Western Pennsylvanian Dan Barefoot made his Olympic debut in skeleton on Thursday.<\/p>\n
Ones to Watch: Daniel Barefoot<\/a><\/p>\n The Johnstown man is sitting in 19th place with more runs set for Friday.<\/p>\n Channel 11\u2019s Jenna Harner talked to Dan on the phone just before he was set to go to bed ahead of tomorrow\u2019s competition.<\/p>\n He said the first two heats of men\u2019s skeleton provided a whirlwind of emotions: a blend of what he sadi me was overwhelming and simply perfect.<\/p>\n \u201cThere were so many US fans there. Honestly felt almost like a home race. I got to the line, and all of a sudden, \u2018USA\u2019 chants were coming from my right that were so loud, you couldn\u2019t help but look over,\u201d Barefoot said. \u201cThen 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.\u201d<\/p>\n Now that he\u2019s had a day of competition under his belt, Barefoot said he anticipates there will bring less jitters and more excitement.<\/p>\n His entire family is in Milan, cheering him on, something that means more than he can describe. <\/p>\n PREVIOUS COVERAGE >>> Family of local man preparing to make Olympic debut shares their excitement<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cHaving the support team, that really is the reason that I\u2019m 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\u2019s really just incredible,\u201d Barefoot said.<\/p>\n Download the FREE WPXI News app<\/a> for breaking news alerts.<\/p>\n Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook<\/a> and Twitter<\/a>. | Watch WPXI NOW<\/a><\/p>\n TOP STORIES FROM CHANNEL 11 NEWS <\/p>\n \u00a92026 Cox Media Group<\/p>\n