Luge- this is one of the winter species a sport in which the goal is to ride a sled down a prepared track in the shortest possible time. The main difference between this sport and skeleton is that during downhill the athlete lies on the sled on his back, not on his stomach, and, as a result, controls the change in body position (due to a shift in the center of gravity), and not with the toes of his boots. Thanks to these differences, luge is safer.
Sleds come in single and double sizes, and their weight, design, and temperature of the runners are strictly limited by the rules, as are the equipment and weight of the participants. Competitions are held among women, men and pairs (participants of a pair are not regulated, but most often they are two men). Athletes start from a sitting position, and after pushing off they lie down on the sled. The winner in individual competitions is determined by the shortest total time of 4 races, and in doubles - by the total time of 2 races. The athlete must cross the finish line together with his equipment, therefore, if he falls from the sled, he is allowed to stop, get back on it and continue the descent. During professional tournaments on high-quality tracks, sleds accelerate to 140 km/h.
The tracks are either artificial (sometimes with an ice cooling function) or natural (usually with 15-20 turns). In Russia there are only a few routes that meet modern needs. Among them are Paramonovskaya (40 km from Moscow) and Sochi (equipped in preparation for the future Olympic Games).
The secret to a faster descent is better acceleration and reduced air resistance (aerodynamics). For better acceleration when pushing off, use specialized gloves with spikes on the fingers. To optimize aerodynamic properties, there are streamlined suits, chin-length helmets and even shoes with smooth soles. The sleds are also constantly being improved. At the end of 2012, the Russian national team and the automobile company Marusya Motors entered into a cooperation contract after a number of successful performances by luger Albert Demchenko, in which he used the sled of this company.
Definition of sport
Luge is a downhill competition on a single or double sleigh on a pre-prepared track. One of the most extreme Olympic winter sports. Athletes sit on the sled on their backs, feet first. The sled is controlled by changing body position.
Brief description basic principles, features of the sport.
The rules of luge are quite simple - the athlete who completes the course in the shortest time wins. The competitor must start within a certain time after the track is cleared. The start is of great importance for the initial acceleration, giving a successful athlete a significant time advantage. Total time The athlete’s score consists of the results of two or more races.
The weight of the sled and its design are regulated. The temperature of the runners must also be within a certain range, depending on the air temperature. There are also restrictions on the weight of athletes and their equipment, including overalls, shoes, helmets and gloves.
Luge competitions are held among singles and pairs. Formally, women can compete in pairs, but in fact almost all pairs competitions are held among men. At major tournaments there are team competitions in which a team consists of a man, a woman and a pair. Competitions on a single-seater sled consist of 4 races, on a double-sleigh - two races. Each of these runs is scored. The times shown in each race are summed up. The winner is the one who ultimately has the most best time.
Brief description of the history of occurrence.
Descending from the mountains on a toboggan, a useless wooden sled common among Canadian Indians, is the ancestor of one of the oldest winter sports. Toboggans were used by the Indians to transport loads by hand or with the help of dogs, sometimes for rolling downhill.
Olympic competitions in luge
Naturban World Championship
Persons and personalities of the sport of the Russian Federation.
Leonid Gart, President of the Russian Luge Federation
Sergey Shvidenko, Executive Director of the Russian Luge Federation
Valery Silakov, first vice-president, acting head coach of the Russian luge team
Thematic resources
http://rusluge.ru/ — Russian Luge Federation
http://www.fil-luge.org/ - International Luge Federation
http://my-olymp.ru/
http://ws-news.ru/
http://winter-game.com/
http://naturban.ucoz.net/
http://naturbahn.narod.ru/
Sources
http://www.rusbob.ru/
http://rusluge.ru/
Luge and skeleton are the names of winter sports that involve downhill sledding on a specially equipped track. Although the tracks for skeleton and luge are the same, the sleds themselves and the position of the athletes are very different. In the first, the athlete rides head first, face down, in the second, head up and feet forward.
Luge
This is a downhill competition on a single or double sleigh on a pre-prepared track. Athletes sit on the sled on their backs, feet first. The sled is controlled by changing body position.
Sleigh design
A sports sled is a kind of “seat-bed”, to the bottom of which stands with metal runners are attached. The racks themselves can be wooden or plastic, protrude far forward and have a large upward bend with a slight inclination inward. The parameters of the sled are strictly regulated, as in all luge disciplines.
