FIL Press Release -- As colourful as a Christmas tree

As colourful as a Christmas treeCalgary (RWH) At the start of the post-Olympic season, theViessmann World Cup is as colourful as a Christmas tree. Eightathletes have made it onto the list of winners in the 15 individual racesso far, and seven nations have made it onto the podium at least once.

And despite the retirement of outstanding lugers Armin Zöggeler (ITA),Albert Demchenko (RUS), or the Linger brothers Andreas andWolfgang (AUT) in the doubles, the International Luge Federation’selite race series has lost none of its brilliance. On the contrary, threenewcomers have already made their way straight to the top, with USlugers Tucker West and Chris Mazdzer winning the men’s event inLake Placid and the FIL Sprint World Cup in Calgary, and Sam Edneywith Canada’s first ever victory in a Viessmann World Cup in the men’ssingles. Austria’s Wolfgang Kindl, former Junior World Champion, whocame a brilliant second at Mount Van Hoevenberg. Felix Loch ofGermany, who won the Olympics in 2010 and 2014, has three WorldChampionship titles, and has come first in the overall Viessmann WorldCup standings just as often, is faced with unexpected competition.

A new face has also been seen on the women’s podium. Canada’sArianne Jones seized the moment and raced to third on her home trackin Canada Olympic Park (COP). Despite the double challenge posedby studies combined with sport, her compatriot Alex Gough camesecond in her comeback race and first in the FIL Sprint event. And theeuphoria of a bronze medal at the Olympics carried America’s ErinHamlin through to a second in the Lake Placid Viessmann World Cupand the FIL Sprint in Calgary.

In the doubles, the two German duos of Toni Eggert and SaschaBenecken and Olympic Champions and defending titleholders TobiasWendl and Tobias Arlt are involved in a gripping duel, while anynumber of candidates are fighting for the remaining places on thepodium. At the opening race in Innsbruck-Igls, Russia’s VladislavYuzhakov and Vladimir Prokhorov came second. In Lake Placid, PeterPenz and Georg Fischler of Austria came third in a repeat of theirperformance in the FIL Sprint in Igls. And in Calgary it was local heroesTristan Walker and Justin Snith who took third place, followed byLatvia’s Andris and Juris Šics the following day in the sprint.

Interview with Harald Steyrer, Vice President of Finance

"The FIL is comparable to a medium-sized company"

"In difficult times we didn’t lose money, but instead increased our incomeslightly"

Vienna (RWH) The International Luge Federation (FIL) has no need to baulk at being comparedto a medium-sized company. "In 2013/2014, the FIL processed a total of 4,400 accountingtransactions. This is a commercial indication that we are comparable to a medium-sizedcompany," said the Vice President of Finance in our interview.

Steyrer, who has been the FIL’s "finance minister" for some 18 years, described the "continuous,businesslike, balanced, and rather conservative financial policy of the FIL", which bears thehallmarks of President Josef Fendt, as an "ongoing challenge". This fiscal policy really paid offduring the financial crisis of 2008 and 2009. "We can be proud that the FIL not only didn’t losemoney in these difficult times, but actually managed to increase its invested capital, albeit onlyslightly", said Steyrer.

The text of the interview with Harald Steyrer

FIL Press: Australian luger Alex Ferlazzo won the Junior World Cup in Whistler in earlyDecember. As the Vice President of Finance, you must find that satisfying as it clearly provesthat the FIL development programme is working.

Harald Steyrer: Yes, it really is very pleasing. On top of the athlete’s personal success, hisvictory also brings a great deal of pleasure and satisfaction for the International LugeFederation. It confirms that our development programme, which was initiated by President JosefFendt many years ago, is heading in the right direction.FIL Press: The development programme is a major item in the FIL budget. How much moneydoes the FIL invest in supporting the weaker nations, including all additional measures such asFIL coaches, the mentoring scheme, etc.?Harald Steyrer: In addition to the standard duties of an international, Olympic sports federation,the FIL believes it is essential to safeguard and develop the sport of luge, particularly in thesmaller and economically weaker nations. The development programme for the Olympicdiscipline of artificial track luge is costing around €651,000 in 2014/2015, and a budget of€92,000 is set aside for the natural track luge development programme in the same period. Ontop of this, the current season’s subsidies for travel expenses, athlete’s transport costs, andmentoring schemes comes to a total of €200,000.

