Canadian Luger complains "Home Track advantage gone"

[dbackjon]

Jacksass....

Canadian Regan Lauscher complained that the lowered start means her nation's home-track advantage is "basically gone." Given that some have said Canada's resistance to allow other countries to train at the Whistler track played a role in Kumaritashvili's death, that comment beats out even Geisenberger's for insensitivity. Maybe Lauscher is taking cues from her coach, Wolfgang Staudinger, who said that "exotic sliders" are the reasons luge accidents happen.


http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/vancou ... oly,219592

[JayJ79]

How exactly does restricted training time add to the danger?
Wouldn't the training runs still be just as dangerous as the training run that killed the guy?

[dbackjon]

How exactly does restricted training time add to the danger?
Wouldn't the training runs still be just as dangerous as the training run that killed the guy?

The first training runs were done with a lower start, to let the lugers get a better feel for the track. More time at the lower start would benefit everyone.

[AZGrizFan]

Jacksass....

Canadian Regan Lauscher complained that the lowered start means her nation's home-track advantage is "basically gone." Given that some have said Canada's resistance to allow other countries to train at the Whistler track played a role in Kumaritashvili's death, that comment beats out even Geisenberger's for insensitivity. Maybe Lauscher is taking cues from her coach, Wolfgang Staudinger, who said that "exotic sliders" are the reasons luge accidents happen.


http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/vancou ... oly,219592

How is this not regulated?

[JayJ79]

How is this not regulated?

I don't know about regulated, but I do know that every host country so far has employed similar restrictions/"home track advantages" with their luge tracks.

[Rob Iola]

This group of sports (luge, skeleton, bobsled), along with long-track speed-skating and ski jumping, makes no sense at the world-class level - the Whistler Sliding Center cost roughly $100M (Canadian - not sure what that is American) and will be used in perpetuity by a small group of specially trained athletes with absolutely no fan base. At least other Olympic venues become either general-use arenas or become public-use facilities (ice rinks and ski slopes).

These kinds of sports should be kept at the low-tech level, such as the Lake Placid Olympic Oval used for speed skating - still expensive, but outdoors (with hay bales!).

[Wedgebuster]

Heard an European luger refer to the starting point as "the old ladies start."

[polsongrizz]

Very sad that this young man died, but when you participate in dangerous sports death and serious injuries are going to happen and they all know the risks. On top of that this young man told his father just before the race the following...

David Kumaritashvili gave an interview Sunday outside his house in the Georgian mountain town of Bakuriani, recounting one of the last conversations he had with his 21-year-old son.

"He called me before the Olympics, three days ago, and he said, 'Dad, I'm scared of one of the turns.'

"I said, 'Put your legs down on the ice to slow down,' but he said if he started the course he would finish it. ... He was brave."

Since his death, many people have debated whether the track was too fast or the relatively inexperienced luger was out of his element. A number of Olympic lugers think the track was fine. They fault Kumaritashvili – a sentiment shared by luging officials who deemed the track safe.

I think this kid was was psyched out by this track and it got him killed. After the repair work I see no reason why they moved the starting point downhill.

Although maybe insensitive the remarks are %100 true.

[ALPHAGRIZ1]

Why do people constantly try to protect people like this from removing themselves from the gene pool?

Mind your own business and let others do as they please. The only people that have a problems with this are the safety nazis

[Gil Dobie]

This group of sports (luge, skeleton, bobsled), along with long-track speed-skating and ski jumping, makes no sense at the world-class level - the Whistler Sliding Center cost roughly $100M (Canadian - not sure what that is American) and will be used in perpetuity by a small group of specially trained athletes with absolutely no fan base. At least other Olympic venues become either general-use arenas or become public-use facilities (ice rinks and ski slopes).

These kinds of sports should be kept at the low-tech level, such as the Lake Placid Olympic Oval used for speed skating - still expensive, but outdoors (with hay bales!).

There is an Oval for speed skating in Roseville, MN (Twin Cities suburb), and when it's not used for an event, it's used for open skating for the public. There is also a ski jump in the Twin Cities that I drive by often, run by a club. There are several ski jumps and clubs in the area. But that's an up-norte thing.

[Gil Dobie]

I think this kid was was psyched out by this track and it got him killed. After the repair work I see no reason why they moved the starting point downhill.

The repair work looked to have solved the problem of someone hitting the steel beams again.

[Rob Iola]

This group of sports (luge, skeleton, bobsled), along with long-track speed-skating and ski jumping, makes no sense at the world-class level - the Whistler Sliding Center cost roughly $100M (Canadian - not sure what that is American) and will be used in perpetuity by a small group of specially trained athletes with absolutely no fan base. At least other Olympic venues become either general-use arenas or become public-use facilities (ice rinks and ski slopes).

These kinds of sports should be kept at the low-tech level, such as the Lake Placid Olympic Oval used for speed skating - still expensive, but outdoors (with hay bales!).

There is an Oval for speed skating in Roseville, MN (Twin Cities suburb), and when it's not used for an event, it's used for open skating for the public. There is also a ski jump in the Twin Cities that I drive by often, run by a club. There are several ski jumps and clubs in the area. But that's an up-norte thing.

I think there are high-tech and low-tech versions of these things - but bottom-line if there's a public return on investment on these facilities then it makes sense. Spending $100M on a glorified tobogan run that will never be opened to the public (except at racetrack "experience" prices) is a huge waste of money, IMHO...

[Gil Dobie]

I think there are high-tech and low-tech versions of these things - but bottom-line if there's a public return on investment on these facilities then it makes sense. Spending $100M on a glorified tobogan run that will never be opened to the public (except at racetrack "experience" prices) is a huge waste of money, IMHO...

Just seperating the skating and skiing from the sledding events.

[UNHWildCats]

How is this not regulated?

I don't know about regulated, but I do know that every host country so far has employed similar restrictions/"home track advantages" with their luge tracks.

which is fine if not for the fact that this is the fastest luge track there is, none of the lugers have experience running as fast as this track takes them.

[ALPHAGRIZ1]

Then dont luge.