LAKE PLACID, N.Y.- Thirty-three USA Luge athletes braved Saturday’s, Feb. 7, bitter cold temperatures and competed in the Empire State Winter Games Youth A and Youth B luge races, held at Mt. Van Hoevenberg, in Lake Placid.
“Oh, it was pretty cold, but I think that kind of, like, pumped me up,” said Fern Battin (Peru, N.Y), who won the women’s Youth A race, for athletes up to age 17. The 14-year-old slid to a two-run combined time down the twisting, icy track of 1 minute, 35.067 seconds.
Luge is just one of two Olympic sports measured to a single thousandth of a second, and Battin won the race, almost one full second ahead of the second-place finisher, Olivia Perry (Rome, N.Y.). The 14-year-old completed her two runs in 1:36.00, while Sara Stefanides (West Chester, Pa.), 15, finished in the bronze medal spot. She recorded a two-heat time of 1:36.023.
Not only did the athletes brave the cold, but about 30 fans, family, and friends gathered in the track’s finish area, where temperatures dipped to as low as -6°F, to cheer on the athletes.
Jenni Evans watched from the sidelines in a thick coat and mittens, waiting for her 12-year-old son and first-time competitor, Isaac Evans (Saranac Lake, N.Y.), to cross the finish line.
“It’s something he was interested in, and it’s something he enjoys doing,” Jenni said. “So as a parent, one of my roles is to support him in his activities.”
Evans finished seventh in the Men’s Youth B Race, for athletes up to age 15, in 1:44.940.
Maxim Zayonc (Lake Placid, N.Y.) won the men’s Youth A crown in a total time of 1:32.180. The 13-year-old clocked the race’s two best times, 46.005 seconds and 46.175.
William Roberts (Holliston, Mass.), 13, and Samuel Hazell (Medway, Mass.), 15, won the silver and bronze medals, respectively. Roberts posted an overall finish time of 1:35.221, while Hazell’s bronze medal time was recorded in 1:35.442.
Complete luge results can be found HERE.
For more information about the Empire State Winter Games, go to https://empirestatewintergames.com/.
Fans and athletes can also follow on Facebook, Instagram, and X, using @ESWGames and #ESWGames.
Photos of the 46th Annual Empire State Winter Games can be found HERE.