USA Luge, College for Creative Studies and White Castle® Team Up to Design Luge Bootie of the Future

CCS' "Soleology: Footwear Design" Class Takes on Bootie Design as a Class Project

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Oct 02, 2019, 16:43 ET

DETROIT, Oct. 2, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Members of the global luge community, including the USA Luge Team, may soon be wearing the racing shoe of the future if a team of Detroit-area students can come up with the right high-performance design.

USA Luge asked the College for Creative Studies (CCS) in Detroit if students in its Soleology Footwear Design course could take on the bootie concepting and redesign as a project in the semester-long course. CCS jumped at the chance to give its students real-world experience.

Gordy Sheer, Olympic silver medalist in luge and director of marketing and sponsorships for USA Luge, meets with students of the College for Creative Studies (CCS) in Detroit to introduce the bootie concepting and redesign project.

"Design students learn a lot in the classroom, but the real-world experience they get by working on real projects for real organizations is what makes the education at CCS so exceptional," said Kate Lees, associate director of communications at CCS. "We really appreciate USA Luge giving our students this wonderful opportunity."

The design project kicked off last night with a special event at the White Castle^®located across the street from CCS. The 14 students in the design class met with Gordy Sheer, an Olympic silver medalist in luge and now director of marketing and sponsorships for USA Luge. The students also watched point-of-view videos of luge athletes racing down icy tracks, lay on a luge sled, and tried on helmets, booties and other luge gear. The activities were meant to immerse the students in the sport of luge so they understand what luge athletes need in a luge boot.

"We would like to see a few modifications to the current shoes, including improved adhesives and function and better construction methodology," Sheer said. "We're happy to give the students this opportunity, and we look forward to seeing what they come up with."

Any significant findings and developments will be presented to the International Luge Federation for consideration in future luge shoe design.

White Castle^®has been a partner with USA Luge since 2017, sponsoring the annual "White Castle USA Luge Slider Search," an off-season athlete recruitment program critical to the growth of the sport. The search program was responsible for discovering 65% of all current junior athletes in the USA Luge system and three of six athletes competing in the 2019 Luge World Championships. White Castle wanted to support the shoe design initiative, as well.

"We're both slider experts, so our partnership makes sense," said Jamie Richardson, a vice president at White Castle. "But more important, we're both committed to supporting the growth of our young people. Given our White Castle vision to 'feed the souls of craver generations everywhere,' this is an especially good fit. All puns intended!"

About The College for Creative Studies
Located in the heart of Detroit, the College for Creative Studies (CCS) is a world-class institution that educates artists and designers to be leaders in the creative professions. A private, fully accredited college, CCS enrolls more than 1,400 students pursuing Bachelor of Fine Arts and Master of Fine Arts degrees.

About USA Luge
USA Luge is an Olympic class member organization of the United States Olympic Committee and is the National Governing Body (NGB) for the sport of luge in the United States. A not-for-profit organization, USA Luge – the official American representative to the International Luge Federation – is based in Lake Placid, New York, with a western office in Park City, Utah. Chartered in 1979 as a direct result of the Congressional Amateur Sports Act of 1978, USA Luge is responsible to recruit, prepare, train and equip the United States National Luge Team for international and Olympic competition, as well as promote the growth of the sport nationwide. For more information on USA Luge, visit teamusa.org/USA-Luge.

About White Castle^®White Castle, America's first fast-food hamburger chain, based in Columbus, Ohio, has been making Bold Moves™ as a family-owned business for more than 98 years. Cravers on the go can access sweet deals by using the official White Castle app (iTunes App Store or Google Play) to place a pick-up order any time. They can also satisfy their cravings by picking up Sliders at grocery stores nationwide. www.whitecastle.com

SOURCE White Castle