Pledge Sports

Luging For Success At The World Cup

Mark and Danny

  • 22.00% funded
  • £ 440.00 pledged
  • Days Left

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Thank you for taking the time to read our page. We are thrilled that there are people out there who may wish to support us and help us achieve our goals.

The sport of Luge consists of lying on a sled (best described as a tea tray) face up and feet-first, sliding downhill on a prepared ice track. Lugers can reach speeds of 140 km per hour (87 mph) and experience forces reaching 5G. The sport is a pure adrenaline rush, which becomes more addictive with each run, but requires high concentration, physical and mental fitness and determination.

Following a recent Annual General Meeting, both Mark Mcquitty and Danny Burke were selected to compete for Team GB at the 2018 Luge World Cup.

This is an opportunity that we would like to embrace fully and with your help, this can become a reality.

Our target is to raise £1000 each. Any money contributed will go towards travel within the U.K. and Europe, race fees, insurance fees and living expenses. This will allow us to spend more time training and preparing for the upcoming FIL Training Weeks and the 2018 Luge World Cup.

 

About Me – Mark McQuitty:

I am 30 years old and have been serving in the Royal Air Force since 2007 as a aircraft mechanical engineer. Throughout this time I have been all over the world, from the Falklands to America and the Middle East.

I have always tried hard in any sport that I do to better myself; competing in numerous 24-hour mountain bike races as a soloist; working on key fitness areas day in day out to improve.

I started luge back in 2012 . Despite having never done it before,  I won the novice RAF championships the first year I competed and was asked to represent the RAF against the Army and the Navy that year. I, of course,  jumped at the chance. Unfortunately,  due to injury at that race,  I wasn’t able to compete at full speed but never gave up.

After having to take a year out I came back more determined than ever.  Having been forced to have that year out put me on the back foot,  as I had missed ice time,  but I fought back to come 3rd in the RAF and 10th in the British Championships. Every year since I have been working and pushing harder,  helping the RAF team to become interservice champions and obtaining a 4th and, most recently, a 3rd place in the British Championships.

As a result of this,  I was offered the chance last year to train with Team GB and attend race weeks to try and qualify for the World Championships. After a week of training and qualifying runs at Winterberg,  I qualified for the Nations Cup on my last run. This was an unforgettable moment. Not only had I got to wear a GB suit I was now officially going to represent in a race. The race went well and I finished with a personal best time,  finishing 49th.

About Me – Danny Burke

I am 30 years old and have been serving in the Royal Air Force (RAF) since 2003 as a Mechanical Engineer. Throughout this time, I have been all over the world, working in locations such as Afghanistan, Falkland Islands, Germany, Cyprus, and of course the U.K.

I have always been a competitive individual, striving for success in everything I do. Playing golf for many years now, I have obtained an official Handicap of 8.7. This is just one of a number of sports I enjoy. Other sports I have competed in are; football, triathlon, running, skydiving, paragliding and cycling.

It was only 4 years ago when I was introduced to the sport of luge. Having attended trials and selection events, I was lucky enough to be selected to attend the 2013 Novice Championships in Igls, Austria. This was an opportunity I welcomed wholeheartedly. Since then, I have worked hard and have been very determined, year after year to improve and take the sport to the next level.

In 2015, during my first British Luge Championships, I managed to finish a very respectable 4th place. Using this to fuel my ambition even further, I secured consecutive 2nd Place finishes at the 2016 and 2017 Interservice Championships, and a 5th place at the 2016/17 British Championships which has seen me attract attention from the GB Luge Association.

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+Achievements

Nations cup Winterberg

Mark's first race last season was at Winterberg north Germany. After a week of training Mark qualified on his very last run for the Nations Cup race. On race day Mark finished 49th, a very respectable result as this was his first time competing against full time athletes.

British championships 2016/2017

This year's British Championships were held at lillehammer, a very tough and fast track. Both Mark and Danny did themselves and the RAF proud, as they were competing along side full time athletes and an Olympian. Mark finished in 3rd place and Danny finished in 5th.