Athlete's position
The luger lies on his back, feet forward in the direction of movement, stretched out “in line” to reduce air resistance. The head and legs “hang” outside the “seat”. Since the descent lasts only 1.5-2 minutes, this position can be maintained without difficulty. The sled is controlled using a belt attached to the bends of the runners, as well as by changing the position of the athlete’s body. During the descent, the athlete practically does not see where he is going.
Trails
The same as for skeleton and bobsleigh. The length of the route is on average one and a half kilometers. The number of turns is 15-20. The speed reaches 140-150 km/h. Men start from the very top of the track, women and two-man crews start three turns lower. For the Olympics in Sochi, a bobsleigh and luge complex was built, the length of which is 1814 meters.
Competitions
There are three types - individual men's and women's, paired crew competitions and team competitions. The competition is held over two days, with athletes completing 2 descents daily. Competitions on two-seater sleds (there are only men's) are held on one day, athletes do 2 races. IN team competitions the team consists of 1 man, 1 woman and 1 couple. The winner in all events is determined by the shorter total time of all races.
At the World and European Championships are allowed from the country
On Olympic Games Oh
Luge sport is governed by the International Luge Federation (FIL, Federation International de Luge de Course).
The sport of downhill sledding and at the same time the name sports equipment- special sleigh. According to one version, the root of the word “skele” comes from an incorrect reading of the Norwegian word “Kjaelke” (sleigh), according to another, from the word “skeleton”.
The skeleton is a flat frame, at the bottom of which two metal skates are attached to slide along the ice of the track. There are two handles on top of the frame that the athlete holds onto. On the front and rear sides of the frame there are special bumper protrusions that protect the athlete from colliding with the sides of the ice chute on turns. The parameters of the sled and athletes are regulated:
Athlete's position
The athlete lies on the skeleton with his head down and forward in the direction of movement. The projectile is controlled by the feet. There are special spikes on the toes of the athlete’s boots, which he uses to slow down in order to maneuver. When accelerating, the sled reaches speeds of up to 40 km/h, and the maximum speed reaches 130 km/h. After acceleration, the athlete lies down on the sled with his stomach down and slides down the track. When moving, your arms should be extended along your body.
Trails
Specially equipped ice tracks with an artificial ice surface. Skeleton competitions use the same tracks as bobsleigh. The length of the route is between 1200-2000 meters. The first 25 - 40 meters are the acceleration section, during which the athlete runs, pushing the sled. The slope of the first 250 meters of the track should allow the athlete to accelerate to 100 km/h. The last 100-150 meters of the route should have a slope of no more than 12% so that the athlete can stop safely. The height difference is at least 100 meters.
Competitions
Skeleton competitions are held among men and women. Athletes do 2 descents in one day or four descents in two days - at the World Championships and the Olympic Games. The winners are determined by the shortest total time of all descents.
The full requirements for athletes, sports equipment and conditions for holding skeleton competitions are described in the Rules of the International Bobsleigh and Toboggan Federation (FIBT).
Quick to remember
The athlete lies on the sled on his stomach with his head forward in the direction of movement
Luge
The athlete lies on the sled on his back with his head backwards in the direction of movement
Similar materialsPS
- the weight of the sled for one athlete is no more than 22 kg
- the weight of the sled for two athletes is no more than 24 kg
- length 124-150 cm depending on the athlete
- track width - 45 cm
- skeleton length 80-120 cm
- distance between runners 34-38 cm
- the maximum permissible sled weight for men is 43 kg
- the maximum permissible sled weight for women is 35 kg
- the athlete's weight is not higher than 115 kg for men and 92 kg for women
- the sled is adjusted to the individual parameters of the athlete
Luge is a competition whose essence is downhill racing. The means of transportation are either single or double sleighs. Athletes lie with their backs on the sled, feet first, and slide down the mountain. Control is achieved through body movement. That is, by moving his body weight, the athlete can change the direction of movement of the sled.
According to historians, luge, or rather simply sleigh riding, began its existence as early as 800 BC. This happened in the area of the town of Slagen, not far from the Oslo Ford. Back in those days, the Vikings used sleighs that were equipped with two runners and were so similar to modern ones.
As a sport, sledding originated in Switzerland. In Davos in 1879, the first 4-kilometer-long track was built, which became the venue for the sledding competition. And literally 4 years later the very first tournament in this sport was held here.
As the years passed, luge became more and more popular. And then the day came - it happened in 1964, when luge was accepted into the program of the Olympic Games - and luge became a favorite sport winter sports million
Luge is perhaps the most extreme of all winter sports at the Olympic Games. As mentioned above, this is a descent from the mountain on a single or double sleigh. This descent takes place on an artificially made track. The athlete starts in sitting position, and after pushing off, it lies down and rapidly rushes down. The sled is controlled by shifting the center of gravity of the athlete’s body. On the descent, the speed of the sled can reach up to 140 km/h, which in itself is not very safe, so athletes need to be extremely careful.
