I did a lot of sledding when I was a kid. When it snowed, the Town of Dover used to close off Segur Street, a fairly steep hill on the north side, thereby turning an otherwise boring snow day off into one packed with thrills and chills. In the fall, there was a grassy hill in Locust Hill Cemetery that we used to slide down while sitting or laying on sheets of cardboard. That’s about a close as I ever got to the insanity known as lugeing. The idea of Georgian luge competitor Nodar Kumaritashvili flying down the track on his back in such an extremely vulnerable position at 90 miles an hour boggles the mind. I mean, if you have an urge to compete, don’t you think you could find a safer outlet? Still, it’s a recognized Olympic sport and, apparently, it’s gaining in popularity, at least with the athletes.
Now, in the aftermath of the tragic death of Nodar, it appears lugeing will become more popular with tv viewers, too. NBC keeps hammering home the inherent dangers associated with the Olympic track in hopes, I suspect, to make viewers tune in to the luge competition just to see if anyone else crashes.
Australian luger Hannah Campbell-Pegg compared fellow luge competitors to crash-test dummies. ''I think they are pushing it a little too much,'' she said referring to the fast and dangerous Olympic track.”
Let’s see how much airtime goes toward the luge, now. Will people be drawn to it with the same morbid curiosity that bolsters auto racing?
Speaking of auto racing, I’m more interested in watching Danica Patrick at Daytona, today, than anything going on in Vancouver.
Anyway, as I twittered yesterday, if you want to make the Olympics more popular, eliminate opening ceremonies that are geared toward those who would rather go to a Broadway show than a ballgame.
As for Nodar Kumaritashvili, his death is a tragic loss for his teammates, friends, family and for all those who foresaw the Olympics as a wonderful event.
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