Lake Placid (pps) USA Luge Sports Program Director Mark Grimmette announced that Miro Zayonc will take over duties as Head Coach of the National Team, effective immediately. This was now published by the US Federation in Lake Placid. Zayonc, born in the former Czechoslovakia, competed in luge from the late 1970’s through his retirement from the sport in 1988. He defected in 1981 and won a gold medal at the 1983 World Championships racing for Canada. The 52 Years old Zayonc has served as a coach for USA Luge since 1990, spending the majority of that time as the Junior National Team Head Coach, where he accumulated 13 Junior World Championship titles and eight overall Junior World Cup titles. Zayonc, a resident of Lake Placid, also was a part of every Olympic team coaching staff since 1992. Zayonc will be joined this season by Mark Grimmette, a two-time Olympic medal winner from Muskegon, Mich., who will serve as an assistant coach in addition to his Sports Director duties. Former Soviet Union coach Klim Gatker of Lake Placid, N.Y. and 1992 luge Olympian Bill Tavares will also serve as assistant coaches.