SolveYourProblem Article Series: Extreme Sports
I Love The Adrenaline Rush Of Extreme Sports
What
is Streetluging?
Picture
this: You're laying on your back on an extra long
skateboard, traveling feet first at speeds between 60 and 70
miles per
hour (depending on the grade) down a winding mountain road
with no brakes. If that mental image gives you a thrill and
a desire to try it for yourself, you might be ready for streetluging.
You might be . . . but read on.
You have probably seen the luge event at the winter Olympics
and that's pretty much what streetluging is all about, minus,
and of course, the snow and ice. Minus the snow and ice, however,
is more than just an afterthought, it is the catch. If you
'wipe out' (go out of control and get thrown off your luge)
on snow and ice, you can at least look forward to a fairly
frictionless slide to 'oblivion’. Streetlugers, on the other
hand, have cement, asphalt or worse to deal with in the event
of a wipeout -- lots of friction there.
The street version of the luge, called a “rail” or a “sled”
by the lugers, is a new generation of the skateboard that is
approximately eight-feet long and is equipped with tiny wheels
that put you just about two-inches off the ground. The wheels,
however, are designed to withstand the high speeds experienced
in streetluging . . . at least most of the time. Streetluge
wheels have been known to melt and/or catch on fire.
Leaning left or right to the point (on a sharp turn) accomplishes
turning, where the luger's shoulder or elbow might contact
the ground (remember, they are laying on their back and just
two-inches off the ground). Most rails have “foot pegs” to
help keep your feet on the board, but braking is accomplished
in true Fred Flintstone fashion, by putting your feet on the
ground and burning rubber (quite literally).
Before
attempting this sport or even seriously considering it,
search for a streetluging competition somewhere in your
area. Go there and watch the action. If you are still interested
at that point, talk to some of the lugers or the organizers
and try to find a local streetluging club or organization.
Also, attempt to find out if there is any way a person can
try streetluging before making the financial investment in
equipment. Some clubs have special days when people can come
in and rent all the equipment and spend the day learning and
practicing on private roads with wide shoulders (and big bales
of hay to soften your impact if you go out of control).
Speaking of going out of control, if you haven't guessed it
by now, streetluging is a very dangerous sport. Participants,
as you'll see if you go to a competition, regularly get scrapes,
bruises and breaks, if they are lucky. The unlucky ones get
a long stay in a hospital or a permanent stay somewhere else.
Obviously, what you wear while streetluging is of vital importance.
Normally streetlugers wear full body thick leather garments,
top-quality helmets and shoes with thick enough soles for breaking.
Still
interested? If so, make sure your instructor is a very
experienced streetluger and make careful note of everything
he or she tells you so that when you are on your back on that
winding mountain road doing 70 miles per hour, you can mentally
review his or her every word. If you do that and keep your
cool, you'll be OK!
To help you on your way to being accepted as a streetluger,
following is some of the terminology of the streetluger:
amped: Overcome by the adrenaline rush that comes with streetluge
racing.
bacon: A very rough or otherwise hazardous stretch of road.
banana: The guy who always seems to wind up wiped out.
buttboard: A short version of the streetluge with no foot
pegs. (The buttboard is also called a “classic luge”).
flame: When the streetluge's wheels catch on fire.
junkyard: The luges that are left in the track after a multi-luge
collision.
melt: Streetluge wheels when they get soft from the heat of
a run.
nerf
bar: a bumper strategically placed on the streetluge
to minimize damage in the case of a collision.
puke
a wheel: Loosing a wheel from a “melt” or a “flame.”
road
rash: Scrapes and skin burns from streetluging.
scrambled
eggs: A bad road, but not as bad as “bacon.”
skeleton: A face-first run down a road, just for fun.
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SolveYourProblem.com : 2007
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