FIL Press: The FIL’s free ride voucher scheme has been a real success. Can you explain thephilosophy behind using vouchers instead of cash?

Harald Steyrer: Yes, it’s very straightforward. FIL President Fendt introduced this kind oftargeted funding for athletes many years ago. The principle behind our free ride voucherscheme is that we are very keen to support as many athletes as possible with their ice tracktraining, especially athletes from smaller and financially weaker nations.

(Interview with Harald Steyrer, continued...)

FIL Press. How does it work in practice?

Harald Steyrer: Athletes can use the vouchers that we issue to the national associations only fortraining rides on artificial ice tracks. The track operators then invoice us for the total value of thevouchers based on the actual number of training runs completed. There is no denying that thistype of funding actually reaches the athletes directly, which is not always guaranteed if onlycash funding is provided.

FIL Press: You have been the FIL Vice President of Finance for nearly 20 years. Can theinternational governing body be compared to a medium-sized enterprise?

Harald Steyrer: Yes, absolutely, and that is not an exaggeration. The FIL has moved really farforwards on all fronts during my time in charge of the finances. The FIL office in Berchtesgadenhas a full-time executive director and four employees, and offers a fine example of professionalmanagement. This fact is acknowledged and applauded by our member associations and otherinternational sports federations.

FIL Press: In what other ways can the FIL be compared to a medium-sized company?

Harald Steyrer: One small example is the number of invoices and receipts we deal with eachyear. In 2013/2014, the FIL processed a total of 4,400 accounting transactions. This is also acommercial indication that we can be equated with a medium-sized company.

FIL Press: What is the biggest challenge you have faced during your tenure?

Harald Steyrer: That is a very difficult question to answer. When I look back to when I started asFIL Vice President of Finance, I can honestly say that there have been no significant ups anddowns. That may not sound very exciting, but I do believe that the continuous, businesslike,balanced and rather conservative financial policy of the FIL, which bears the hallmarks of ourPresident Josef Fendt, can perhaps be viewed as a constant challenge. This policy certainlypaid off during the financial crisis of 2008 and 2009, which is still having an effect today, forexample in relation to interest earned. We can be proud that the FIL not only didn’t lose moneyin these difficult times, but actually managed to increase its invested capital, albeit only slightly.

FIL Press: It has just been confirmed that you will remain in your post until 2018. What do yousee as the greatest challenge in future?

Harald Steyrer: In terms of finance, I believe the greatest challenge in the coming years will beto continue to perform our main duty, which is to promote and develop the sport of luge, whilebeing increasingly prudent and conservative with our resources. The gap between revenue andexpenditure is increasing, we have more work to do than ever before, and the travel expensesfor athletes and officials are set to increase enormously. However, I am extremely confident thatthe FIL can cope with the next few years by adhering to its current financial policy. This willensure that we have a good, solid economic basis from which to deal with any issues facing usfrom 2018 onwards.

First Canadian men’s Viessmann World Cup victory a mere subtitle

No stopping Sam Edney and Helmets for Heroes

Calgary (RWH) The winner had no need to hidehis tears. "This must be the best day of my life,"said Canada’s Sam Edney, who had justaccomplished a historical feat. Standing next tohim was Richard Flamenco (Photo, left) , adiminutive 19-year-old suffering from a rare skindisease whose sufferers are nicknamed"butterfly children", and who played a major partin Edney’s emotion. The artist, who has had tospend most of his young life in AlbertaChildren’s Hospital in Calgary, had designedEdney’s helmet in the Helmets for Heroesprogramme. "As soon as I put that helmet on, it felt like I had all this confidence and all thisstrength," said Edney.

