WATCH: Wisconsin Comedian Charlie Berens Attempts To Luge [VIDEO]
One of my favorite Winter Olympic sports to watch is the Luge, which makes my heart skip a beat to watch these men and women fly down an icy tube topping out around 90 miles per hour with nothing but a sled below their bodies. Yes, they have a helmet for protection but that is about it.
Growing up in the midwest sledding as a kid was always a thrill. The faster the better, over jumps flying through the air landing on the hard ground, and hopefully getting back up again, grab your sled and hike up the hill.
That was until one winter when I was in fourth grade and 2 of my friends and I piled into one of those red plastic sleds that they still sell today. We went flying down the hill, got off the path, and ended up in a deep ditch. Well, I ended up in the ditch since I was not able to bail out of the sled. I broke my leg pretty badly and had to hop with the help of my friends a little over a mile back to my house. Surgery and a full cast for months on crutches made that an epic experience.
These luge athletes are in top-notch shape and have nerves of steel. Luge is the world's oldest winter sport dating back to 1883 but did not make an appearance at the Winter Olympics until 1964. According to the Team USA website Germany and German-speaking nations have dominated the Luge field. But Team USA is starting to come on strong as of late despite the first time finding a place on the podium did not happen until 1998.
Comedian Charlie Berens continues to try some winter activities with a trip out to Utah to try his hand at Luge. I have to give it to him, my heart was pounding watching him zip through that track. So how did he do? Check out the video below and find out. Keep 'Er Movin!