The year might be 2010 or 2014, but don't be too surprised then if a current Utah teenager — like 13-year-old Amanda Nabity of Sandy or 15-year-old Trent Matheson of Bountiful — ends up on the medals podium after an Olympic luge competition.
"That's my game plan," said Jon Owen, Western Regional Program coordinator for the U.S. Luge Association based out of Park City. "We have some good ones in the pipeline right now."
Nabity and Matheson are two prime examples of local kids who are shooting up the luge ranks almost as fast as they shoot down the luge track.
The junior sliders are both up-and-comers in the national program, which works sort of like the professional baseball farm system. Wannabe Olympians try to climb their way up from as low as a club level (Rookie League) to a development team (Single-A) to a candidate team (Single-A) to the junior national team (Triple-A) to the senior national team and Olympics (major leagues).
The comparison ends when you consider you'd need thousands of fingers and toes to count all the ballparks where kids can play baseball, whereas you need only your pinkie and little toe to count all of the luge tracks.
Utah has one at the Olympic Park, and Lake Placid has the other, which is why residents of the Beehive State have such a golden opportunity to represent their country in the luge competition.
Nabity and Matheson are among the group of about 40 Utahns (and one California girl) who are taking full advantage.
Like many youth lugers, Nabity became familiar with luging at a summer wheel clinic three years ago. At the time, she was all of 10 years old. Funny thing is, she didn't know it was a screening process. She just thought she was doing it for fun. But she was good enough to catch the attention of luge authorities like Owen, who invited her to a three-day on-ice clinic.
After her first real run on the track at the Olympic Park, her mother, Karen Nabity, asked her how the ride was. She answered: "It was fast. It was scary. I want to do it again."
Her mom's response: "Uh-oh."
"That's how it all got started," Karen Nabity said. "She loves it."
And she's not the only one.
"It's kind of become a family affair," the mom said. "My husband (David) decided she was having way too much fun, so he started luging, too."
Fast forward to 2005, and Nabity has become one of the top performers on the squad — especially impressive considering she just became a teenager. Nabity is quickly working her way up the luge ladder and is the youngest slider on the candidate team.
"Her ultimate goal is to go to the Olympics," Karen added.
The young teen showed she has promise. Nabity recently won the Youth A division in the Junior NORAMs between the U.S. and Canadian teams in Park City.
"She's got a lot of good skills," Owen said. "We don't want to waste the opportunity. The upper-level team matches her skill set."
The Eastmont Middle School student also enjoys playing soccer and dabbles with figure skating as well.
A sophomore at Woods Cross High, Matheson gained interest in luge racing after his family watched the sport in person during the 2002 Winter Games. Three years later, Owen calls his pupil's path to the fast track "a really good story."
Matheson got a chance to try out for the official luge training program during the summer on a sled with wheels as part of the association's annual recruiting program. He was then invited to be evaluated for potential while sliding on the ice at UOP. Matheson didn't receive a coveted invitation to continue at the time, like Nabity, but that didn't stop him. He simply pursued the sport outside of the governing body's official youth program by luging once a week with an adult club.
Matheson quickly became a luge addict, even to the point that he mowed lawns to buy his own costly equipment, including the lycra suit, the helmet and the nearly $2,000 sled.
Over the years, his skills, speed, coordination, body and stock with luge officials all grew. This past December, he was added to the Junior National Development Team. And he's shown he belongs ever since, his season being capped by a second-place finish in the Youth A singles competition at the North American Junior Championships two weeks ago in Park City.
"We started realizing this kid is starting to get pretty decent at this. . . . We're like, 'Oooh, he's starting to turn it on,' " Owen said. "That was really nice to see. He's learning a lot and coming on. It's the great story of perseverance and doing what you love regardless of what others think."
Now he's dreaming of winning a World Cup race.
"I think it's been great for him," said his dad, Kirk Matheson. "It's a huge boost for his ego. It's something that nobody else does at school, and very few kids get to do. . . . It's fun."
From October through March, the lugers usually slide six days a week for training and competitions. Kirk Matheson credits Owen for spending individual time positively training all the kids despite having other time-consuming responsibilities.
Owen just wants his kids to improve and achieve their dreams. And he especially likes hard-workers and go-getters like Matheson.
In his three years, Matheson has collected about 10 medals, but he's still waiting for his first gold. Not that winning is the only thing that matters in this sport.
"It's been one of the most positive experiences for Trent a kid could have," said his dad.
Owen has seen some promising and exciting results from other locals who have passed through his program.
Preston Griffall of Holladay is one of the rising stars in the sport. The 21-year-old Griffall, a top man on the senior national team, doubled up with Dan Joye of Carmel, N.Y., to finish in sixth place in this season's World Championships.
Another success is Garon Thorne, 18, of Orem. He and his doubles partner, Matt Mortensen, combined to win the overall World Cup title for juniors this year.
Salt Lake resident Addison Bailey, 14, took eighth place for the overall World Cup season. And he started the year off earning a bronze medal in Lillehammer, Norway, during his first-ever junior World Cup competition — a feat that still amazes Owen.
Page Duvall, Provo, is another highly touted up-and-comer, and Brin Sorenson, Amanda Herbert, Centerville, and Holly Leopardi finished 1-2-3 at the junior nationals in Lake Placid a few weeks ago.
E-mail: jody@desnews.com