And there was no stopping Sam Edney on this special day. Neither the weather conditions,which caused the first run to be nullified after Edney, one of the first down the track, had left thecompetition behind him, nor Olympic Champion Felix Loch of Germany, who had to make dowith a third behind America’s Chris Mazdzer in the one-run race. It seemed as though thehelmet created by Richard Flamenco had given him magical powers.

Yet it’s not the bearer of the helmet who is the hero in the campaign launched by former slalomskier Brad Spence. That honour most definitely goes to the creator of each unique piece of art,which will be auctioned off to the highest bidder. In the case of Edney’s artistic partner, whodesigned what Edney describes as "a ferocious bear, jaws opened, its paws coming up", theresult was all the more remarkable because the disease has caused considerable damage tothe artist’s fingers. But this doesn’t seem to bother Richard Flamenco: "It’s been an amazingexperience," he says.

The charity programme "Helmets for Heroes" was called into being shortly before the 2014Olympics. A friend had told Brad Spence about Gillian O’Blenes, who had bone cancer. Theslalom skier, who suffered severe injuries in a fall in the downhill at the World Cup in Bormio(ITA) in 2005, met up with 17-year-old Gillian. The two became friends, and it was O’Blenes wholater created Spence’s Olympic helmet.

After his retirement from sport in August this year, Spence looked to extend his idea, and founda first ally in Sam Edney. His aim is for Helmets for Heroes to continue to grow, and ultimately toinclude all sports, both summer and winter, and all sports enthusiasts, whether professional oramateur. The money raised will be donated to charity organisations. This year, the recipient isAlberta Children’s Hospital in Calgary.

Gillian O’Blenes, who helped to get the ball rolling, wasn’t there to see Sam Edney’s victory. Hermemorial service took place on exactly the same day as Sam Edney celebrated his historicalvictory wearing the helmet designed by Richard Flamenco. It was a victory that on the day wasjust a mere supporting act.

Long-running German duel

First 2:6 now 4:1 for Eggert-Benecken vs Wendl-Arlt

Calgary (RWH) Toni Eggert and Sascha Benecken (Photo, right) lost2:6 in the Viessmann World Cup duel fought out with Tobias Wendland Tobias Arlt during the Olympic winter. The defeat in the ninthcompetition of the season was particularly hard for Thuringian duoEggert-Benecken: at the Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Wendl-Arltcollected gold in the doubles while Eggert-Benecken, the 2012 and2013 runners up, came eighth, a result well below their potential.

But this season things are looking a lot different. Eggert-Benecken are now 4:1 ahead, and theirlead on Wendl-Arlt in the overall Viessmann World Cup rankings is a comfortable 85 points."And we’ve already left five of the twelve season races behind us; that’s almost half", saysSascha Benecken matter-of-factly, yet at the same time clearly surprised at such a great lead.

And so the forecasts for the rest of the season begin. Olympic and World Champions Wendl-Arltare considered unbeatable on the artificial track in Königssee which hosts the Viessmann WorldCup on 3–4 January 2015, as they clocked up six of their 24 victories on this, their home track,and have won all of the Königssee races since 2009/2010. "Our new sled is running better andbetter", said Tobias Wendl with fighting spirit after the first success of the season in the CalgarySprint World Cup, with an eye on the race at home that starts the new year.

Even Toni Eggert, who followed his heart and moved to Berchtesgaden in the summer of 2014,sees the local heroes as the favourites for the race. "That’s not going to change this time round,either. "But while Wendl-Arlt are seen as the proven Königssee experts, Eggert-Benecken havea reputation as specialists on the Oberhof track, where they won three of their now eight WorldCup races. "Eggert-Benecken are difficult to beat in Oberhof. Wendl-Arlt will have a hard time",said Germany’s head coach Norbert Loch. The duel being fought between the two Germanduos looks set to run the whole of the 2014/2015 season.

A whole series of doubles have slid into the limelight behind thetwo top teams. At the opening race in Innsbruck-Igls, Russia’sVladislav Yuzhakov and his new partner Vladimir Prokhorovcame second. In Lake Placid, Peter Penz and Georg Fischler ofAustria came third in a repeat of their performance in the FILSprint in Igls. And in Calgary it was local heroes Tristan Walkerand Justin Snith who took third place, followed by Latvia’sAndris and Juris Šics (Photo, left) the following day in the sprint.

