(NEXSTAR) -- Team USA's four-man bobsled team received a boost of motivation for the Milano Cortina Olympics through handwritten letters of encouragement from second graders in western New York. The students at Marilla Primary School in Elma, New York, sent the messages as the team pursues its first gold medal in the event since 2014. The notes were written by students in Mr. Conchafter's class and addressed to team members Frank Del Duca, Boone Niederhofer, Bryan Sosoo, and Josh Williamson. The heartfelt messages were intended to provide extra motivation for the athletes ahead of their competition in Italy. "Dear Frankie, Good luck in the Olympics," Will, one of the students, wrote. "Stay safe and hope your team wins gold!" Del Duca responded to the message by promising the team would give their best effort. Another student, Carter, sent a message to Williamson to encourage the team. "Dear Josh, good luck in the Olympics. Try your best. I want you to win. Win a gold. Work hard from Carter," he wrote. Williamson said he intended to follow the student's advice. "Thank you Carter," Williamson said. "Gonna try my best to win a gold and I'm definitely gonna work hard, I guarantee that." Niederhofer also received a letter from a student named Liam. "Dear Boone, good luck in the Olympics. I hope you win a gold and try your best and work hard from Liam," the student wrote. Camden, a classmate in the second-grade group, addressed a message to Sosoo. "Dear Bryan, stay safe. Good luck in the Olympics. USA! USA! Try your best from Camden," the letter said. Sosoo said he hoped the team's performance would reflect the students' support. "Thank you, Camden. Looking forward to making you proud at the games," Sosoo said. All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by Nexstar. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat from a broadcast script into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by Nexstar staff before being published