Up Close And Personal With John Frey

Up Close & Personal With

JOHN FREY

Publication Date: July 1996

How did the sport get the name street luge?

It was patterned after the ice luge. The sport has been around since the 70's, but only recently has it come to have a name. We call it luge roadracing, but ESPN had changed the name to street luge, because that's what it is there. It is more of an obstacle course, and when we luge on long open roads, we concentrate mainly on speed.

What precipitated your involvement with luge racing?

In the 70's, I had been into skateboarding. In fact my mom and I opened the first skateboard shop in Louisville, the Sidewalk Surf Shop, in the mid-70's. I had done a lot of downhilling, standing up on the board to achieve high speeds. I had been thinking of building something new to continue my involvement. I guess you could say I've lived most of my life on urethane wheels.

How and when did you get involved in luge road racing?

I had been wanting to get involved with downhilling again, and had been trying to come up with a way to do that when I saw an old friend, Bob Pereyra, on the first Mountain Dew commercial to feature luge roadracing. I also saw it featured on the Discovery Channel. I was able to obtain Bob's phone number out of a skateboard magazine and called him up and talked to him about the sport. I built my own luge, made mostly of wood and lexan, took a few runs on it and threw it away. (I wasn't sure I'd like the perspective, but it turned out that I had a lot of speed and control.) In 1993, I joined RAIL, the Roadracers' Association of International Luge.

Are all luge roadracers retired skateboarders like yourself?

There are a few hundred people involved worldwide, but no, they weren't all skateboarders. That is something we have in common though, those of us that were. It just happens that all across the world, a bunch of us were trying to discover new ways of racing and we just kind of connected. RAIL went from a few members to worldwide in a short time.

Do you build your own luge?

Yes, just as I built my first one to get a feel for the sport, I now build my own to race on. The sled themselves can cost $1300 to build, with almost $200 in welding alone. By the time you get the accompanying safety equipment, it often costs $2000 just to get started. I ride the rail type. To build it, you begin with a 31 wide aluminum channel (60-61 T-6) for the frame. The other components, like the gussets and the pan, are made from aluminum armor plating, like military airplanes are made out of. (In the frame, there are two transitions that drop the center of your body closer to the ground. Gussets are added to the side for extra support and in the rear for a head rest.) The body pan has handles attached, and foot pegs and nerf bars (to deflect hay bales, other luges, etc.) are added to the bottom. Finally, you mount trucks, which include a flywheel to help store momentum.

What safety measures do you take?

Luge racers wear a one-piece leather suit that is specially constructed to fit their body. The same type motorcycle road racers wear. A helmet must be worn, and Bell has come out with specially made helmets for luge to increase the aerodynamicity. Gloves are also necessary to protect the hands.

Where do you run your luge?

Any traveled road is fine. There is no danger of cars coming behind you, because there is no motorized vehicle that can corner faster than the luge. As long as you stay in your own lane when you are faced with oncoming traffic, you are safe. Locally, I like Oldham County as a place to luge. I have luged in seven states: Kentucky, Indiana, California, North Carolina, Rhode Island, Tennessee and Georgia. My favorite place is Walnut Mountain in NC, because you can go super fast. You average speeds of 80-90 mph and you reach terminal velocity (the weightlessness feeling when you can't possibly go any faster).

What kind of injuries have you received while racing?

Personally, I have had only minor injuries, like bruises and abrasions. Several of my friends have had snapped bones, like arms and ankles. My worst crash happened in Tennessee. I was going 70 mph and flew off into the bank. I lost my shoe, banged up my ribs, and other minor injuries, but I was still luging afterwards. I have seen my friends luge with broken bones, broken arms...we're pretty hard-core about it.

What other obstacles are encountered on the road?

Animals can sometimes be a problem. Dogs usually just take off, squirrels just stand there. Deer are scary because you never know what they'll do. Usually you just want to aim for the animals and they'll move. I once hit a bird and it flew up and landed on my teammate's face (well, over his helmet).

What competitive options are there for luge roadracers?

There is a RAIL series that has between four and six races a year. The world championships are the X games, and then we start again.

How have you placed in competitions?

I was second in the US Amateurs. When I moved up to the pros, I started in the middle of the field. Now I am in the top ten for the US in the National Championship Series. Last year at the X Games, I placed 12th in the two-man and only raced in one heat in the four-man. I placed 24th overall. I had been sick for a week and then I suffered heat stroke on the photo shoots. This year I am feeling great and I hope to do much better.

Can people earn a living luging?

Well, there are sponsors and they'll pay a lot of money, even just if you're going to the X Games. Also, there aren't a lot of women in the sport, if there were, the sponsors would pick them up quickly.

How did you get selected to be in the second Mountain Dew commercial?

I was selected by the president of RAIL, Bob Pereyra. He was supposed to pick four people to be in the commercial. I am the same height and weight as Bob, so he kind of chose me for his double when he had the helmet cam. But, I was able to participate a lot more than we had anticipated.

How do you feel about the upcoming X Games in Rhode Island?

I am happy to get to race in an international competition, but I wish the hill was much bigger! The New England roads present a problem for the luge. Because they are often cobblestone in the corners, we have to slow down and change other important tactics.