Posts Tagged ‘luge’

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Doubles Lugers are People Too

March 1, 2010

Chris Moffat, 88 sweater, and Mike Moffat

I hereby propose a moratorium on making fun of the sport of doubles luge. While no sport has opened itself up to more ridicule since ski ballet, we have to remember these lugers are, in fact, high performance athletes.

I was lucky enough to meet the Moffat brothers, who compete for Canada in doubles luge. They were admiring my 1988 Olympic Sweater at a party, and that started a conversation. Turns out Mike Moffat is a big fly fisherman, and recently caught his first Steelhead on the Squamish during the Games. That’s no easy task.

Mike and I even discussed hitting up the Bow River the next time I’m in Calgary. In a Jerry Seinfeld/Keith Hernandez moment, he gave me his card, and we parted ways. But don’t be surprised if we’re floating the Bow one day, possibly in the same boat.

Not a word out of you, Ian Day.

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Turning Lugers into Winners

February 10, 2010

Chris Moore, training for the $1 million dollar prize. Photo by Philip Jarmain

Canada’s lugers have been offered a prize of $1,000,000 dollars if they win a gold medal. No, I didn’t accidentally hold the zero button down too long. That’s $1,000,000. For luging. That’s not dangling a carrot. That’s dangling an entire produce section.

The team’s sponsor, Fast Track Group out of Alberta, announced the incentive today. For a while it seemed like an incredibly selfless gesture. Then company founder Darren Weeks spoke and instead ended up sound kind of dickish.

“I guess I’m blessed financially and I wanted to share,” he said in a phone interview from St. Albert.

Then he probably hung up the phone, lit a cigar with a Borden, and went for a swim in his pool full of gold coins.

Other non-luging Canadian athletes have the chance to win $20,000 for a gold medal from the Canadian Olympic Committee (including those cash starved NHL’ers, thank god). Now that Fast track has offered (pinky pressed to lip) “one mill-yon doll-hers”, they’re making the COC cash incentive program look about as generous as a tip my Grandpa would leave at a restaurant.

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