USA's Erin Hamlin reacts after she placed third in a women's race at the Luge World Cup event in Sigulda, Latvia, Sunday, Feb. 19, 2012. (AP Photo/Roman Koksarov)

Once more, Mary Beth Roberts  is sending out regular emails about her niece, Erin Hamlin, a member of the USA Luge Team. Hamlin, the 2009 World Champion, recently collected her sixth career World Cup medal. She won a bronze medal Sunday during a competition in Sigulda,Latvia.

Hamlin’s aunt, Mary Beth Roberts, has been a faithful—and vocal—supporter of Hamlin and women’s luge. She and other family members from the Fredericksburg area withdrew money from savings and took out loans so they could see Hamlin perform at the 2010 Olympics inVancouver. They were thrilled to see footage of her most recent outing in Latvia.

“She’s worked so hard all season, so we were very excited she got a medal in women’s before end of World Cup races,” Roberts wrote in an email. “One more to go  …  then national championships in Lake Placid in March, of which we are making the trip up to see her.”

Roberts works at SimVentions, a company off Tidewater Trail that puts together systems, software and simulations for defense contractors. Read a 2010 story about her efforts to support her niece here.

Click here for the story on the USA Luge website about Hamlin’s most recent bronze medal.