March 5, 2009

Luge. It is a sport that bewilders so many people, and yet it has consumed nearly two-thirds of my life. Don’t forget I am old (as many of my teammates are so quick to point out)! However, the reason I’ve spent so much time doing it is because, well, I think Olympic competition and 95mph are the perfect combination. In my life I have found very few things more satisfying than achieving a near-perfect run at breakneck speeds under race conditions. It’s euphoria…it’s addicting…and I love it!

My name is Tony Benshoof. With 20+ years of experience, I’ve gained as much knowledge about the sport as almost anyone. However, I am no stranger to Father Time, and it’s no secret the 2010 Games will likely be my last. My goal for this blog is to give insight to this crazy sport and my luge career while I make the final run at Olympic glory. I plan to be among the top sliders bidding for a podium finish on the fastest track in the world just 11 months from now.

So what is luge anyway?

To many, luge is synonymous with words like cuckoo, nutty, disturbed and uncontrollable...and I can understand why people think that. The honest truth is that luge is much more controlled and calculated than it appears, and that’s what has kept me involved in this sport for so many years. On every curve at almost every time, we are making adjustments to the sled to find the right “line” down the track. Almost like a 90+mph game of golf! When you top that with the physical element of needing a fast start and rock-solid position down the track (often at 4+ g-forces), you have a sport that requires both mental and physical toughness.   When done right, it looks like poetry in motion…an almost effortless display of speed, agility and courage. When done wrong, it’ll make the toughest stomach turn as sled and slider tumble through the air at breakneck speeds on a path almost certain for injury.

We are the only sport of all the sliding sports to have full control. That control is because we have a sharp edge we ride on, unlike bobsled and skeleton. Unfortunately that control comes at a cost. The cost being, if you don’t steer in the right place…well, let’s just say it isn’t pretty. The best luge sliders in the world have 10+ years of sliding under their belt, and most start before they are 13. It’s mainly a European sport, but the USA has done a great job of infiltrating that European dominance. Since the mid-1990s, the USA has been one of the major competing countries on every major race including the Olympics. We have hundreds of World Cup medals, four Olympic medals and two World Championship titles. The most recent of which was Erin Hamlin, who became the first USA women’s World Champion here in Lake Placid this season.
  
All while wearing funny-looking shoes, a skin-tight suit and no padding whatsoever.

Next week I’m going to go into full detail about our equipment and why those funny-looking suits look the way they do! I’m also going to share with you what 95mph really feels like!  My head is spinning with all the fun stuff I can tell you about, but it’ll have to wait until next week, so hang on till then…

Check out my blog photos!