Village of Westmont
Date Issued: May 13, 2014
The U.S. Olympic Luge Team will be coming to Westmont, Illinois for their annual Luge Slider Search tryouts. “We had an excellent experience working with the staff and people of Westmont when we were in the community several years back,” says Fred Zimny, the U.S. Olympics Director of Luge Team Tryouts and Luge Team Coach. “We’re very pleased to come back again in 2014.”
The “Street Luge” tryouts will be Saturday and Sunday, May 17 & 18 in downtown Westmont. Cass Avenue from 55th Street to West Dallas Street will be closed from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. The actual tryouts begin at 9 a.m. The public is invited to come down and support our Olympic hopefuls.
The USA Luge Slider Search is a program that introduces the sport of luge to boys and girls ages 8-13 all across the USA. The clinics utilize actual luge sleds equipped with wheels for summer use and participants are taught the basics of how to ride and steer a luge sled by a US National Luge Team athletes and coaches. They then take several rides, typically 6-8 runs, down a pre-selected downhill course in the host city. Through observation by the coaching staff and a small battery of fitness tests, athletes showing potential in the Slider Search could then be invited to an on-ice winter training camp to try out for a spot on the US Junior Development Luge Team. This is the first step into the US Luge “National Team” structure which could one day lead to a spot on an Olympic Team!
For more information, contact Larry McIntyre, Village of Westmont Communications Director, at Lmcintyre@westmont.il.gov or 630-417-0280.
