JERRY WOLKOWITZ Ted Minde, of Manalapan, is very passionate about the sport of luge. Minde worked as an official in this year’s Winter Olympics in Utah.
The 14- to 18-hour days at the Salt Lake City Olympics were a labor of love for Manalapan’s Ted Minde.
A member of the United States Luge Association, Minde was one of just 10 members (out of a total of 400 who applied) who were selected to be officials at the luge competition at the recent Winter Olympics.
"I was honored to be selected," he said. "It was a fantastic experience. The sport received worldwide exposure."
Among his responsibilities in Salt Lake City were the starting position of the sliders and their times, observing the starts and making sure they are legal, and weighing the sleds and the riders. For single luge, the weight is 23 kilograms, and for the doubles it’s 57 kilos. In an effort to make the competition more equal for sliders, the lighter sliders are allowed to wear weights to make it more equal. The sliders are assigned the amount of weight they can carry by their own weight (anyone 90 kilos or more is not allowed to carry any additional weight). Every slider is thoroughly checked to see that he or she is not exceeding the allowed weight. Since the difference between a medal and an "also ran" is hundredths of a second, every ounce is crucial, and it’s important that the slider and their luges are set at the proper weight.
Minde was first introduced to the sport of luging 18 years ago on a visit to Lake Placid. He and his wife Harriet visited the upstate New York area to do some hiking when Minde observed lugers doing summer workouts on the track used for the 1980 Winter Olympics. The lugers were riding wheeled sleds over the track which was devoid of ice and snow.
Seeing the lugers in action aroused Minde’s curiosity, and that winter he was back to give luging a try. He quickly discovered a fondness for the sport, where sliders reach speeds of 90 mph, the roots of which go back to 800 AD. It didn’t take Minde long to reach the decision that he wanted to be active in the sport as an official.
"I felt that to become a good official, to understand the track and the sliders, that I would be more effective by being a participant," Minde explained. "The feeling is spectacular. It’s the most scintillating experience of my life."
This comes from a man who served in the 90th Infantry in Europe during World War II where "getting out alive was as good as it gets."
A retired research economist who worked for both the state and private industry, Minde no longer actively luges himself, but still travels to Lake Placid from his Manalapan home on weekends to officiate luge competitions. That activity helped Minde get his Olympic assignment. The long hours (his days began at 6:30 a.m. and did not end until 8:30 p.m.) kept Minde from getting to much of the other Olympic competition (he was staying 35 miles from Salt Lake City). He did get to see the ski jumping venue and said he enjoyed the competition.
Though he didn’t attend the opening ceremonies, Minde said he did get to see them. He was at the dress rehearsal the day before.
"The choreography was incredible," Minde said. "When they brought in the flag from 9/11, it was very inspiring.
"Mitt Romney did a great job organizing the Olympics," he added. "I was happy to be a part of it. The weather was beautiful. It was crisp and cold and there was a brilliant blue sky."
Because lugers can reach speeds of 90 mph and are pulling three to five G-forces, sliders have to be in peak physical condition to participate. This is no sleigh ride.
"It is a very demanding sport," said Minde. "Sliders have to have strong muscles in their shoulders, neck and stomach because of the G-forces they are pulling. They are totally dedicated to the sport 12 months a year. They are physically fit and follow all of the technological developments.
"Lugers are very nice people and very close to each other," he added. "All are interested in being the top person."
Lugers have something else in common, he said.
"They love speed," Minde remarked.
Along with the physical demands, luging requires a mind that can’t be distracted. When you see lugers rolling their shoulders before they make a run, it isn’t nervousness. They are going through the run in their minds and the shoulder movements are in anticipation of turns.
"Sliders have a previsualization of what they are going to do," Minde said. "They have the course memorized and go over it before they race."
In addition to being a luge official, Minde is one of the sport’s best ambassadors. His wife taught in the Manalapan school system and Minde would go into the schools to introduce children to the sport. He has brought lugers to grammar schools where the pros show the children how it’s done, and there are videos for children to get a better idea what the sport is all about.
The United States Luge Association holds summer programs for children ages 11-14 where they use the wheeled sleds on the Lake Placid and Salt Lake City Olympic tracks. The association looks to find potential lugers among the participants.
"Interest in the sport has grown," said Minde, who witnessed the improvement of the U.S. program to the point where it earned a pair of medals in Salt Lake.