The Wasatch Luge Club hosts the Ice Engineers race

The decades-old, annual Ice Engineers race brought local lugers out to the Olympic track on Saturday. Photo: Michele Roepke

PARK CITY, Utah — Saturday saw the annual Ice Engineers race at the Utah Olympic Park (UOP). The event was hosted by the Wasatch Luge Club. The Wasatch Luge Club has hosted the annual event for the last twenty years.

Every global luge track has a different amount of total curves. Local lugers started their races from most of the track’s various starting points, as the more experience, an athlete has, the higher up they start on the track. The lower down an athlete starts on the track, the less speed generated in this gravity sport.

All competitors slid singles this year; no doubles sleds were registered. 

RESULTS:

Open Women from Women’s Start (curve 4/15):

1. Delaney Duncan
2. Macey Schomaker
3. Emma Ford

Open Men from Women’s Start (curve 4/15):

1. Jeff Sichler
2. Chet Smith
3. Orson Colby

Open Youth from Jr. Start (curve 6/15):

1. Ella Gelston
2. Dirk Cardenas
3. Andrew Robertson

Open Youth from Curve 12/15:

1. Molly Schomaker
2. Miriel Schomaker
3. Quattro McDonald

Pete Gilwald, President of the Wasatch Luge Club, shared, “This is a really special race each year, for which members of the Park City Luge Community volunteer to come out, rain or shine, help organize the event, provide free food to the UOP track workers and cheer on every competitor with a sense of comradery. It’s a fun race put on by fun families, and I thank them all for their support.”

The Wasatch Luge Club is one of seven Youth Sports Alliance Teams, and the Ice Engineers is an International Luge Federation (FIL) sanctioned race.

Wasatch Luge Club athlete Ashley Farquharson being named, mere days ago, to the USA Luge Beijing 2022 Olympic Team prompted Gilwald to add, “It’s fantastic that we have so many local athletes that get to go to the Olympics. They serve as a wonderful example to our younger athletes as to what the possibilities are.”