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Getting Started
By Meredith Gusa // usolympicteam.com // September 29, 2004
Getting Started in Luge
For boys and girls ages 10-14, the official athlete recruitment tour is called the Verizon-USA Luge Slider Search. 90 percent of the athletes on the Luge National Team got their start through this tour. The mission of the program is to identify, train and qualify young athletes for the USA Luge Junior Development Team. Guided by U.S. Olympic and National Team coaches, participants are taught the basics of riding a luge sled, including positioning, steering and stopping. They take several runs down a paved luge course on wheel-equipped luge sleds, and finally test their physical skills through a battery of fitness tests.
Those who show promise in the summer program are invited to Lake Placid, N.Y., Park City, Utah or Marquette, Mich. to try luge on ice at a sanctioned training site. The top athletes from this group are selected for the development team. Athletes who progress through the six-rung development ladder (Jr. Development Team, Jr. Team Candidate Select, Jr. Team Candidate, Jr. National Team Select, Jr. National Team, Senior National Team Select) have hopes of one-day becoming members of the Senior National and Olympic Luge Teams.
For adults, there are also six official luge clubs across the country. There are also two certified, full-length luge tracks in the U.S.: Park City, Utah and Lake Placid, N.Y. Both tracks offer passenger rides for the general public on a pay-per-ride basis throughout the winter season. There is also a shortened artificial track in Muskegon, Mich. Contact the Muskegon Luge Club for more information.
Joining USA Luge
You must be a member of USA Luge to participate in sanctioned events or be eligible for national teams. Membership provides liability insurance during sanctioned competitions. You can download a membership form online.
Major Events
National Championships are held for Seniors, Juniors (high school), and Youth divisions down to 10-and-under. World Championships are held for Seniors and Juniors. The other major international event is the annual Junior and Senior World Cup series.
Check out the 2004-05 Senior and Junior World Cup, Challenge Cup, World Championship and Domestic Events here.
Becoming a U.S. Olympian
The Olympic team will be selected based on the U.S. National Championship and results from the Senior FIL World Cup races. There are no Olympic Trials. For more information, see the USA Luge athlete selection procedures.
Contact Information
web: USA Luge
email: info@usaluge.org
phone: 518.523.2071
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