At today's meeting Scott Riewald, CEO of USA Luge, outlined the organization's mission to achieve "sustained competitive excellence" through athlete recruitment and technical innovation. A former High Performance Director for the USOPC and performance coach for the Boston Red Sox (we won't hold that against him 
), Riewald emphasized that luge is a high-stakes sport where athletes reach speeds of 90 mph and endure G-forces up to 6Gs.
Key initiatives include the "Traveling Roadshow," which uses wheeled sleds to recruit talent from non-winter regions, and a cutting-edge partnership with NASCAR to apply auto-racing aerodynamics to sled design. Riewald highlights the upcoming 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, noting that USA Luge is in a strong position following an eight-medal haul at recent World Cup events. He contrasts the US program’s reliance on private donors and 300 members against Germany’s government-funded system of tens of thousands, framing Team USA as a lean, high-tech underdog. The Winter Olympic games are almost ready to begin so be sure to cheer for USA Luge.
