A luge is a small one- or two-person sled on which one sleds supine and feet-first. A sled, sledge or sleigh is a Vehicle with runners for sliding instead of wheels for rolling The supine position is a position of the body; lying down with the Face up as opposed to the Prone position, which is face down Steering is done by flexing the sled's runners with the calf of each leg or exerting opposite shoulder pressure to the seat. Luge is also the name of the sport which involves racing with such sleds. Sport is an Activity that is governed by a set of rules or Customs and often engaged in competitively It is a competition in which these sleds race against the clock.
Contents |
History
Luge, like the skeleton, and the bobsled, originated in the health-spa town of St Moritz, Switzerland, in the mid-to-late nineteenth century, through the endeavours of hotel entrepreneur Caspar Badrutt. Skeleton is a Winter sport in which competitors aim to drive a one-person Sled in a prone head-first position down an ice track in the fastest time Bobsleigh, bobsled or bobsledge is a Winter sport invented by Englishmen in the late 1860s in which teams make timed runs down narrow twisting banked St Moritz ( German: Sankt Moritz, Romansh: San Murezzan) is an exclusive resort town in the Engadine valley in Switzerland Switzerland (English pronunciation; Schweiz Swiss German: Schwyz or Schwiiz Suisse Svizzera Svizra officially the Swiss Confederation The 19th century of the Common Era began on January 1, 1801 and ended on December 31, 1900, according to the Gregorian calendar Swissman Caspar Badrutt (1848-1904 may have near singlehandedly invented the way we we now look at winter activities &mdash a time for fun and frolic on the picturesque but cold slopes Badrutt successfully sold the idea of winter resorting, as well as rooms with food, drink, and activities. His more adventurous English guests began adapting delivery boys' sleds for recreation, which led to collisions with pedestrians as they sped down the lanes and alleys of the village. This had two outcomes: in the short term the guests began to devise methods of steering the sleds, and so invented the skeleton (head first, prone), the luge (feet first, supine), and the two- and four-man bobsleighs. Skeleton is a Winter sport in which competitors aim to drive a one-person Sled in a prone head-first position down an ice track in the fastest time Word history The word prone meaning "naturally inclined to something apt liable" is recorded in English since 1382 the meaning "lying face-down" is first The supine position is a position of the body; lying down with the Face up as opposed to the Prone position, which is face down Bobsleigh, bobsled or bobsledge is a Winter sport invented by Englishmen in the late 1860s in which teams make timed runs down narrow twisting banked In the long term, in the interests of pedestrian safety, he built a special track for his guests' activities — the world's first "half-pipe", in about 1870. Year 1870 ( MDCCCLXX) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common The track is still in use today; it has been used as a venue in two Olympiads, and is one of the few natural weather tracks that do not depend on artificial refrigeration. The St Moritz-Celerina Olympic Bobrun (known officially as the Olympia Bobrun St An Olympiad is a period of four years associated with the Olympic Games of Classical Greece. Its success eventually enabled Badrutt to build the Palace Hotel; he was able to retain the popular Krup Hotel, which catered for different clientèle and brought in competition as Alpine winter tourism increased in popularity. The historic Palace Hotel in St Moritz &mdash more recently renamed as Badrutt's Palace Hotel is an internationally known destination famous for its glitz and glamor The historic Palace Hotel in St Moritz &mdash more recently renamed as Badrutt's Palace Hotel is an internationally known destination famous for its glitz and glamor
The first organized meeting of the sport took place in 1883 in Switzerland. Year 1883 ( MDCCCLXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Switzerland (English pronunciation; Schweiz Swiss German: Schwyz or Schwiiz Suisse Svizzera Svizra officially the Swiss Confederation In 1913, the Internationale Schlittensportverband or International Sled Sports Federation, was founded in Dresden (Germany). Year 1913 ( MCMXIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Dresden (etymologically from Old Sorbian Drežďany, meaning people of the riverside forest, Drježdźany is the Capital city of the German Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. This body governed the sport until 1935, when it was incorporated in the Fédération Internationale de Bobsleigh et de Tobogganing (FIBT, International Bobsleigh and Tobogganing Federation). Year 1935 ( MCMXXXV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Fédération Internationale de Bobsleigh et de Tobogganing (FIBT or International Bobsleigh and Tobogganing Federation is the main international federation for all After it had been decided that luge would replace the sport of skeleton at the Olympic Games, the first World Championships in the sport were held in 1955 in Oslo (Norway). Skeleton is a Winter sport in which competitors aim to drive a one-person Sled in a prone head-first position down an ice track in the fastest time The Olympic Games is an international Multi-sport event established for both summer and winter games The FIL World Luge Championships, part of the International Luge Federation (FIL have taken place on an almost annual basis in non- Winter Olympics years since The FIL World Luge Championships 1955 took place in Oslo, Norway under the auspices of the Fédération Internationale de Bobsleigh et de Tobogganing (FIBT (called Christiania from 1624 to 1878 and Kristiania from 1878 to 1924 is the Capital and largest city of Norway. Norway ( Norwegian: Norge ( Bokmål) or Noreg ( Nynorsk) officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Constitutional In 1957, the Fédération Internationale de Luge de Course (FIL, International Luge Federation) is founded. Year 1957 ( MCMLVII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1957 Gregorian calendar) The Fédération Internationale de Luge de Course (FIL or International Luge Federation is the main international federation for all Luge sports Luge events were first included in the Olympic Winter Games in 1964. The Winter Olympic Games are a winter Multi-sport event held every four years The 1964 Winter Olympic Games Luge results Men's singles Doubles Women's singles Medal table
Rules
The rules are simple in luge. The course is timed, and the luger must depart from the start handles within a certain time once the track is declared clear.