The highs and lows of Alex Gough - Third World Cup success despite studies

Calgary (RWH) The shadow of Sochi had not yetdisappeared entirely. The dark clouds that hung over theCanadian luge team at the Winter Olympics in Russiawere still looming over the team’s prospects prior to theirhome race in Calgary. The team’s haul on the Black Seacoast had consisted of three fourth places, rather than acoveted first luge medal for Canada.

Alex Gough suffered more than most, as the ambitiousCanadian had been considered the best medal candidatein the run-up to the event. And with good reason – the 27-year old had already come first in twoViessmann World Cups, including her historic victory on 12 February 2011 in Paramonovo,Russia, when she ended Germany’s run of 105 straight World Cup wins in the women’s luge.However, Alex Gough, who also took victory at the Viessmann World Cup on her home track inCalgary in the winter of 2011/2012, had to settle for fourth place, just over four tenths of asecond off bronze.

"I think the team is suffering from the Olympic hangover, which was hard and heavy", is howcoach Wolfgang Staudinger described his team’s mood prior to the Viessmann World Cup attheir home track in Canada Olympic Park (COP). To make things even more difficult for AlexGough, the 27-year-old had elected not to compete in the first two events of the post-Olympicswinter in order to concentrate on her engineering studies. According to Gough herself, "I haveno idea where I’ll sit."

As a result, the celebrations were all the greater when the upbeat athlete finished secondbehind series winner Natalie Geisenberger. And there was no end to the jubilation when shewon the International Luge Association’s Sprint World Cup the following day, subjecting OlympicChampion Geisenberger to her first defeat of the season, and making it onto the top step of thepodium for the third time in her career.

Natalie Geisenberger, who had to settle for third in the Sprint World Cup behind America’s ErinHamlin, had previously paid tribute to her Canadian rival after her own Viessmann World Cupvictory. "In general, it’s difficult to beat Alex Gough, but it’s very difficult to beat Alex Gough inCalgary."

The victor herself, who has now achieved 19 podium finishes in the Viessmann World Cup,refused to make a fuss about the fact that the training conditions for Canadian lugers are muchmore difficult than those in top-ranking Germany. "In Canada there are no social or vocationalsafeguards, unlike in Germany where athletes are supported by the federal armed forces andpolice", explained Wolfgang Staudinger. Of her double burden of combining sport and studywithout a state safety net, Alex Gough simply says: "It was my choice, and now I’m making thebest of it."

Gough, who has twice finished third in the World Championships (2011 and 2013), has scaledback her university workload for the second half of the season, which begins on the artificialtrack at Königssee on 3–4 January. In her career of highs and lows, she intends to remain on ahigh for the time being.

Positive response to FIL Sprint World Cup

"On the right track, but visual or audio ‘wow’ still missing"

Berchtesgaden (RWH) Four-times World Champion Tatjana Hüfner of Germany sees theopportunity for an additional race as a good thing, and Olympic Champion NatalieGeisenberger, also of Germany, welcomed "a quick way of earning 100 World Cup points" afterher victory at the debut of the new format in Innsbruck-Igls (AUT). The talk is of the Sprint WorldCup organised by the International Luge Federation (FIL), which was added to the competitionprogramme in the post-Olympic winter of 2014/2015, and which has been received positivelyafter the first two events in Innsbruck-Igls and Calgary (CAN).

As the initiators had hoped, the results returned by the starting field were closer than ever. Atthe debut in Innsbruck-Igls the first ten women were all within four tenths of a second of eachother, while the difference between first and tenth place in the doubles was only three tenths ofa second. As for the men’ singles, Italy’s David Mair in tenth was only twenty-three hundredthsof a second behind the winner and holder of three Olympic gold medals, Felix Loch of Germany.

