Six local teen athletes chase Olympic dreams in luge competition

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Six local luge athletes' Olympic dreams may soon become reality.

When you think of central Ohio, you usually don’t think of luge. Even when NBC4 sat down and spoke with the Team USA luge local athletes, they even said they weren’t familiar with the sport at first.

“This is my first year so far, and I like, like, the thrill of just going down and, like, feeling the wind,” said Colin Peterson, a member of USA Luge Junior Development team. 

“I like the adrenaline rush of all of it. Like as you're finishing, I try to sit up and look at my time as I look at the board, and if it's a good one, I'll be proud of myself,” said Alexis Mason, a member of USA Luge Junior Development team. 

There are no training centers in the Buckeye State, so these local teens travel 10 hours to Lake Placid, New York, just to practice. This may seem to be quite the challenge, but the athletes see a different perspective.  

“It is definitely worth the long drive. It is so fun,” said Kaitlynn Mauch, a member of the USA Luge Development team. 

We caught up with four out of the six local athletes who are part of USA Luge. The team includes Alexis Mason, Stephanie Hoylman, Colin Peterson, Kaitlynn Mauck, Sophia Etheridge, and Jonathan Sigg. All are local to the central Ohio area. 

The teens were chosen for the team through the White Castle Slider Search, which is held in Columbus each year. They found out they made Team USA Luge in May 2024, and they say it’s been a dream come true ever since. 

“I was like overly excited. Like I couldn't sleep because I was just so excited to go and train and just so excited to go faster,” said Stephanie Hoylman, a member of the USA Luge Junior Development team. 

“I was just amazed that I could get the chance to train in the sport of luge more and hopefully advance,” said Kaitlynn Mauck, a member of the USA Luge Junior Development team. 

These young lugers have traveled to Lake Placid several times to train and to be surrounded by Olympic Lugers. 

“They're very like, inspirational. I mean, they give us really good tips about like what to do,” said Petersen. 

The group has also been preparing for their very first competition. They’re making yet another trip to Lake Placid soon to compete in the Empire State Winter Games. Their competition is set for February 1st. 

“I'm absolutely thrilled. Like, if I would have told my younger self I would be here, I wouldn't have believed myself,” said Mason.

All four of the athletes we spoke with say their ultimate goal is to make it to the Olympics one day and win a gold medal. 

The parents also wanted the community to know that they’re thankful for all the support their children have been given since joining USA Luge. If you’d like to check out more of their work, we have their socials linked above.