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| Street Luge (1208 Posts)
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Street Luge Info |
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On 3/19/2002
David Harris
wrote in from
(209.253.nnn.nnn)
If anybody would like to ride sometime up in the Placerville Califorina area, email me.
Buttboards too!!!!!!
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On 3/19/2002 hc
wrote in from
(65.184.nnn.nnn)
more double truck info from the lugeforce site
http://lugeforce.tripod.com/prime/dbtrucks.html
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On 3/16/2002
LugeForce
wrote in from
(24.129.nnn.nnn)
If you haven't seen us visit lugeforce.com . For those of you who have check the latest update . . . you don't want to miss this!
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On 3/14/2002
Bob Swartz
wrote in from
(132.250.nnn.nnn)
We are riding some local hill tomorrow. It's going to be 74 and partly cloudy..so a good day for it. The hills here are easy if you want to give it a try. Andy Moser (virginia) will be there and maybe Eric from Deleware... I live 18 miles south of Washington DC in Waldorf. Give me a shout tonight if you are up for it..
bob
email here or
(301)374-9691
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On 3/13/2002
Gerhard
wrote in from
(195.3.nnn.nnn)
Hey guys,
hope you are all doing well.
1.IGSA World Championship and 11. Hot Heels entry is open
go to www.hotheels.net
cheers Gerhard
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On 3/13/2002 hc
wrote in from
(65.184.nnn.nnn)
superbike, GP? Cart, F1?
I see a future for MotoLuge!
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On 3/12/2002
Tony Healy
wrote in from
(32.100.nnn.nnn)
Hey PS, hope the knee heals up quick. Yeah, I'm happy just to try and luge at this point.
We live about a mile or so from where the X-Games luge run was in San Francisco. Wife and I went down there and watched the races. She said I could do that since I used to ski race. Wasn't so sure myself. Tried it and she was right! By then it was too late for her to backpedal and I got a luge. Now she says, "What was I thinking when I told you that?" ;-)
That SF course mainly boiled down to the big turn, but it was pretty entertaining as there were lots of different lines to take through it: hold a tight line, late apex, late braking. Made for slides and passes and some good racing.
Have gone 50+ in a straight line a few times, but not much talent to do that. Gotta learn to pick braking points, turn, slide, etc. Riding the learning curve should be fun for a long time.
Yeah, on the one hand there's plenty of room for improvement in putting on races and getting TV coverage. On the other hand, I've helped out at rock climbing competitions, bicycle races, etc. and there's a ton of work to make events happen. In more "fringe" sports, there's less infrastructure (read "organization") and less money.
The Donner Summit road that was raced a while back is a great road. So there are some long hills out there. The question is if they can get enough hay bales and cameras to run it top to bottom. If so, it'd be a great show. Even better is that it looks like a great road to luge! Lotsa turns, good pavement, and scenic locale.
The sport needs some heros for the kids to follow, and there's at least a few characters out there that people recognize. Agree things should be set up to make more people try racing tho, rather than keeping it to an inner clique. Haven't looked into the racing aspect, so don't know if the "inner circle" thing is an issue. If so, that means there could be multiple sanctioning organizations if groups that feel excluded start their own. Ultimately, you have a bunch of fiefdoms instead of a kingdom. Or at least competing national level organizations. For large sports, this can work (e.g. world superbike and GP series for motorcycling; Cart and F1 for cars). But for smaller sports it has the potential to cause problems. Might make it tricker for sponsors to figure out which horse to bet on when picking a race series to present and televise.
What you want is grass-roots groups for local racing, which feed into the national level, where those at the top compete internationally. If things are small enough, then everyone gets to have a shot at the international events (e.g. qualifier at event). If things are big, like the Tour de France, then you can't have 50,000 people show up who want to try and qualify. You're in it cuz you worked your way up the ranks of local/national/international cycling race structure.
Ah well, I could go on for a few more pages. It's cool there are races out there at all. Putting on events ain't easy. But if the sport is gonna grow, there are other sports out there with organizations and race series to emulate. Comes down to whether TV people will see luging as a scary sideshow or an exciting race series. Probably easier to pitch it to the TV execs as a side show in the short term. In the long run, the novelty will wear off, so then pitching it as a race series will have more of a future.
