rules to play luge

The first international race course was held in Davos in 1883, with competitors racing along an icy 4km road between Davos and the village of Klosters.

Luge is one of the oldest winter sports. It involves competitors lying on their backs on a tiny sled with their feet stretched out in front of them, and racing down an icy track at speeds in the range of 140 km h, without brakes. As well as the singles, there is a pairs event, with the larger of the two team members lying on top for better aerodynamics.

It was not until 1955 that the first World Championship was organised, i.e. 41 years after the first European Championships. Nine years later, in 1964, luge made its Olympic debut, at the Innsbruck Games, with a mixed event, a mens event and a womens event. The programme has not changed since then. Since 1976, this sport has taken place on the same track as bobsleigh.

The discipline was dominated by the East Germans, who won 15 of the 21 gold medals available between 1964 and 1988. One of the undisputed masters of luge is a German Georg Hackl, who won gold three times consecutively, in 1994 in Lillehammer, 1998 in Nagano and 2002 in Salt Lake City.

Artificial luge tracks have specially designed and constructed banked curves plus walled in straights. Most tracks are artificially refrigerated, but artificial tracks without artificial cooling also exist for example, in St. Moritz. Tracks tend to be very smooth.

The athletes ride in a flat, aerodynamic position on the sled, keeping their heads low to minimize air resistance. They steer the sled mainly with their calves by applying pressure on the runnersright calf to turn left, left calf to turn right. It takes a precise mix of shifting body weight, applying pressure with calves and rolling the shoulders. There are also handles for minor adjustments. A successful luger maintains complete concentration and relaxation on the sled while traveling at high speeds. Most lugers visualize the course in their minds before sliding.citation needed Fastest times result from following the perfect line down the track. Any slight error, such as a brush of the wall, costs time. Track conditions are also important. Softer ice tends to slow speeds, while harder ice tends to lead to faster times. Lugers race at speeds averaging 120 145 km h 75 90 mph around high banked curves while experiencing a centripetal acceleration of up to 5g. Mens Singles have their start locations near where the bobsled and skeleton competitors start at most tracks, while both the Doubles and Womens Singles competition have their starthouse located further down the track. Artificial track luge is the fastest and most agile sledding sport.

Natural tracks are adapted from existing mountain roads and paths. Artificially banked curves are not permitted. The tracks surface must be horizontal. They are naturally iced. The use of artificial refrigeration is forbidden. 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 situated in Austria and Italy, with others in Germany, Poland, Russia, Slovenia, Canada, and the United States. The Upper Peninsula Luge Club8 in Negaunee, Michigan, is home to one of only five lighted natural track luge runs in the world, and the only natural track in the United States. The half mile 0.8 km track features 29 curves along its 88 meter 289 ft vertical drop. The hill hosts international luge events and offers luge instruction to the public during the winter months. World championships have been held since 1979 while European championships have been held since 1970.

As with many extreme sports, luging has risks. Though most injuries involve bumps, bruises, broken bones and concussions, fatalities do occasionally occur. Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili suffered a fatal crash during his final practice run for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Whistler, British Columbia, Canada.9 Hours later, the International Luge Federation concluded that the accident was caused by a steering error and not a track error; nevertheless, changes to the track were made before the re opening.10 Kumaritashvili was the fourth athlete to die while in preparation for a Winter Olympics competition, following speed skier Nicolas Bochatay, 27, who died while preparing for the Albertville 1992 games, British luger Kazimierz Kay Skrzypeski and skier Ross Milne, 19, who both died in the run up to the Innsbruck 1964 games.

The sport of luge requires an athlete to balance mental and physical fitness. To become an elite luger, a competitor must begin training at an early age and spend decades honing their skills. Physically, a luger must have strong neck, upper body, abdominal, and thigh muscles. Strength training is essential to withstand the extreme G forces of tight turns at high speeds. Since lugers have very little protection other than a visor and helmet, they must be able to endure the physical pounding administered by the track when mistakes are made. Mentally a luger must maintain total focus as they steer their sled through more than a kilometer of curves and straights at high speed. Dozens of subtle movements and weight shifts are required to find the perfect line down the track. Consistency is essential for success. Sled maintenance is also an important element for success. Serious lugers spend hours meticulously sanding their steels, and making other important adjustments and repairs to their sleds. No luger can possibly achieve elite status without working closely with an experienced coaching staff, implementing suggestions and fine tuning technique. Other lugers will often give tips that can improve a sliders ability to find the sweet spot on the track. Though luge is a winter sport, it requires daily, year round training.

In mens and womens singles, athletes take four runs down the track. The four times are added, and the fastest total time determines the winner. The competition takes two days to complete two runs per day. The four run format is unique to the Olympic Winter Games and is designed to reward consistency, endurance, and ability to withstand pressure particularly on the second day. Men and women compete on the same track, though the women start from a position further down the course. At the Whistler Sliding Centre, the mens course is approximately .85 miles; the womens and doubles course is .74 miles. At the start of all four runs, each sled is weighed, each athlete is weighed, and temperatures of sled runners are compared to an official control runner. In singles, the sled cannot weigh more than 50.6 lbs.There is no maximum weight for athletes, but men who weigh less than 198 lbs and women who weigh less than 165 lbs are allowed to add extra weight as ballast.

The mens and womens singles fields are divided into four starting groups, based on results from the last three World Cup races prior to the Games, with a maximum of three athletes per country. Bib numbers and starting positions are randomly drawn from within each starting group. For the second run, each group reverses its starting order. The third proceeds with the fastest athlete from the first two runs and ends with the slowest. For the final run, the fastest team based on the first three runs combined competes last. After the final run, the three medalists face sled control in which the whole vehicle is taken apart and officials examine measurements and check suspension systems to ensure that no illegal methods or materials are present.

Doubles luge is a one day competition in which pairs of athletes take two runs down the course. The fastest total time determines the winner. There is no rule that says a doubles team must comprise members of the same sex, but traditionally, men have slid together, with the larger man positioned on top for a more aerodynamic fit. The doubles course is .74 miles. At the start of both doubles runs, each sled is weighed, each athlete is weighed, and temperatures of sled runners are compared to an official control runner. The sled in doubles cannot be more than 59.4 lbs, and there is no maximum weight for the pair.

The doubles field is divided into four starting groups based on results from the last three World Cup races prior to the Games, with a maximum of two doubles teams per country. Bib numbers and starting positions are randomly drawn from within each starting group for the first run. In the second run, the teams start in reverse rank order the fastest team goes last based on results from the first run. After the second final run, sled checks are performed on the sleds of the three teams that won medals. A failure to meet the standards results in disqualification.

Know that each luge sled must include two runners, two blades, a seat and two bridges. The runners hold the blades in place, and the bridges link the runners together underneath the seat of the luge. Only the blades touch the ice.Understand that the blades are adjustable, and that their positioning determines the direction that the sled will take.Know that there are restrictions to the length of the sled, based on the length of its rider. The sled cannot project below the riders knees or above the riders shoulders.
Be aware that there are maximum weights for the riders of each sled. The restrictions vary depending upon the racers age and gender. If riders weigh less than the maximum, the rules allow them to add more weight to their sleds.
Know that there is a weight limit to the amount of gear each sled rider can wear. This gear usually includes a one piece stretch suit and a helmet with a face mask.
Understand that the length of a regulation luge track varies between 1000 and 1500 meters.