As director of the Human Performance Lab at Boise State University and the author of nine fitness and wellness books, kinesiologist Werner Hoeger understands body movement. This month in Torino, Italy, the 52-year-old professor will put his theories to the test: He?ll be competing in luge at the 2006 Olympic Games.?
Like gymnastics, Hoeger says, ?The sport of luge takes a tremendous amount of body awareness. You have to be able to feel the gravity forces as you go through the curves.? In the course of two days this month, Hoeger will have to steer his sled four times through a 1,435 meter run at nearly 90 miles per hour, navigating a staggering 114 meter drop and 19 curves that have already sent nearly a dozen athletes to the hospital.
Growing up in Venezuela, the country he now represents, Hoeger was acclaimed as one of the country?s greatest gymnasts and ...
