CONGRATULATIONS, TEAM USA !!!!
GREAT LINK from USATODAY sports! Video included
The luge seems to be a terrifying adrenaline rush!
The article about Emily Sweeney's crash puts her at about 60-65 mph after it happened! Normal speed for the luge is around 85-90 mph. Just try to imagine hurtling down a narrow, curved hill of ice with many hairpin loops and curves on a little "sled" faster than most cars! Seeing these races is mind-blowing and leaves one shaking their head! And with two people on one "sled", the one on the bottom likely can't see much at all! I mean, not that one could digest much at that speed anyway!
I heard from the announcers that as one starts weaving back and forth terrifyingly, one thing that stacks up points is how high off the course (!) the athlete clears. Oh! I almost forgot - after the athlete clears terra firma, the number of in-air revolutions completed flawlessly ˆcount". If you check out some video, you will see this phenomenon. And then, to more appreciate the sport, look at the aerial shots of this course. Stupefying!
The article about Emily Sweeney's crash puts her at about 60-65 mph after it happened! Normal speed for the luge is around 85-90 mph. Just try to imagine hurtling down a narrow, curved hill of ice with many hairpin loops and curves on a little "sled" faster than most cars! Seeing these races is mind-blowing and leaves one shaking their head! And with two people on one "sled", the one on the bottom likely can't see much at all! I mean, not that one could digest much at that speed anyway!
I heard from the announcers that as one starts weaving back and forth terrifyingly, one thing that stacks up points is how high off the course (!) the athlete clears. Oh! I almost forgot - after the athlete clears terra firma, the number of in-air revolutions completed flawlessly ˆcount". If you check out some video, you will see this phenomenon. And then, to more appreciate the sport, look at the aerial shots of this course. Stupefying!
I have always had wondered about these athletes. This Olympics has spurred me on to research this sport, especially the psychology of the kids that venture so deeply into this sport!
The 2018 Winter Olympics have seen some incredible highs for U.S. athletes (see Chloe Kim’s gold medal halfpipe, Mirai Nagasu’s historic triple axel, and Adam Rippon’s gorgeous Coldplay routine), but American Emily Sweeney’s terrifying luge crash on her final run today gave her teammates, family, and fans a scare. Sweeney was rounding the infamously difficult Curve 9 on the track when she began to speed back and forth out of control—at about 60 miles per hour. She fell off of her sled before rolling to a stop, as medical personnel rushed to her and the crowd held its breath.
Thankfully, Sweeney, who is 24 and a member of the National Guard, walked away from the accident on her own and was only “banged up,” according to an on-site doctor. Upon exiting the course, she received a standing ovation from the other lugers and was even able to say, “I’m fine,” which, if you weren’t crying already, certainly sealed the deal.
