White Castle Becomes Official Sponsor of USA Luge

The nation’s two foremost slider experts, White Castle and USA Luge, announced a two-year partnership Tuesday, making White Castle the first and only fast food organization in the United States to become an official partner of USA Luge and title sponsor of the off-season recruitment program, the White Castle USA Luge Slider Search.

An Olympic sport since 1964, luge consists of athletes sliding down a track of ice on sleds, at speeds of up to 90 miles per hour. In addition to five Olympic medals, USA Luge athletes, referred to as ‘sliders,’ have won almost 600 elite level and junior international medals since 1994, making the organization one of the most decorated Winter Olympics National Governing Bodies.

USA Luge’s longstanding recruitment effort, appropriately titled the ‘Slider Search’ program, has been instrumental in raising the sport’s awareness, driving interest among young athletes and providing the talent pool for future Olympic competitors.

With the support of White Castle restaurant and retail grocery divisions, the youth recruitment program becomes the White Castle USA Luge Slider Search. The upcoming recruitment tour will kick off in White Castle’s hometown of Columbus, Ohio next month on May 13-14. Additional stops will be announced later this spring.

"At White Castle, a family-owned business for 96 years, we have been serving The Original Slider® for nearly a century and pride ourselves on knowing a thing or two about sliders," said Lynn Blashford, Vice President of Marketing at White Castle. "When we discovered that USA Luge was looking for the next generation of sliders, we knew that White Castle could help fuel their efforts and hopefully help them bring home coveted medals for many Winter Games to come."

White Castle’s sponsorship will support the USA Luge team and its summer and fall ‘Slider Search’ tours, which will host events in various cities across the country. Kids aged nine through 13 are welcome to attend, experience wheeled luge sleds at slower speeds and ultimately be considered for the USA Luge Junior National Development team. The coaches guiding each event include National and Olympic team athletes, giving each young participant professional instruction and inspiration.

"This off-season tour is our pathway to finding new, young athletes that will one day become Olympians and Olympic medalists," said Gordy Sheer, USA Luge Director of Marketing and Sponsorships, and 1998 Olympic silver medalist. "The White Castle sponsorship will be crucial as we seek to expand the Slider Search. Plus, who can resist the ‘slider’ connection?"

For more information about White Castle, visit whitecastle.com. Details about USA Luge and the ‘Slider Search’ program can be found on http://www.teamusa.org/usa-luge/slider-search.

For more information, please contact:

Randy Crader

Paul Werth Associates

Tel: 614-224-8114 or C: 812-344-4466

Email: rcrader@paulwerth.com

Mac Joseph

Paul Werth Associates

Tel: 614-224-8114 or C: 858-775-1267

Email: mjoseph@paulwerth.com

Sandy Caligiore

USA Luge

Tel: 518-523-2071 X 112 or C: 518-637-3597

Email: sandy@usaluge.org

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