympics.

“I think that kind of teed it up for me,” Barefoot said, reminiscing about his childhood experiences. “My dad used to pile up snow in our backyard and make us a sort of bobsled run.” His passion for sports continued through high school, where he played various athletic pursuits.

Determined to get back into athletics after college, Barefoot began researching winter sports. “A Winter Olympic sport list popped up, and I’m like, whoa, okay. Not exactly what I was looking for, but curiosity got the better of me,” he explained. “Thank you for bobsled. It was at the top of the list, and I clicked on it.”

After two years of training and a move to Florida, Barefoot had the opportunity to try out for the skeleton team. Nine years later, he now resides at the Olympic Training Center in Lake Placid, preparing for the Olympic trials.

During the 2022 Olympic season, Barefoot just missed the chance to compete in Beijing, ranking second in the United States. “Unfortunately, we qualified one men’s sled, so we had one representative to go to Beijing, and I was at home on the sidelines,” he said.

This time, Barefoot aims higher. “To be honest with you, if I did make those games, it more would have been sort of checking the box like, ‘Hey, I made it to the Olympics.’ Because I can tell you for a fact, I’m significantly better now than I was then,” he stated.

If all goes as planned, he will have trial races in Park City, Utah, on October 31 and November 1. The world cup team will be announced afterward, with Barefoot heading to Italy on October 3 for training.

He expressed gratitude for the support from his community. “The further you go, a lot of it is just head down and grinding. You’re not really seeing what’s happening on the outside world,” Barefoot said. “But every now and then, you pick your head back up and see how many more people are supporting you.”

Fans can catch the Olympics on NBC this February as Barefoot’s season progresses.