"I’m very positive after the first two events", said FIL Sports Director Maria Luise Rainer of Italy."There were a few teething troubles that need to be resolved, but all in all we’re on the righttrack. We’re still missing a visual or acoustic ‘wow’, but we’re working on that."

In the FIL Sprint World Cup the winner is decided in just one run, and the time measured with aflying start at the earliest 100 metres after the start ramp, marked by a start bracket. Thedistance between start ramp and start bracket is defined as the approach section, and thestarting speed is measured from the start bracket using radar equipment. A maximum of oneinterim time is shown. Sprint records are listed for each discipline, and only the first 15 in eachof the World Cup rankings are entitled to take part.

The athletes start in the reverse order to their World Cup rank, and their place is not filled byanother athlete if they do not compete. The start height is the same as that for the regularmen’s, women’s and doubles races, and the finish light barrier is the same as in a normal WorldCup race. In contrast to Viessmann World Cups, only the athlete is allowed inside the start area.World Cup points are awarded in the same manner as in the normal races and contribute to theoverall rankings.

The new format was added to the International Luge Regulations (IRO) by unanimous vote atthe 62nd Conference of the International Luge Federation (FIL) in the summer of 2014. It hasbeen showcased in Igls and Calgary, and will make the final appearance of its first winter inAltenberg (GER) on 22 February 2015.

YOG kids take over Viessmann

World CupHeadlines not just from Tucker West

Calgary (RWH) The first generation of YOG competitors is nowtaking over the Viessmann World Cup. Tucker West (Photo, left) isa prime example of the rapid progress made by the participants ofthe first Youth Olympic Games (YOG), which were held inInnsbruck, Austria, in 2012.The 19-year-old student was the firstUS American to win a Viessmann World Cup in 17 years when hecame first on the Lake Placid artificial track on Mount VanHoevenberg.

"Surreal", West said at the finish line. In 2012, he had taken gold with the US relay team at thefirst ever Youth Olympic Games in Innsbruck, and now he had left luge luminaries such as FelixLoch of Germany, who has three Olympic gold medals to his name, well behind him. TuckerWest, whose father built a luge track in his back garden because his son so enjoyed watchingTV coverage of the luge in the 2006 Olympic Winter Games, is a walking advertisement for theYOG kids now making the news.

These include Australia’s Alex Ferlazzo, who went down in the history of the International LugeFederation (FIL) as the first ever winner from Oceania when he came first in the Junior WorldCup in Whistler (CAN). Ferlazzo had previously made 19th at the 2012 Youth Olympic Gamesand 33rd at the Sochi Winter Olympics.

Several other lugers have moved successfully from theYouth to the Winter Olympics, such as Austria’s YOG goldmedallist Miriam Kastlunger or Summer Britcher, who – likeWest – collected gold with the US relay team and has nowachieved a personal best with a sixth in the World Cup. "Wewere able to learn so much at the Youth Games", saysItalian luger Simon Kainzwaldner, who collected the goldmedal in the doubles with teammate Florian Gruber (Photo,right) . "The jump from the Junior World Cup to the ‘grownup’ World Cup is enormous."

That jump would appear not to have been quite so enormous for the South Tyrolean duo, whowon everything there was to win in the juniors and then raced to fifth at their debut appearancein the Viessmann World Cup, not only in the opening race in Innsbruck-Igls, but also thefollowing day in the sprint. Italy’s Sandra Robatscher has also clocked up personal bests in theViessmann World Cup this post-Olympic winter: the Junior World Championship silver medallistcame an impressive tenth on the challenging track in Lake Placid.

Around a dozen athletes from all over the world who competed in the YOG premiere in 2012 arenow racing in the elite class. And YOG gold medallist Christian Paffe only just missed beingnominated for the World Cup team by the German Bobsleigh, Luge and Skeleton Federation(BSD). The young athlete even won a qualifying race, earning him brownie points with headBSD coach Norbert Loch.

Turkey places first athletes in Asian Championships

Nagano (RWH) Lugers from Turkey will be competing in the Asian Championships for thefirst time this year. The athletes will be official participants in the championship races on theNagano Olympic track on 21 December.Newcomer Turkey will be racing against the next Olympic host country Korea, as well asTaipei, India and its defending champion Shiva Keshavan, and host Japan.

