Luge: Olympic Sport or Sled Ride?

Watching people hurtle feet first down a track at 90 miles per hour on their backs brings up a question. Is Luge really a sport? Or is Luge just a really, really fast ride? Does an athlete really have to learn Luge, or do they just throw themselves down a hill and in to the Olympics? I decided to find out what really goes in to the sport of Luge.

The Vikings are credited with designing luge sleds to get down the mountain; but the typical Viking sled was large and strong, like the typical Viking. The emphasis was not on speed. Recreational Luge began as a daring ride, at a resort in Switzerland. But when the guests began mowing down pedestrians, the resort owner decided to build a track for the popular past time. Luge takes a great deal of courage, since modern tracks are designed to hurtle the sled 90 to 95 miles an hour, with the luge rider lying feet first on his back, head low so as not to interfere with aerodynamics. Even at first when Luge was practiced on village streets it definitely took courage since the rider could not see much of where he was going. So perhaps it would qualify for Extreme Sports just for the daredevil quality. But is it a competitive sport? What skill is involved?

First of all, in all my research I noticed one glaring fact. Although the media frequently refers to the Luge competitors as "lugers," none of the official sites, like the International Luge Federation or the United States Luge Association, do. They always refer to them as "athletes." Obviously Luge athletes want to be taken seriously for their sport.

So what is involved in becoming a luge athlete? What training is required of him? (Women compete in Luge as well, but I will use the traditional "he, him" for the sake of brevity). Well, the luge athlete must lie on his back on the sled, feet first, head low. He steers with his feet, controls the sled with his calves, and must learn how to strategically shift his body weight, apply pressure with his feet and calves and roll his shoulders to navigate the course with the utmost speed. Meanwhile, the luge athlete must have the strength to stay on the sled while going almost 100 mph, turning corners and pulling up to 7G of centrifugal force. So his training must build up body strength from head to toe in order to hold his head in the proper position, hold his body on the sled and control the luge sled using his body. He also has to practice sliding often enough to understand the track without seeing much of it. The force must not pull him off. The start of the race requires his utmost attention since he has more control here and must propel himself on to the course.

Athletes train by strengthening their entire bodies. Swimming, weight training, and calisthenics are some of the techniques used. They obviously practice sliding, with particular emphasis on the start. Work in wind tunnels might be used to familiarize the athlete with the force that will be put on his body during a run. Year round work is required to stay in perfect shape for the less than a minute of competition he will face on his Olympic quest.

In the USALuge Guide for Parents, it is recommended that athletes interested in Luge begin no later than age 10. Luge, the brochure points out, will challenge the young athlete mentally as well as physically, and besides being trained as a very fit Luge slider, he will also learn "determination, dedication, hard work and self motivation" from this sport.

After a lot of reading, my admiration for the Luge athletes has definitely increased. I no longer consider Luge just a fast ride. Luge is truly a sport, worthy of Olympic competition; the Luge athletes are fit, highly trained, courageous competitors. With my new understanding, I look forward to watching the amazing sport of Luge in the Winter Olympics.

Resources:

United States Luge Association Parent's Guide to the Sport of Luge
http://adventure.howstuffworks.com/outdoor-activities/snow-sports/luge5.htm
http://www.fil-luge.org/
http://library.thinkquest.org/J002862/Luge.htm
http://www.usaluge.org/aboutluge/fastfacts.php
http://www.usaluge.org/aboutus/rulesandpolicies.php
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luge