From what I've heard and read, Red Bull puts on great events. Why? In part because they have and spend the money to put on a great show. Lugers don't have those kinda bucks, so corporate sponsors will be where the big money comes from to put on races and bring money into the sport. TV coverage goes along with that.
Be careful what you wish for tho, as corporate sponsorship ain't free. There will be strings attached. ;-)
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On 3/12/2002 PSR
wrote in from
(216.114.nnn.nnn)
Yup,Tony,you're right about trying to make this sport 'show' better on the tube.Coverage has been very weakly put together,with the courses,and filming done so that the veiwer gets a 'tidy' picture,and no one goes very fast for very long.Small hills are needed for filming,because cameramen will only cover so much area in one sweep.Small hills don't allow for switching up tactics,or passing,or speed checks/speed gains,so the event looks like a drag race,not the kinda race you'd want if you're one of the racers.The X-Games,while they were in San Fransisco,came close to putting on a good show for luging.The camera work was better,and on-sled filming became something that gave the audience a fresh perspective of what kind of jostling can and does occur in a tight race.The last X-Games was just done badly,and I think that racing suffered from that event's presentation.I don't know if Biker and clan will ever get the point of truly accepting a format that encourages teams to play off one another,but IF that occurs,say in the next two-three seasons,we could see a competition series that sets itself up with a built-in 'draw'-My team is faster than your team,just like real racing in motorsports.But will the boys ever back off enough to allow for others to share in the glory? Or will this 'sport' just become another {Yawn} X-treme has been? Meanwhile,keep on riding,and practicing.It may yet be a sport that can be joined in on without having to 'be one of the guys' or have to play suck-it-up politics to participate in.Heck,we might even have races on decent hills that get decent TV coverage.Me,I'm out of the game,at least until my knee lets me put on the brakes well enough to compete,but I'm building yet another sled(this time from Stainless Steel)just in case I can get into the fray at a later date. My woodie still rolls along just fine,even after two decades. This kind of fun tends to get a grip on you. Enjoy it,if not to race,at least to go faster next run..
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On 3/12/2002
Tony Healy
wrote in from
(206.170.nnn.nnn)
Hey PS, I hear you! Didn't say I'D wanna do the crash and burn luging. There's luging, then there's luge racing, and then there's broadcast TV sporting events.
Luging: I'm new at luging, and it's a blast. So far I've ridden down some roads (in full protective gear) and not crashed into anything. Learning to go slow before going fast.
Racing: Pack racing where you have to precisely hold your line (when someone else may have the line you wanted), with drafting, passing, etc. takes it up a bunch of notches. You need expert skills and a competitive attitude. Agree competitive, not combative; assertive, not aggressive. There's a difference. Either way, I ain't there yet. Not sure if I wanna get there. The stakes get a lot higher.
TV: Entertainment for the masses.
Luging is a blast. One day--hell, the first real run--was enough to get me hooked. Doing and watching are two different things tho. Prefer to ride a bike than watch, but watching Lance Armstrong on TV drop the best riders on the Alp d'Huez was pretty cool.
Luge racing can be cool to watch on TV too. Onboard cameras, maybe a rail camera along a turn in the course like the do for speedskating, overhead camera through the finish can make it even more exciting for viewers.
Part of the excitement of watching a luge race is due to the danger. People go way fast when they race, and can crash and get hurt. Pushing the edge is part of competition. But racers don't wanna get hurt, or see their friends get hurt either. Time trial format (against the clock) would be safer, like they do for alpine ski racing (SL, GS, DH). But first-over-the-line-wins format can be more exciting for the viewer, tho less safe for the racer (e.g. skiercross, boardercross).
Do spectators wanna see crashes? Not if they luge, or know anyone who does. But when you're talking national TV, or international TV, you're talking about a much broader audience.
But let's give the benefit of the doubt and say people aren't watching in part because there might be a wreck. What do they want to see? Racing.
Watching someone ride a motorcycle through a corner isn't all that exciting. Watching the five fastest 500cc GP motorcyclists try to ride through a corner together at 100+ mph is way exciting. They don't wanna crash, and they don't wanna crash each other, but they push the edge, slide around, and pass each other. Sometimes they crash. But the fans don't really wanna see crashes. They wanna see a race that's neck and neck the whole time and isn't over until the last turn.
