Village of Westmont
Date Issued: February 9, 2018
At this year’s Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea, the Village of Westmont will be featured as a “Gold Map” location. The U.S. Olympics Team created the Olympic Gold Map program in 2014 to highlight how youth can get involved in Olympic and Paralympic sports as well as try out for various Olympic Sports. Westmont will be the location for the U.S. Olympics Luge Team tryouts this year the weekend of June 16. This will be the fifth time that the tryouts have been held in Westmont, which is more than any other host location for luge tryouts.
The U.S. Luge Slider Search is a program that introduces the sport of luge to boys and girls ages 9-13 all across the USA. The clinics utilize actual luge sleds equipped with wheels for summer use and participants are taught the basics of how to ride and steer a luge sled by a US National Luge Team athletes and coaches. Over the years, several USA Olympic Luge team members were discovered at Slider Search events across the country. This year’s Midwest tryouts will be held in Westmont on June 16-17. The location of the tryouts is on South Cass Avenue near Uncle Bub’s BBQ Restaurant at 132 S. Cass.
“We apparently have the perfect hill for this,” said Westmont Communications Director Larry McIntyre who has helped coordinate the event four times over the past decade. “Over the years, we’ve had hundreds of local athletes attend this tryout. Even if you aren’t selected to move on in the tryouts and make the team, it’s still an amazing experience. We look forward to the U.S. Luge team coming back to Westmont this June.”
Luge coverage at the 2018 Winter Olympics begins February 10 and concludes with the Luge Team Relay on February 15. Visit usaluge.org for more information regarding the U.S. Olympic Luge team and the Slider Search program.
Check out photos from past luge tryouts in Westmont:
http://villageofwestmont.smugmug.com/2017/2017-09-16-US-Luge-Tryouts/
http://villageofwestmont.smugmug.com/2014/2014-05-17-US-Luge-Team/
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Contact: Larry McIntyre
Village of Westmont Communications Director
630-417-0280, lmcintyre@westmont.il.gov
