2009 USA Luge Slider Search Coming to Schenectady, N.Y

SCHENECTADY, N.Y.--- How do members of the U.S. national luge team get their start in the Fastest Sport on Ice®?... through the USA Luge Slider Search, which targets boys and girls age 11 to 14. On Saturday and Sunday, September 12-13, young athletes who want to experience the thrill of luge and train under the guidance of USA Luge national team coaches and athletes can do so when the USA Luge Slider Search rolls into Schenectady, N.Y.   The event will be held in Central Park from 9 a.m. to noon and 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.

During a USA Luge Slider Search clinic, USA Luge coaches and athletes teach youngsters the basics of riding a luge sled, including position, steering and stopping. Armed with the basics, the young athletes make several runs down a paved street on wheeled sleds. Finally, the youngsters measure their physical skills through a battery of fitness tests. Those who show the most promise at the clinics are invited to train in Lake Placid, N.Y.; or Park City, Utah. They also will be considered for the 2010-2011 USA Luge development team.

Currently, most of USA Luge's national team are graduates of the Slider Search, including Brian Martin (Palo Alto, Calif.), a 1998 Olympic bronze and 2002 Olympic silver medalist. The Search also produced reigning women’s World Champion Erin Hamlin (Remsen, N.Y.) along with eight members of USA Luge's 2006 Olympic team. The event is free and participants will also receive a USA-Luge T-shirt for free. For complete information and to register for the USA Luge Slider Search, call 1-800-USA LUGE or visit www.usaluge.org.

USA Luge uses the Slider Search, now in its 24^th season, as its primary means of recruitment for a program whose athletes have captured 550 international medals since 1994. Included in that total are silver and bronze medals during the 1998 and 2002 Olympic Winter Games, 25 World Cup victories, four overall World Cup doubles crowns, 18 Junior World Championship titles and 12 Senior World Championship medals.

For more information on the Fastest Sport on Ice®, log on to www.usaluge.org

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