If luge racing can provide tight racing down a long twisty course, with a bunch of lead changes, then I think spectators would be even more wowed by it. But it's a gravity sport (unlike motorsports) so catching up after a mistake, much less catching up AND passing, could be pretty tough to do. Maybe real long twisty courses would give enough time for that to happen.
Keep in mind most of this post isn't about luging. Or even luge racing. It's about putting on a show for TV that happens to be a competitive sporting event with luges. Whatever happens, people will contine to race. And continue to luge. The question is whether it's on TV or not.
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On 3/12/2002
Jake Kaplan
wrote in from
(24.30.nnn.nnn)
NEw Full legth 10 min Team Video up and running come and check it out at : http://thetoxicbrothers.com-1.net/
later jake
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On 3/12/2002 Pre-School Rider
wrote in from
(216.114.nnn.nnn)
Tony Healy,you need to go ride Glendora Mt with Tom Mason.Wear frippin' pads! After YOU'VE been bumped off a small ledge,we'll talk about 'crash and go' luging as a sport you'd WANT to participate in.I'd simply prefer non-X Games mighty-mite courses that are all geared for the few surfers that practice hand-paddling technique over drafting.Better yet,come on out to New england(not Rhode Island,up North where the HILLS are)and survive,I mean ride Vt.'s Rt. 117 or say Franconia Notch in N.H..But don't bring a Combatant's mindset out here,these roadside ditches have Granite Ledge in them..
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On 3/12/2002
Homade Pro Luger Speed Boarder ,gravity biker promoter of barrett Junction Grand Prix and OUT LAW races
wrote in from
(64.12.nnn.nnn)
Hay Hows it going .
I, currently working on a few races with EDI and IGSA.April 5-7. may 5-7 for EDI
The owner at the cafe has been letting riders camp behind the cafe . no fires pleas
He also has put an Kick ass all you can eat BUFFET for $5.95 which includes coffee and free camping on the week ends.
My new # is 619 390-3745 talk at you gravity heads later
If can help in any way Course marshals ,food and drinks, vending, Hay bail crew, sponsors etc. call or e-mail me .
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On 3/12/2002
Andy Lally
wrote in from
(205.188.nnn.nnn)
Has the hill at Barret that we race on been paved or just a hill in the area?
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On 3/11/2002
David Auld
wrote in from
(68.4.nnn.nnn)
I have posted a few recent pictures from a Wild Fro training day at Dinosaur Point.
www.auldovertheroad.com
Enjoy,
Dave
PS - Anybody know why Barrett's recent "paving" messed it up? Jake?
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On 3/11/2002 hc
wrote in from
(65.184.nnn.nnn)
huh? maybe this or get a buttboard
http://www.woodwheelsandwings.com
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On 3/9/2002
Kyle
wrote in from
(24.154.nnn.nnn)
Were can I find complete street luge boarding??
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On 3/8/2002
Tony Healy
wrote in from
(32.100.nnn.nnn)
Yo Jake, haven't ridden at Barrett, but wish they'd pave some of the roads here in San Francisco. Did they screw it up by not fully repaving it (e.g. seam in the middle of the lane), or only doing it patchwork so now you've got molehills to dodge, or not really repave it but spray that oil crap and dump fine gravel on it. Maybe they repaved it properly, but the new pavement is slow or oily. Thanks for any thoughts.
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On 3/8/2002
Jeremy Kahn
wrote in from
(64.12.nnn.nnn)
Hello racers, rec-riders, and people following/wanting to get into luge. This is your opportunity to get into the 1st Bi-Monthly Newsletter produced in association with IGSA. Yes, unfortunately we lost the X-Games. But, this is the beginning of bigger and better things that are yet to come. You can read all this and more in the 1st Bi-Monthly Newsletter.
We are looking for any content you want to add that is relevant to Gravity Sports. There are many upon many e-mails coming in as we speak, so we will ONLY take the most interesting of all. If you are a new racer going to a race, and already sent in your entry form, please e-mail me as well. There will be a section just for you! This is going to be produced to be out to everyone by early April. If you want in on this ground breaking event, you must send this to me at my e-mail address Luge668@aol.com by March 20, 2002.
