Lake Placid (pps) Mark Grimmette, US Delegation flag bearer for the Vancouver Winter Olympic Games, five-time Olympian, and two-time Olympic medalist, has been hired as the Sports Program Director for USA Luge. His primary job function will be to guide all aspects of the athletic programs for USA Luge, with the overall goal being the improvement of skills and performance of all the current pipeline of athletes, culminating in the winning of medals in all disciplines at every level, including the Olympic Games.
"After being involved with the sport for so long as an athlete, I look forward to this new challenge," said Grimmette, originally of Muskegon Mich. "I look forward to sharing what I've learned over the years to help our organization in any way possible, but most of all, I look forward to helping our athletes reach their goals." Grimmette will be based at the USA Luge headquarters in Lake Placid, New York and will also travel with the National Team during the competitive season as its Head Coach.
In tandem with this announcement, the current contract for Wolfgang Schädler will not be renewed. "Wolfgang has been with USA Luge for 24 years and has done a remarkable job for us," said USA Luge CEO Ron Rossi. "We owe him an incredible debt of gratitude for taking us from the point of never having won international medals to the Olympic podium in 1998 and 2002. He has always served the organization with pride and the highest degree of ethical standards."
