Naseby (pps) At present, there are 15 artificially iced tracks around the world. And then there is the track in Naseby on the South Island of New Zealand. With a length of 360 metres, a new refrigeration system but without any excessive curves the track, opened on July 12, 2008, is something of a hybrid between a natural and an artificially-iced track.
The track was build upon initiative of Geoff Balme, Regional Vice-President Oceania within the International Luge Federation, FIL, and already one thing is certain: it is the only luge track in the Southern Hemisphere. “It’s already a great attraction in Naseby”, Geoff Balme proudly disclosed in his report at the 57th FIL Congress. The track boasts ten curves, a difference of altitude of 22,5 metres and a decline of 7.5 per-cent. The construction works were concluded after five years and the track officially opened by the President of the National Olympic Committee of New Zealand, Eion Edgar.
Last year, 21 athletes participated in the first training camp run by Karl Flacher, FIL coach natural track, as well as two races. According to Geoff Balme, a total of 250 persons enjoyed the facility, which is also suitable for the general public, during its first winter. In the upcoming New Zealand winter, according to European standards this is rather a summer, an additional training camp is planned for the middle of July, various races and events and on August 23, the final competition within the first New Zealand Winter Games.
These first New Zealand Winter Games will feature disciplines of Alpine and free skiing, x-country skiing, snowboarding, ice hockey, figure skating and curling with about 1,000 participants from numerous countries. For now, luge will still be a demonstration sports but hopes to be included in the official competition programme in its second edition in 2011.
With such an ambitious goal in mind it will be a great advantage to have the support of the experienced 31-year old coach Greg Jones of Canada. Jones comes from Hinton in Alberta, he started being active on natural ice tracks in 1995 and since 2003 he is on the national Canadian team. At the last FIL World Championships in Moos/Passeier in Italy Jones took eleventh place. “The track in Naseby is excellent for training purposes, ideal for natural and artificial iced tracks”, explained Jones whose parents both work as coaches in Canada. “I hope that in some years time New Zealand will have some athletes who don’t have to fear the comparison with other World Cup competitors,” added Jones.
However, not only New Zealand is active in the sport of luge in Oceania. Australia’s Hannah Campbell Pegg, for instance, regularly competes in the Viessmann Luge World Cup. At the 2009 FIL Luge World Championships in Lake Placid, USA, she finished on 20th place. Last winter she practised together with Canada’s national team, in the upcoming season the student of the New South Wales Institute of Sports in Sydney intends to join the international training group run by FIL coach Jon Apostol to achieve an even better result at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver.
