USA Luge will be in Columbus May 4 - 5 looking for kids age 9 - 13 to try the sport for free on wheeled sleds. The program, called the Slider Search, is the primary means for finding youngsters who will one day become Olympians. It is also a great opportunity for children to try something new.
The White Castle USA Luge Slider Search is the official nationwide athlete recruitment tour of USA Luge. The mission of this grass-roots program, established in 1985, is to identify, train and qualify young athletes for the USA Luge Junior Development Team. Athletes who may progress through the team development ladder have hopes of one-day becoming members of the National and Olympic Luge Teams.
Over the years, the White Castle USA Luge Slider Search has traveled more than 220,000 miles and introduced the sport of luge to some 25,000 eager young athletes. At each series stop, guided by U.S. Olympic and National Team coaches and athletes, participants are taught the basics of riding a luge sled, including positioning, steering and stopping. Once these skills are developed, athletes take several runs down a paved luge course on wheel-equipped luge sleds. Finally, athletes test their physical skills through a battery of fitness tests. Those who show promise in the summer program will be invited to Lake Placid, N.Y., Park City, Utah, or Muskegon, Michigan to try luge on ice at a USA Luge sanctioned training site. The top young athletes from this group are selected for the next year’s development team.
Learn more at https://www.teamusa.org/usa-luge/slider-search.