USA Luge Start Competition on September 13 in Lake Placid

Lake Placid (FIL/05 Sep 2024) On Friday, September 13, the best American male and female luge athletes will gather at USA Luge's refrigerated indoor start training complex to compete for the annual start championship title. The competition will take place at the USA Luge headquarters at 57 Church Street, Lake Placid, at 6 p.m. ET.

The public is welcome to attend the event. After the awards ceremony, there will be a unique opportunity to ride the start ramp yourself. For a $20 donation, which will be used to support USA Luge athletes and programs, visitors can ride down the ramp.

Among the favorites is three-time Olympian Tucker West (Lake Placid, N.Y.), who is hoping to win his twelfth consecutive title. West will be competing against 2022 Olympian Jonny Gustafson (Massena, N.Y.) and Hunter Harris (East Fairfield, Vt.), among others. Two-time Junior World Championship medalist Matt Greiner (Park City, Utah) will compete in his first competition as a member of the national team. Junior national team athletes Aidan Mueller (West Islip, N.Y.) and Logan Barnes (Clarksville, Tenn.) are also expected to compete.

In the women's competition, an exciting duel is expected between three-time Olympian Summer Britcher (Glen Rock, Pa.) and World Championship bronze medalist Emily Sweeney (Lake Placid, N.Y.). Britcher has won seven titles since 2015, while Sweeney last won the championship in 2021. They will be challenged by Ashley Farquharson (Park City, Utah), the top-ranked US athlete in the women's World Cup, and up-comer Emma Erickson (Park City, Utah) from the junior team.

In women's doubles, reigning World Championship bronze medalists Chevonne Forgan (Chelmsford, Mass.)/Sophia Kirkby (Ray Brook, N.Y.) are expected to compete. The newly formed duo of Maya Chan (Chicago, Il.)/Sophia Gordon (Sussex, Wisc.) will not compete due to Gordon's jaw surgery. However, there is a possibility that Chan will compete with a temporary partner. The final decision will be made in the coming days.

In the men's doubles competition, Lake Placid World Cup winners Zack DiGregorio (Medway, Mass.)/Sean Hollander (Lake Placid, N.Y.) will take on reigning junior world champions Marcus Mueller (Brookfield, Wisc.)/Ansel Haugsjaa (Framingham, Mass.). Also competing will be World Championship Relay silver medalists Dana Kellogg (Chesterfield, Mass.)/Frank Ike (Lititz, Pa.) and the junior duo of Logan Barnes/Gavin Davis (Berwick, Pa.).

The USA Start Championships format consists of three heats, with the winners determined by the lowest added time. The first two heats are traditional starts, while the third heat is a reaction start as used in the team relay.

Held annually in late summer and early fall, the competition marks the countdown to the teams' return to the ice in preparation for the EBERSPAECHER World Cup season, which kicks off in Lillehammer, Norway, from November 30 to December 1, 2024.

Following the official USA Start competition, visitors will have the opportunity to try out the start ramp for themselves and try their hand at the luge start.

Further information about USA Luge and the fastest sport on ice can be found at www.usaluge.org.