Key Takeaways
- USA Luge’s slider searches recruit from 500+ kids annually, with fewer than 10 ultimately making the national team
- The Youth Sports Alliance after-school program, launched after the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics, has produced multiple Olympic athletes
- 15-year-old Sinatra Robles made the junior national team on his first try, within a year of starting luge at age 9
- 26-year-old Ashley Farquharson, a 2022 Olympian, started through a YSA after-school program at age 11
- With the 2034 Winter Olympics returning to Utah, both athletes represent different stages of the same development pipeline
From After-School Programs to Olympic Tracks
Two American luge athletes are making headlines this winter, and their stories trace back to the same origin: youth sports programs designed to introduce kids to winter sports.
Ashley Farquharson, 26, is currently one of the top picks to represent the U.S. at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy. Her path to elite competition started at age 11 through a Youth Sports Alliance after-school program in Park City, Utah.
“They just took us up to the track every week for a month or so, and gave us some elbow pads and sent us down the hill,” Farquharson said.
The YSA program launched after Salt Lake City hosted the 2002 Olympics, with the goal of increasing youth participation in winter sports and extending the Games’ legacy. Farquharson was among the first YSA participants to reach the Olympics, competing in Beijing in 2022 alongside fellow Park City natives Casey Dawson (speedskating) and Jared Shumate (alpine skiing).
USA Luge’s National Recruitment Pipeline
While Farquharson came through a local after-school program, 15-year-old Sinatra Robles from Castleton, Vermont followed a different but equally structured path.
USA Luge sponsors slider search events across the country each summer to identify and recruit new talent. According to Robles’ mother, Sarah Robles, approximately 500 kids participate in these searches annually. Around 50 are invited to USA Luge camps, and fewer than 10 ultimately earn spots on the national team.
Robles made the cut on his first attempt, joining the team shortly after his 10th birthday. He now trains at facilities in Lake Placid, New York and Park City, Utah.
“He is a very calm person. Half the challenge on the sled is staying calm even when you’re driving 72 mph down a track. So, his personality fits,” his mother said.
Two Athletes, One 2034 Goal
Both athletes have their sights set on the 2034 Winter Olympics, which will return to Utah.
Farquharson, who would be 34 at the time, hasn’t ruled out competing on home ice. “It would just be so awesome, such a cool, full circle moment to get to compete here where I started,” she said. Luge athletes often remain competitive into their 30s due to the experience-based nature of the sport.
For Robles, 2034 represents his primary Olympic target. He’ll travel to Germany next week for training before competing in Continental Cup races in Latvia, his first international competition with the U.S. youth national team.
The success of programs like Youth Sports Alliance and USA Luge’s slider searches demonstrates a functioning pipeline from grassroots introduction to elite competition. With the 2034 Games returning to Salt Lake City, these development programs will likely see increased attention and investment as federations work to build homegrown talent for a home Olympics.
photo: Pavel Golovkin
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