Luge

A sled is a small one-or two-person sled on which one sleds supine (face up) and feet-first. Steering is done by flexing the sled's runners with the calf of each leg or exerting a pressure to the seat. Racing sleds weigh 21-25 kilograms (46-55 lbs) for singles and 25-30 kilograms (55-66 lbs) for double.

Luge is also the name of an Olympic sport. Lugers can reach speeds of 140 km per hour (87 mph). Manuel Pfister of Austria, reached a top speed of 154 km per hour (95.69 mph) on the track in Whistler, Canada prior to the Winter Olympics.

Lugers compete against a timer, and on artificial tracks they are timed to a thousandth of a second, making luge one of the most precisely timed sports in the world. The first recorded use of the term "luge" is 1905, from the Savoy / Swiss dialect of French "luge" meaning "small coasting sled", and is possibly from a Gaulish word with the same root as English sled.

Natural tracks are adapted from existing mountain roads and paths. Artificially banked curves are not permitted. The track's surface should be horizontal. They are naturally iced. Tracks can get rough from the braking and steering action. Athletes use a steering rein and drag their hands and use their legs in order to drive around the tight flat corners. Braking is often required in front of curves and is accomplished by the use of spikes built on the bottom of the shoes.

Most of the tracks are located in Austria and Italy, with others in Germany, Poland, Russia, Slovenia, Canada, Switzerland, Croatia, Liechtenstein, Turkia, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Bulgaria, Romania, New Zealand and the United States.

There are four luge disciplines.

Men's singles

Doubles (mixed event)

Women's singles

Team Relay (Olympic discipline starting in 2014)

These are the most commonly used categories of children in the United States.

Older competitors may enjoy the sport in masters (age 30-50), and senior masters (age 51+) classes.

In a team relay competition one man, one woman and one doubles pair form a team. A touchpad at the bottom of the runway is touched by a competitor signaling a teammate at the top of the run to start.

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