Sophia Kirkby from Ray Brook and Chevonne Forgan from Chelmsford, Massachusetts, attended the FIL Luge World Cup in Oberhof, Germany last weekend. These members of Team USA excelled in the women’s doubles event, setting a new start record.
They led the American team, managing to come fifth in the women’s doubles sprint event. Emily Sweeney from Lake Placid also performed well, finishing sixth in the women’s singles sprint event.
Kirkby and Forgan made everyone proud by doing well on both of their starts. In their second run, they set a start record and gained a time of 7.625 seconds. Unfortunately, they had problems during their first run and finished in sixth place for the day. Their teammates, Tucker West from Ridgefield, Sean Hollander from Lake Placid, and Zack DiGregorio from Medway also did their best and placed 11th in their respective events.
In the men’s races, DiGregorio and Hollander did well, but unfortunately skidded in their second run because of a curve. As a result, they came ninth. Meanwhile, the US team’s Dana Kellogg and Frank Ike continued to show excellent team dynamics on their first time as a pair, securing the best time scores.
The women’s singles race was a mix of clean runs and a few bumps. America’s Ashley Farquharson and three-time Olympian Emily Sweeney performed their best. Farquharson placed seventh, while Sweeney wasn’t far behind in 11th place.
In the sprint event, our athletes continued to impress with their performances. Kirkby and Forgan took fifth place, while their teammates, Maya Chan and Reannyn Weiler, were not far behind, coming in seventh. Germany’s Dajana Eitberger and Saskia Schirmer won the gold in this race.
Overall, Team USA, performed well at the FIL Luge World Cup. Although cheered by their performances, they are aiming to perform even better in future races.
Vocabulary List:
- Luge (noun): A winter sport in which competitors, singly or in pairs, race down a narrow ice track while lying on their backs on a small sled.
- Sprint (verb/noun): To run at full speed over a short distance; a race run at top speed for a short distance.
- Doubles (noun): A team event where two competitors participate together, usually in sports or games.
- Excelled (verb): To be exceptionally good at or proficient in something.
- Teammates (noun): Members of the same team who work together to achieve a common goal.
- Skidded (verb): To slide across a surface in an uncontrolled manner, often due to loss of traction.
