What is the Adirondack Luge Club, and what do we do?
The Adirondack Luge Club is a United States Luge Association-sanctioned Sport Club, charged with promoting the sport of luge in the eastern United States. Members of the Adirondack Luge Club participate in the sport of luge during the winter months, predominantly on the artificial track at the Olympic Sports Complex in Lake Placid, NY. Members also serve as officials for National and International races. During the offseason months, the club promotes the sport to youth groups, schools, and communities in our region of the country. We support and participate in wheeled-sled training and recruiting sessions to hone our skills and introduce the sport to new athletes year-round.
Any sport that has speed as an element has certain inherent risks. However, safety is an imperative in all that we do in the Adirondack Luge Club. First and foremost, sliding with appropriate protective gear is a requirement. A helmet is always used. Pads and gloves are also important parts of the safety equation.
Athletes will not be placed into situations where the challenges facing them are greater than their skills and confidence are ready for. USA Luge coaches will not progress an athlete up the track to faster starts, or place them on faster sleds, unless they see evidence that the slider is ready for the next step.
Despite the speed, the most common injuries in luge – particularly at the club level – are bumps, bruises, and scrapes. A study of injury data by a medical doctor, who also slides luge, concluded that the risks in luge are similar to those skiing.
What does it cost to participate in luge?
There are three sets of costs to participate in luge, but they remain very reasonable when compared to other winter sports.
ADK Luge Club Dues are $50.0.00 for an Adult, $20.00 for a Youth athlete, or $75.00 for a family plus a small website processing fee.
USA Luge Dues are $50 per athlete.
ORDA Trace Fees are $45 per day for an Adult, or $20 per day for a youth. We recommend buying the season pass at $300 for an adult or $100 for youth athletes.
When does the club get time on the track to slide?
The club typically slides on Saturday evenings and Sunday mornings, with the season beginning as early as November and extending as late as April.
The specific times and dates that we slide can be found on the Sliding Schedule page of our web site.
What equipment do I need?
USA Luge and the Adirondack Luge Club will provide you all the sporting equipment you’ll need. Sleds, Helmets, and elbow pads are provided at no additional charge.
Dressing appropriately will increase your enjoyment of your sliding session. Warm clothing, particularly thermal underwear, will be important. However, large bulky coats or ski pants may prove awkward when sliding, as they will “puff up” full of wind making visibility more difficult. Warm and form-fitting is better.
Most importantly, good gloves are important to protect your hands in the event you brush a wall. Ski gloves are excellent as are any other glove with a smooth surface. Woolen gloves/mittens aren’t desirable, as they don’t provide as much protection.
How will I learn to luge?
Fortunately, there’s not a lot you need to learn to start sliding, but it will take a lifetime to master the sport. You will learn to slide starting on your first night. Prior to the session, you’ll receive an introduction to the sled and what to expect from a club coach. You’ll slide from the lowest start on the track. You won’t need to do a lot from that start to be successful, but you will learn about proper body position and get a feel for how to drive the sled. After each run, you’ll consult with a USA Luge coach who observed your run and will provide you with additional instruction or corrective comments.
Ideally, athletes should be 8 years of age or older to slide. If you’re in your early teens, you’re of an age where you have the chance to develop over time and possible make a national team. Because it takes 10-15 years of intense training to be competitive on the international stage, serious athletes should begin sliding in their early teen years.
However, many of club members started sliding later in life. While there’s no road to Olympic fame for older athletes, there are plenty of competitive opportunities for our club members. Members challenge themselves to improve, and enjoy friendly competition between each other. We also travel to other tracks, both in the U.S. and abroad, to experience sliding and competing in those locations.
The primary requirements to slide are a willingness and interest, combined with being in decent physical condition. Because sleds are fairly narrow, as are the tracks, adults who are larger than 225 lbs may find it more difficult.
To join you will need to fill out the 5 USLA forms found at usaluge.org, under the "Membership" banner.
One of the 5 forms requires the participating athlete have a physical and the form filled in by your physician. Then pay an annual USLA membership fee. The forms can be sent via e-mail, fax or US mail. They MUST be received by the office at least 2 weeks prior to your intended sliding session. Contact: USA Luge
57 Church Street
Lake Placid, NY 12946-1805
Phone: (518) 523-2071 Fax: (518) 523-4106 E-mail: beverly@usaluge.org
You then need to join the ADK Luge Club by clicking on the "Become a Member" banner on this website. There are 6 simple steps Choose either Family Membership, Adult Membership or Youth Membership. (disregard Try Luge). Fill in the requested personal information. Develop a user name and password. Agree to the terms. Finish and agree to payment. You will need a credit or debit card.
Finally when you come to the track you need to fill in the ORDA form (Olympic Regional Development Authority) to be allowed on the track. That can be found on this web site after you become a member under "Docs Form Files".
Down load, print and sign and bring to the track to submit to the coach. If you have trouble down loading and printing we should also have some spares at the track.
All forms need only to be completed once per sliding season.
You will receive a package from USA Luge. It will contain:
USLA Membership Card
USLA Sliding Permit
USLA Pin
USLA Sticker
You MUST bring your USLA Membership Card and USLA Sliding Permit to each session in order to slide.
No Card. No Slide.
If you do not receive your USLA package before coming to Lake Placid call Beverly @ (518) 523-2071.