SPORTS
From Issue #7
Street
Luging
The Ultimate Ride
By Megan Pasche, 18
You
are flying down a steep hill, lying two inches from the ground.
The only thing separating you from the concrete is an aluminum
board. Your feet rests on pegs, your back is flat on the board
and your head is slightly elevated so you are able to see where
you are going. You are reaching speeds of up to 100 km/h. The
only equipment protecting you is a motorcycle helmet and a leather
body suit. Welcome to the extreme world of street luging.
The concept is actually quite simple: up to six racers go head
to head bumping and passing each other and the first one to
cross the finish line claims victory. A street luge is operated
by someone appropriately called the 'pilot'. Tom Mason, a professional
street luger and stunt man, affectionately known as The Bad
Boy of Street Luge, summed it up best when he said, "For
a few seconds, I am truly flying like superman and feel like
a speeding bullet."
It is unknown exactly how street luge originated, however, it
began in the 70's. It evolved from skateboarding and has obviously
been taken to a more extreme level. The first organized event
is said to have taken place in 1978. Unfortunately, it ended
in disaster when athletes and spectators were injured. It was
not until 1995, that street luge was presented to a national
audience at the X Games.
Since then, street luging has exploded as it gains popularity
with adrenaline junkies and is now at an all time high with
over 1000 participants scattered across the globe. There are
officially sanctioned annual events in Europe, Australia and
throughout the United States that lead up to the ultimate crowning
event: The X Games where as much as US$400,000 has been up for
grabs. With companies like McDonalds, Mountain Dew, MTV, Fox
Sports and ESPN supporting the sport and the lugers, street
luging is expected to continue to attract a huge fan base and
athletes.
Stefan Roddau, a 16-year-old street luger from Toronto said,
"I initially became interested in luging when I saw a documentary
about it on television." Roddau says that, "almost
anyone can learn to street luge with a couple of months of tutoring,"
but emphasized that, "it takes years of practice to become
proficient at racing other lugers. It takes time to develop
your own styles and techniques." He suggests anyone interested
in street luging should surf the Web and read as much information
as possible to become informed, and talk with other people familiar
with the sport.
Street luges range in price from $1000 to $2000, but can be
less expensive if you make your own. The guidelines to build
a street luge can be found on the Internet and will probably
cost between $500 to $1000 dollars to complete. Other than your
board, your basic essentials are safety gear. Safety is a very
important aspect of the sport and street lugers agree that not
taking the proper precautions is foolishly risking your life.
Good safety equipment, which includes full body leathers, gloves
and a helmet will cost you about $1000.
So, if you've got some cash and a need for speed then street
luging is for you.
A good book on the sport is Darren Lott's, Streetluge
Survival Guide.
Talk
the Talk
Amped:
When you've got the adrenaline rush going!
Bacon: Very rough, hazardous road surface conditions.
Banana:
A rider who wipes out often.
Chucking
bales: Crashing into hay bales (used as barriers on tracks)
with enough force to move them.
Drop
a hill: Ride a luge course.
Flame:
Urethane luge wheels catching fire as a result of high speeds.
Flowing
like water: A fluid, even run down a luge course. The ultimate
ride.
Road
rash: Body burns from scraping the road surface.
Scrambled
eggs: Bad road surface. Not as bad as "bacon".
Wail, wailing: Going "wicked" fast...
