PARK CITY, Utah — They used to think that hurtling down a steep track of glazed ice at breakneck speeds was only for "psycho guys." Now, they are among them.
What began as a moment of heightened curiosity four years ago is soon to become a "dream come true" when Werner Hoeger and his son, Chris, represent Venezuela in the luge singles of the upcoming 2002 Winter Olympic Games in February.
"It's actually crazier to watch than to do," said Chris, who, at 16, is likely the youngest in the world to compete in the luge.
"It is a lot easier to do, than to watch," agrees Werner, who, at 48, will likely be the oldest.
Luge is a one-man sport where the slider guides a highly-polished sled down a course of sharp turns and steep inclines. In less than 50 seconds, lugers zip along a 1200-foot course at near 90 miles per hour.
Guiding a sled is like "steering a big truck while driving backwards very fast," Werner said.
The Hoegers, members of the DeMeyer Park Ward, Meridian Idaho North Stake, are long-shot contenders for Olympic gold. The 500 practice runs they will make before their Olympic run Feb. 11 will not match the nearly 10,000 runs made by the luge elite from Europe.
Still, for Werner, competing in the Olympics is about fulfilling a teenage dream. His gold, he said, is sharing his dream with a son.
Born in Merida, Venezuela, to a German father and an Austrian mother, Werner became a national gymnastics champion by age 16. During an international meet, a gymnastics coach from BYU recruited him. Three weeks later — even though he knew nothing of BYU and was not a member of the Church — Werner found himself in Provo, Utah.
"It was a Church-sponsored school, so I thought it would be good," he said.
Werner was active in his religion at the time and felt no inclination to change until a friend, who had been a member of his church, explained the Restoration from a perspective he understood. Missionaries taught him the lessons in two-and-a-half weeks, and in January 1976, he was baptized. A few months later he met a young lady, Sharon Barthule, whom he married in the Oakland California Temple in August 1977.
He and his wife are parents of five children and now reside in Boise, Idaho, where he is a professor of kinesiology at Boise State University. He continues to bike to work — a 20-mile round trip. And as author of 27 collegiate textbooks, he is among the foremost writers on health and lifestyle.
His one lament is that, while a student at BYU, he was never selected to compete on the Venezuela Olympic gymnastics team despite being a seven-time national champion.
"During the closing ceremonies of the 1998 Olympic Games in Nagano, Japan," he said, "I noticed the Venezuelan flag." His curiosity piqued, he attended a luge clinic in Salt Lake City where he and three of his children placed in the top four places in a race at the end of the clinic.
"Jonathan, our oldest son, took first place. I took second. Chris took third, and Julianne, then 11, took fourth," he said. "But since there were only two training spots open, Jonathan realized he would be serving a mission during the 2002 Olympics and decided to withdraw to allow someone else to compete," Werner said.
Chris, then 14, took his place. Jonathan is now serving in the Venezuela Caracas Mission.
The Hoegers qualified for the Olympics by competing in World Cup events in Europe and North America. During their first qualification attempt in Calgary, Alberta, in 1998 Werner lost control at the midway point while traveling about 80 kilometers per hour.
A sobering reminder of the dangers of the sport, Werner was bounced from side to side and flung like a rag doll, eventually crashing into his coach on the railing. He was taken to the hospital where he regained consciousness and his broken ankle was surgically repaired.
Later, in the start house at the top of the track where he waited his turn to slide, Chris sat stone faced, gazing blankly as he heard the news. "It's not a good day," he said. "My father's in the hospital. And there are already two crashes."
Chris faced his fears and completed his slide, an experience that galvanized his determination and steeled his confidence. Now, "Chris is always relaxed," said Werner. "He's sometimes napping while others are stretching and mentally imagining their slides."
Since October when their seven-week training began in earnest, the Hoegers have hopped between countries and continents, one week in Norway, the next in Germany, then Canada, and then Austria. They had been home only seven days prior to Thanksgiving, Nov. 22.
For Chris, three of those days were spent in Walla Walla, Wash., in a high school debate tournament where he debated the merits of "establishing a foreign policy to significantly limit the use of weapons of mass destruction."
"Yeah, I brag a little," said his partner Brock Ross. "My debate partner is an Olympic athlete."
A junior at Centennial High School, Chris is an honors student who files his homework by e-mail or fax, usually in the evening after practice runs and viewing training films.
Participating in the Olympics is a family affair. Werner and Chris say they are sustained by the prayers and support of those at home. "One morning several weeks after the accident in Calgary," said Werner, "I woke up to see a tear in my wife's eye. She was concerned that after the crash, I would miss out on my life's dream."
"There isn't a better example of a family who lives the gospel and is diligent in their callings and who reaches out to others," said Bishop Blake Alder of the DeMeyer Park Ward. "As a ward, we love them greatly.
"Several years ago the Hoegers asked for a blessing," continued Bishop Alder, "it became apparent in the blessing that this experience would provide missionary opportunities."
The close relationship between Werner and Chris caught the attention of another luger, Julio Cesar Camacho. Julio began asking questions. Over time he received the missionary discussions. He and his wife, Yliana, were baptized in Calgary in March 2001.
"I feel the hand of the Lord," said Werner. "Some of the most spiritual moments have come in this sport. Sometimes at night, as I reflect on this experience, I feel the presence of the Savior. So many blessings have come. I feel I'm a better man."
Readers of Church News are encouraged to submit names and e-mail addresses of those they know who have qualified for the 2002 Winter Olympics. Please send information to: churchnews@desnews.com or mail to: Church News / P.O. Box 1257 / Salt Lake City, Utah / 84111.
E-mail: shaun@desnews.com