The luger or pilot is required to arrive at the finish with the sled and in sliding position, athletes may no longer push their sleds across the finish line. Failure to do so results in automatic disqualification. However, lugers are permitted to stop during a run and continue their descent after repositioning the sled on the track, but the luger will be disqualified if touched by the track crew or a fan while in the race.
There are weight restrictions on the sleds, as well as restrictions on the design and construction. The 'steels' (the metal blades on the bottom of the runners on which the sled slides) must be within a certain temperature range relative to the air temperature. There are also weight restrictions on the athletes, as well as many other restrictions related to equipment including speedsuits, boots, helmets, gloves, spikes, etc. A speedsuit is an item of Unisex exercise attire It consists of a single piece of clothing which tightly fits the torso and optionally varying amounts of the arms and legs
Like other timed sports, qualifying determines start position, important during deteriorating track conditions. During World Cup and World Championship events, two runs determine the winners of the Men's Singles, Women's Singles, and Doubles events. At the Winter Olympics, Men and Women Single event are timed over four runs while the Doubles still do two runs. The Winter Olympic Games are a winter Multi-sport event held every four years For the World Cup and World Championship Team Event, one run each is performed from the respective country's Doubles, Women's Singles, and Men's Singles with the combined time determining the winner. The Challenge Cup is a single round elimination event, similar to what you see in Drag Racing or Team pursuit track cycling where the sliders have a qualifying round to get bracketed, then run down the track in respective rounds (quarterfinals, semifinals, and finals) until a winner is determined. Drag racing is a competition in which objects compete to be the first to cross a set finish mark usually from a dead stop and in a straight line Pursuit racing is where two or more competitors (or teams are either chasing after each other or chasing after a lead competitor or team
Artificial tracks
For more information, please see List of bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton tracks. In the world there are a total of sixteen bobsleigh luge and skeleton tracks in use for competitions in Bobsleigh, Luge, and skeleton.
Artificial 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, St. Moritz). Tracks tend to be very smooth. The athletes ride in an aerodynamic and flat position on the sled, keep their heads low to minimise air resistance. The sled is steered mainly with the feet by applying pressure on the runners. It takes a precise mix of shifting body weight, applying pressure with the shoulders and rolling the head. There are also handles for minor adjustments. They speed around high banked curves while experiencing a centripetal pull of up to 7G. Men's Singles have their start locations near where the bobsled and skeleton competitors start at most tracks while both the Doubles and Women's Singles competition have their starthouse located further down the track. Bobsleigh, bobsled or bobsledge is a Winter sport invented by Englishmen in the late 1860s in which teams make timed runs down narrow twisting banked Skeleton is a Winter sport in which competitors aim to drive a one-person Sled in a prone head-first position down an ice track in the fastest time Artificial track Luge is the fastest and most agile sledging sport.
Natural track luge
Please see List of natural luge tracks. Natural luge tracks are tracks that are used for Luge located along mountain roads and paths
Natural tracks are adapted from existing mountain roads and paths. Artificially banked curves are not permitted. The track's 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 reign 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, others in Germany, Poland, Russia, Slovenia, Canada and the United States. Austria (Österreich ( officially the Republic of Austria (Republik Österreich Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest Poland (Polska officially the Republic of Poland Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia (Republika Slovenija) is a Country in southern Central Europe bordering Italy to the west Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The Upper Peninsula Luge Club in Negaunee, MI 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 track features 29 curves along its 88-meter 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. The FIL World Luge Natural Track Championships, part of the International Luge Federation (FIL have taken place on an almost annual basis in non- Winter Olympics years The FIL World Luge Natural Track Championships 1979 took place in Inzing, Austria. The FIL European Luge Natural Track Championships, part of the International Luge Federation (FIL have taken place since 1970 The FIL European Luge Natural Track Championships 1970 took place in Kapfenberg, Austria.
Events
- Singles - Men/Women
- Doubles - Men (technically women can compete in doubles but it's almost never practiced)
- Team
- Challenge Cup
In a team competition one man, one woman and a doubles form a team. Such teams may consist of athletes of two different nations when each nation cannot field a full team. There is also a relay competition which is still being developed.
Governing body
The sport of luge is governed by the FIL, Fédération International de Luge de Course. The FIL is located in Berchtesgaden, Germany and is dominated by German representatives. Berchtesgaden (bɛʁçtəsˈgaːdən is a municipality in the German Bavarian Alps.
The following persons have been president of the FIL:
Champions
- FIL European Luge Championships
- FIL European Luge Natural Track Championships
- FIL World Luge Championships
- FIL World Luge Natural Track Championships
- List of Luge World Cup champions
- Luge at the Winter Olympics
See also
References
- International Luge Federation
- Bob- und Schlittenverband für Deutschland/German Luge Federation
- Österreichischer Rodelverband/Austrian Luge Federation
- United States Luge Association
- British Luge Association
Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic