Step 1: Conditioning requirements to luge

Step 2: Equipment you will need to luge

In step 2 we explore the equipment needed for the luge event. This is vital to the protection and performance of the athlete.

Luge athletes value the following, more than they value a sense of style/fashion:

• Aerodynamics – Equipment designed to cut through wind resistance
• Minimized friction – Try on all clothes as a suit (sometimes individual pieces fit, but do not assemble well, all clothing needs to be tight but also cover the body
• Reduced weight – Clothing should be as lightweight as possible

Luge Sled A luge consists of a piece of fiberglass which has been mounted on two metal steels. The pod is where the luge athlete’s body is placed. The steels are the only luge part, which make contact with the ice. The luge runners are the main method in which the luge is steered. The runners steer using legs, which apply pressure on either side to control direction. The luge direction can also be controlled by making movements of the shoulder which move body weight from side to side. There are also two grips on the two sides of the luge; these grips are the only hold the luge athlete has to stay onboard. The luge weighs approximately 50 – 60 pounds (or 23-27 kg) and typically stretches from the slider’s shoulders to their knees. No head support is provided.

Luge Helmet Luge helmets are a critical speed and safety feature. They feature a rounded plastic visor along with a thin layer of protective padding to protect the head and prevent concussions. A good helmet is designed specifically to reduce aerodynamic drag effects. A helmet allows for a wider, complete track viewpoint and extends under the chin, which reduces friction.

Racing suit Luge suits are entirely smooth and contain no zippers and/or snaps, which would slow down sliders during a race. Luge suits are skin tight, which enables air to pass over the body with minimal friction. Most luge teams wear racing suits, which share common color schemes and graphics.

Luge spiked gloves Luge gloves are available from specialist winter sports suppliers. Luge gloves are quite similar to soccer goal keeper’s gloves and have a thin layer across the backhand. Luge gloves have spikes contained in the palm of the hand and along the tips of the fingers. These spikes enable riders to grip the ice during the start of the luge run.

Racing booties Luge racing booties resemble just the inner lining of winter boots. Regrettably booties provide fairly minimal protection from the cold. The booties straighten out a rider’s feet and increase speed along the luge track. The luge booties zippers draw the sliders feet into a perfectly straight position, which causes frontal drag to be minimized.

Step 3: Technique required to luge

In step 3 we discuss the technique required throughout a luge run..

Luge technique The slider uses the spiked fingers of their gloves to paddle the luge from the starting gate. A slider needs to be extremely strong to make the luge move initially. Once the slider has got the luge to move, gravity kicks in and speed naturally accelerates. As the slider steers throughout the course, friction is the main enemy to speed and works against gravity to slow the slider down.

As the start of the downhill section approaches, the slider lies prone on the sled. This is the body position for the remainder of the run. From this prone position, the slider can only life their head slightly to calculate the route down the course. The slider navigates the courses straights, twists and turns whilst trying to keep their body both tight and relaxed.

Tight but relaxed is not easy to achieve whilst the slider is going down a luge course at speeds of up to 90MPH. The sliders body needs to be rigid to maximize acceleration. This is because any slight movements will increase the friction between the luge and the course. The slider needs to be relaxed enough though to absorb the pressures/forces being experienced during the run. Steering will increase friction; therefore the slider steers as little as possible and only when absolutely necessary.

The Paralymic Games are for athletes with disabilities that prevent them from competing in the Olympic Games. The games were first held in 1976 in Sweden and are governed by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC). Since 1988 the Paralympic Games have been hosted by the same city and often in the same venues as the Olympic Games; they normally take place a couple of weeks after the Olympics. The Winter Paralympic Games features five different events: sledge hockey, cross-country skiing, biathalon, alpine skiing, and wheelchair curling.

Wheelchair curling
Wheelchair curling was developed in the 1990s in Switzerland; the first World Curling Championship was held in that country in 2002. It was added to the Paralympic Games in 2006 in Torino, Italy. Canada won the first gold medal in the sport. The sport is regulated by the World Curling Federation.

While regular Olympic curling features two teams of 4 players competing for points, wheelchair curling only really needs two players on each team. They play on the same rink and use the same rocks as regular curling. These rinks are 45-46 m in length and 4.5-5 m in width. A vertical line is drawn down the middle from one end to the other. Horizontal lines named hoglines are also painted 11m from each end. Three circles (blue, white and red usually) are also painted at each end and are called the house. Rocks can be thrown by leaning over the side of the wheelchair or pushed with a special pole with a bracket attached. There is no sweeping.

Teams in wheelchair curling must be made up of both men and women and the games are 8 ends each with 8 rocks being thrown by each team in each round. Rocks must be thrown within 18 inches of the centre line, and the rock must be thrown before the hogline is reached. After 8 rocks are thrown by each team in the end, one team scores a point for each rock that is closer to the centre of the house than the other team’s. Each team has a time limit of 68 minutes and are allowed one 60 second time out; if a team goes over their allotted time they automatically lose the game. If a team believes they have no change of winning, they can forfeit the game. To qualify for wheelchair curling, an athlete must be either dependent on a wheelchair to get around or be unable to walk short distances.

Outdoors sport in winter and, generally speaking, exercise during this season should be regarded more trustfully by sedentary people as well as by gym-addicts. Advantages such as reinforcing, maintaining and increasing health, characterizing outdoors exercise, do not cease during winter; on the contrary, they can acquire new values.

If winter sports amateurs do not need any pleading, there is a big mass of people who would like to exercise without skis, skates or sleighs. The common reflex is to assault the fitness, body building, aerobics, tae-bo etc. studios. Of course, in this period, force training largely depends on gyms – in the other seasons the push-ups, pull up, squat are much more easily practiced outdoors.

Meanwhile, endurance (aerobic) exercise, which should always accompany anaerobic training, can and should be done outdoors even during the cold season. Fast walking, running and cycling are most recommended. In the case of people who haven’t trained in winter but are used to practicing exercises such as these in other periods of the year, we must stress that dosage of effort should be done more prudently than in the warmer seasons.

The superior as well as the inferior parts of the respiratory apparatus aren’t used to the cold air flow; thus, they need to be trained step by step in order to avoid laryngitis, trachaeitis, bronchitis etc. As pulmonary ventilation increases during aerobic effort, the air flow cannot warm up sufficiently while passing through the respiratory apparatus – thus alternating lower effort periods or even taking breaks is recommended – in order to allow warming up again.

When the body has been trained for winter conditions, the timing of a usual effort session can get close to the one habitual in warmer seasons – a bit reduced. Thus for rapid walking it can extend to an hour, an hour and a half; for running, to 30-45 minutes.

The sports gear is a most important aspect: it must assure thermal protection without overheating. Up-to-date research recommends using three clothing layers which create two successive air layers.

For the first fabric layer, touching the skin, cotton (most recommended in summer) must be avoided. Here synthetic fabrics such as Goretex, Polarteck and Lycra are used – they do not retain perspiration and do not transform themselves into cold wet compresses for the chest and back.

For the second layer, warmer materials – such as wool – can be used; the fabric for the last layer has to be water and windproof.

One must give special attention to protecting the head, neck, hands and feet. Especially the head must be covered with a hat made of the same types of fabric as the first layer: scientific studies have proved that the skull allows the greatest heat loss. For protecting the neck, it is good to wear polo necks or scarves made of the same material as the clothing’s last layer. Leather gloves must be avoided: they forbid eliminating the perspiration – as wearing several pairs of cotton socks does, too.

Last but not least, we must mention the body’s hydrating level: cold as well as heat tend to make the sportsman dehydrate.

If these recommendations are respected, we can train and enjoy exercise also during the cold season.