The program of the Olympic Games in luge includes individual competitions for women only on single sleighs, and for men in single and double sleighs. As a rule, competitions are held on the same track, but in a situation with women and men on double sleds, it is necessary to cover a shorter distance.
Competitions for men and women on single-seat sleds are usually held over 2 days. Every day athletes need to complete 2 races. At the end of the competition, the results of all races are added up and the total result is displayed. The athlete who will have the lowest total score will win.
The competition for men on two-seater sleds lasts one day and includes 2 races. The winner is usually determined by the sum of two results. The owner of the shortest time becomes the leader. It is believed that only men should take part in the double sleigh race. However, the rules do not say that the crew must be of the same gender. That is, if a couple consisting of a man and a woman tries to take part in the competition, then, in theory, nothing can prevent it.
And in general, luge, although dangerous, is quite an interesting spectacle that can make even the most phlegmatic fan empathize.
Well, who didn’t ride a sled as a child! What a dashing fun it is to saddle up on a sled and rush down the mountain over the snow-packed crust, so that only your eyes sparkle and your cheeks turn red. Not only children, but also adults love it winter fun, they are happy to wait for the snowy season, when it gets frosty and you can go to the hill.
For those who especially loved sledding back in school age, the way to the world opens professional sports, where the same reckless sledders have been competing for fifty years to see who can go down the mountain the fastest. And since the first competitive sledding down the mountain, more than one hundred and twenty years have passed
Sleighs, as such, appeared so long ago that even history does not remember, because this was before the invention of the wheel. The word “sleigh” is of Slavic origin, because “san” meant a runner, a snake, because it is with a crawl that any sleigh moves forward. Those sleighs were used for transportation, and not only in the snow. Evolution has made significant changes with sleds, so today's sports sleds look like a high-tech projectile, and for good reason.
The first sports sleds were the prototype of all modern ones. sports types rides from the mountain, and these are luge, bobsleigh and skeleton, they were assembled from wooden elements, and the runners were lined with thin metal strips. The sled was steered using a rope “steering wheel”, which is still equipped with children’s sleds.
Sleigh for modern people sports competitions covered with a fiberglass shell on top, and have clear weight parameters: for singles - 23 kg, for greenhouses - 27 kg. The shape of the sled is streamlined, the box for the athlete is made in the shape of a shovel, while the body fits in it, very ergonomically, and handles on the sides of the sled are used to control them. The runners are made of metal, and only they should come into contact with the ice. It is this part of the projectile that every luger has the most reverent attitude towards, and the alloys from which the blades are made should create the least friction. Their composition is often kept in big secret. The runners end at the top with curls into which the luger places his feet to secure himself on the sleigh. As you can see, this is truly an aerodynamic projectile, capable of developing high speed when rolling down inclined surface, namely more than 140 km/h. Sometimes the car drives at a lower speed.
The sled track is also a very remarkable structure. You can read more about the design of the luge track in the article “”,. We can confidently say that this is a high-tech and complex design that must be in perfect condition at all times, because the speeds and loads that an athlete experiences while descending an ice chute are impressive. The overload that occurs at the moment of maximum acceleration is equal to 5G, that is, the athlete feels as if there has been an increase in body weight by 5 times. This can be compared with the average load of an astronaut during training.
The competition program includes races for men and women, with men having singles and pairs races, women performing only solo. At Sochi 2014, a team relay is added to the luge competition for the first time.
The length of the track is also different, only the men's single race is made from the very top of the track, which is about 1250 m of ice chute. Pairs and women start 250 - 400 m lower.
The lugers start astride a sleigh, push off from metal handles at the start to accelerate, and then help themselves with studded gloves. A few meters after the start, the luger takes a lying position, head back, his task is to control the sleigh so as to move with maximum speed. Control is accomplished through minimal movement of the body and movement of the athlete's legs. If you apply the wrong force, such high speed, you can tip over, which is very dangerous. Therefore, the luger’s suit withstands a high coefficient of friction, and his head is necessarily protected by a fiberglass helmet.
This is the kind of “sleigh ride” that professional Olympians now have, among whom Russian athletes are traditionally strong, because at competitions high level in luge by Soviet and Russian athletes 12 gold, 14 silver and 13 bronze awards have already been won.
We wish them good luck at the upcoming Winter Olympics 2014 in Sochi!