If you haven’t already, please also send me your mailing information. If you want to receive this, by mail is the only way you will receive it. You pay for the races, you pay for your membership, you get something concrete so you can show your friends and family. For you new racers out there, you can brag to your friends about how you got your name in your own section. This newsletter is all about Gravity Sports, so don’t hesitate. Get in while you can, and send me your mailing information, any content you think might be good(you might get lucky and have your story published!), and anything else. Please, don’t forget to include your name, address, phone number, any e-mail address, and whether or not you are a rec. rider, racer, or just a fan. Thank you all for your time, and I look forward to seeing more e-mails coming in soon.
Sincerely,
Jeremy Kahn
P.S. If you would like to advertise in the IGSA Newsletter, send an e-mail with the subject line as advertising and what you are looking to advertise. I will be in touch with the costs. Thank you.
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On 3/8/2002
Jake Kaplan
wrote in from
(24.30.nnn.nnn)
hugh , ya thanks dude, im glad you liked it! We filmed that in Sandiego, Im pretty sure you heard oh barrett junction right,? well we were just north of that. Sad thing to say now is that they Screwed it up by repaving it! theve been doing that Crap too most of our hills..anyways have a good one.
jake kaplan
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On 3/8/2002
hugh r
wrote in from
(205.216.nnn.nnn)
Hey Jake... your vid made me really want to go out and ride! Which hill was that filmed on? Thanks, HR
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On 3/6/2002
Jake Kaplan
wrote in from
(24.30.nnn.nnn)
head over to our street luge site and check out our new video that i put together. I sugest you have broadband because its 2.5 megs in windows media player format. lemme know what all yall think of it!
click here: http://www.angelfire.com/extreme/thetoxicbrothers
see ya
Jakekaplan@san.rr.com
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On 3/6/2002
Tony Healy
wrote in from
(32.100.nnn.nnn)
Rename it "NASCAR Luge" and start crashing into each other on a regular basis. People will start watching. Gotta remember that all TV is entertainment.
Being inches above the ground on a luge at 50 mph is way exciting...more exciting that watching a group of lugers go past at 50 mph. Long, twisting courses with lots of lead changes, bumping, etc. would be first rate entertainment (ala NASCAR, motorcycle racing [GP, WSB, AMA], boardercross, etc.).
The race at Donner Summit last year was pretty exciting to watch, especially when three luges came into the last corner together. They got tangled up a bit and missed the corner. The good news is that there was a little runoff so no one got hurt.
Unlike race cars, there's no cage protecting the luger. So bumping and crashing can have catastrophic consequences. Which means slower course where people bump and crash, or fast courses where people ride them clean.
TV viewers want a race; not a parade. This can be tough as it's a gravity sport and passing is accomplished via drafting, or setting up for turns differently. Maybe head-to-head luge races on parallel tracks. Of course, they tried women's head-to-head downhill ski racing in the 70's. Exciting, but in part because of the crashes. Still, might be an interesting format to try.
Have other sports been changed to make them more entertaining and fit the TV format better? Yup. Figure skating. See anyone skating figures at the Olympics? Nope. [Ironic, since that's what the sport was named after.] They dropped that technical stuff from the competitions years ago. It was terribly boring to watch, but it counted a lot towards the skater's final score.
When someone with a lousy score in the figure portion then skated a great program, they'd still finish in the back of the pack. And people watching the program part on TV would wonder why they didn't win the competition. Eventually, they dropped the figure requirement. And now figure skating is one of the most watched sports on TV.
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On 3/5/2002
Andy
wrote in from
(206.210.nnn.nnn)
I was on the X-Games Athlete Advisory Council for the Skysurf dicipline, which got dropped last year. Finally made it back to the east coast, and my sport got dumped. It is a dissapointment. I haven't paid much attention since then, so I don't even know what sports they are including but it blows either way.
My condolences!!
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On 2/27/2002
david
wrote in from
(209.179.nnn.nnn)
heres some math
x-games=pile of feces
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On 2/27/2002
Cliff Coleman
wrote in from
(199.174.nnn.nnn)
The latest word is that ESPN dropped Luge from the X-Games.
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