rules to play luge

Know that the winner of a luge competition is determined through a number of qualifying heats. Only one sled will come down the track at any time. The competitors with the shortest time in the qualifying heat compete in the final round.

Notice that a competitors qualifying time will only count if that competitor finishes the course and is still making bodily contact with the sled.

Be aware that there are four runs in the qualifying heats of Olympic singles and doubles luge and only two qualifying runs for the same competitions in World Cup and world championship competitions. The qualifying heats of Olympic luge take place over two days.

Notice that there is a pre determined starting order based on the seedings from previous competitions. You do not need to understand seeding or the reasoning behind this starting order. Just know that it exists.

Pay attention to the start of each competitors qualifying run. Each racer sits on his sled on the starting ramp and pulls two fixed start handles to set his sled in motion.

Note that the instant the sled is in motion, the competitor lies prone on her sled.

Watch for slight changes in the riders body position as he slightly shifts his weight in order to adjust the positioning of his blades against the ice.

Pay attention to the names of the competitors and to their relative times as the qualifying heats progress. Be aware that the competitor with the fastest final time will win the competition.

The zippers on luge booties draw the sliders feet into a straight position as opposed to flexed. This position minimizes frontal drag see The Physics section.During a race, something like a snag in a racing bootie can affect the sliders aerodynamics enough to mean the difference between a win and a loss. Sliders typically race in brand new gear to reduce the chance of an unnoticed imperfection.In the next section, well put this all together and see what happens during a luge run.

The Olympic luge competition has three divisions Mens singles, womens singles and gender neutral doubles. Since a higher weight is advantageous in luge see the next section, doubles teams are typically all male. Most international races besides the Olympics have single sliders doing two runs each. Both times are added, and the winner has the lowest combined time. In the Olympics, singles luge competition consists of four runs instead of two doubles still perform only two runs, all of which count toward the final time. In this way, the Olympics tries to weight consistency as a major factor in a win.

Since every luge track is different from every other luge track, there are no blanket World or Olympic records in luge. There are only track records. Italian slider Armin Zoggeler holds the World track record for the 2006 Torino Games course 144.586 for two runs, or an average time of 52.293 seconds per run.

At the start of the luge course, there are two handles, one on each side of the track. The slider grabs these handles and rocks back and forth to build momentum for the start. To begin the race, the slider propels himself onto the course and immediately uses his hands in the spiked gloves to paddle through the first 10 feet or so of the track. This helps him gain some speed before lying down on the sled.

Olympic luge is timed to the thousandth of a second for comparison, the blink of an eye takes 12 thousandths of a second.Luge is timed using photoelectric sensors at the start and finish. The setup has a light transmitter receiver pair at each end of the run. The transmitter is on one side of the track, and the receiver is on the other. At the start, the slider triggers the timer when he crosses the line because he blocks the light beam. At the finish line, he stops the timer the same way.

Luge training also involves sessions in wind tunnels, during which athletes figure out the form that achieves minimum aerodynamic drag. Monitors above the sliders head and at his feet display a number that represents the amount of drag hes experiencing. During the session, with wind blowing over and against him at 90 mph, the athlete makes minute adjustments to his position to lower the drag number. Training for luge is about strength and precision, but a slider has to have a certain temperament, too. In a CBC interview, Chris Moffat of the Canadian Luge Team explains, The fastest people are the people that are out of control. Its the fact that youre not always in control thats nice. In luge, adrenaline junkies win.

Additional weights may be carried in singles and doubles competitions in general class and in junior and Youth A class.
Thereby a bigger equal opportunity between low weight and high weight athletes should be achieved The additional weight may not exceed Women, Junior Women, Youth A Men 10 kg
Men, Junior Men 1 13 kg
Youth A Women 8 kg
Doubles Gen. class juniors youth A 10 kg