Anke Wischnewski races in 100th Viessmann World Cup

Lake Placid (RWH) Anke Wischnewski of Germany, who came sixth in the Olympics,celebrated a very special jubilee when she competed in a Viessmann World Cup for the100th time Lake Placid, USA. The 36-year-old has won two races, and has made a total of46 podium appearances (11 seconds and 33 thirds).The only other active athlete to have managed quite such a feat is Wischnewski’s teammateTatjana Hüfner. The 2010 Olympic Champion has slid onto the Viessmann World Cuppodium a total of 57 times.

Alex Ferlazzo of Australia makes luge history with victory in Junior World Cup

Whistler (RWH) Australia’s Alex Ferlazzo has written a small chapter of luge history. The 19-year-old student from Black River, Queensland, won the Junior World Cup in Whistler(CAN) and is the first ever athlete from his continent to take home victory in an InternationalLuge Federation (FIL) race.Ferlazzo finished the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi (RUS) in 33rd, and came 19thin the 2012 Youth Olympic Games in Innsbruck (AUT).

Three gold medals for USA in America-Pacific Championships

Lake Placid (RWH) All three gold medals in the America-Pacific Championships held on theLake Placid track in the US state of New York have gone to the host team. Erin Hamlin,Tucker West (Photo) and the doubles team of Matthew Mortensen and Jayson Terdiman allcame first in their races.

In the women’s singles, Olympic Bronze medallist Champion Erin Hamlin was followedonto the podium by her teammates Emily Sweeney and Summer Britcher, and in the men’ssingles all three medals also went to the USA in the persons of Tucker West, Chris Mazdzerand Aidan Kelly. In the doubles, Mortensen-Terdiman were joined by Canada's TristanWalker and Justin Snith and fellow Americans Justin Krewson and Tristan Jeskanen.

PARTICULARS

Wolfgang Schadler, a real institution in the world of luge, has received avery special honour in his home country. The three-times Olympian (1976,1980 and 1984) and experienced coach of the US and Russian teams(1986–2010 and 2010–2014 respectively) has been awarded the GoldenLaurel by the government of Liechtenstein for his outstanding contribution tosport. Sports minister Marlies Amann-Marxer honoured Schädler during anofficial ceremony. His greatest successes during his active luge careerinclude a fourth place in the World Cup standings in the 1979/1980 season,third in the 1984/1985 World Cup standings, and fifth in the 1984 EuropeanChampionships. (RWH)Julian von Schleinitz of Germany, who has won theJunior World Championships several times, has givenhis sled a special design. The underside bears themotto "The Theory of Luge" and a plethora ofmathematical formulae, which the engineering studentexplains that he wrote himself. Sliding would appear tobe in the family’s blood: his brother Kilian is JuniorWorld Champion in the skeleton and now anestablished member of the German World Cup team,and his sister Caroline collected bronze in the 2014Junior Luge World Championships.

Andreas and Wolfgang Linger, Austria’s two-timesOlympic Champions in the doubles (2006 and 2010),have been remembered during their lifetime with acorner on the Innsbruck-Igls Olympic track. The "Kreisel"turn was officially renamed "Linger-Kreisel" in honour ofthe brothers at the end of their last ever run. Reactions tothe debut of the Sochi silver medallists as cocommentatorson ORF, the Austrian TV channel, havebeen positive across the board.

Tyler Seitz, long-serving member of the Canadian national luge team, has considerablyextended responsibilities. The Calgary ice track manager is now also responsible for the trainingcomplex worth 256 million Canadian dollars that lies right next to the 1988 Olympic track. Thefacility holds everything that could possibly be needed when it comes to modern trainingscience, from one large and two small ice surfaces through to gyms, meeting rooms, a 100-metre track and analysis laboratories.

To view results for first five of twelve races in the Veissman Luge World Cup, and overall standings for the Viessman team-relay World Cup event, visit FIL's website:http://www.fil-luge.org/index.php?id=461

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