White Castle USA Luge Slider Search offers clinic in Lake Placid with new COVID protocols in place

Local and visiting children encouraged to participate and learn from U.S. National Team coaches

LAKE PLACID, N.Y. – The USA Luge off-season recruiting tour – the White Castle USA Luge Slider Search – will begin its search for new talent on Sunday, August 23, in its hometown of Lake Placid. This year’s schedule, featuring sleds on wheels, is starting later than usual as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

There will be one clinic from 10 AM to 12 PM and will be limited to 10 youngsters to accommodate social distancing. It will take place on Recycle Circle (74 Recycle Circle Lane), just off Cascade Road/Route 73. The Lake Placid clinic, for boys and girls ages 9-13, is free of charge and each young athlete will be given a complimentary White Castle USA Luge Slider Search T-shirt. Pre-event registration is mandatory and can be completed by calling 1-800-USA-LUGE or by logging on to https://www.teamusa.org/usa-luge/slider-search.

With virtually all businesses having reopened in New York State, USA Luge decided to move forward with the recruiting tour because of people’s desire to participate in outdoor activities. However, in an abundance of caution, the entire slider search season will occur within the state’s boundaries. At all locations, the organization will deploy new cleaning and sanitizing protocols to keep participants safe.

USA Luge’s five rings of safety in this session will include:

1. A strict policy of social distancing (six feet at all times)

2. Wearing of face masks is mandatory

3. All sleds, helmets and registration items (pens, clip boards, tables, etc.) will be disinfected after each use with OSHA recommended cleaning products

4. USA Luge will provide hand sanitizer for all participants

5. Attendees are restricted to two adults per youth

"We’re very happy that White Castle is once again partnering with us to find more luge talent for our future teams," said Gordy Sheer, Olympic silver medalist and Director of Marketing and Sponsorships. "Certainly, all of us have encountered new and different times in the past six months, but in reducing the number of children, the silver lining is that they will all be safe, and will all get ample attention from the coaching staff."

Once the participants master the ability to maneuver the sled in both directions, they will then slide from the White Castle USA Luge ramp onto the road surface to negotiate a shallow, gentle cone course.

Under the guidance of national team coaches, the event will give these youth an opportunity to learn luge and qualify to join the USA Luge Junior Development team. This is the first rung on the ladder to national and Olympic team status. Children selected from the White Castle USA Luge Slider Search will be invited to learn the sport on ice next winter in Lake Placid on the same track where national team athletes train and compete each season.

Over 250,000 youngsters have been introduced to luge in this national program since its inception nearly 35 years ago.

"We’re so proud to be a partner with USA Luge in its annual Slider Search, especially this year," said Jamie Richardson, vice president at White Castle. "The pandemic doesn’t have to dash anyone’s hopes of becoming an Olympic athlete. This program is helping to keep kids’ dreams alive."

An Olympic sport since 1964, luge consists of athletes sliding down a track of ice on sleds at speeds in excess of 80 miles per hour. The White Castle USA Luge Slider Search clinics will have kids luging at much slower, more introductory speeds on the wheeled luge sleds. Participating "sliders" (a name given to luge athletes and the iconic White Castle burger) will ultimately be considered for the USA Luge Junior Development Team. The coaches guiding each clinic include National and Olympic team athletes, giving each young participant professional instruction and inspiration.

More information can be found at https://www.teamusa.org/usa-luge/slider-search, including the full schedule of summer and fall slider search locations. Participant registration may be completed online or by calling 1-800-USA-LUGE.

About White Castle®

White Castle, America’s first fast-food hamburger chain, has been making hot and tasty sliders as a family-owned business for almost 100 years. Based in Columbus, Ohio, White Castle started serving The Original Slider® in 1921. Today White Castle owns and operates more than 360 restaurants dedicated to satisfying customers’ cravings, morning, noon and night and sells its famous fare in retail stores nationwide. The Original Slider, named in 2014 as Time Magazine’s most influential burger of all time, is served alongside a menu of creatively crafted sliders and other mouthwatering food options, including White Castle’s Impossible™ Slider, named by Thrillist in 2019 as the "Best Plant-Based Fast Food Burger." White Castle’s commitment to maintaining the highest quality products extends to the company owning and operating its own meat processing plants, bakeries and frozen-food processing plants. White Castle is known for the legendary loyalty of its team members, more than one in four of whom have worked for White Castle for at least 10 years, and of its faithful fans, affectionately referred to as Cravers, many of whom compete each year for entry into the Cravers Hall of Fame. The official White Castle app, available at iTunes App Store or Google Play, makes it easy for Cravers to access sweet deals and place pick-up orders any time. They can also have their orders delivered using one of White Castle’s delivery partners. For more information on White Castle, visit whitecastle.com.

For more information on the Fastest Sport on Ice®, log on to www.usaluge.org

# # #

Your best source of news about the Olympics is www.aroundtherings.com, for subscribers only