Grandma Luge, 53, Calls It Quits

By Mike Hume

Grandma is ready for retirement.

Anne Abernathy, better known to Olympic enthusiasts as Grandma Luge, the oldest female Olympian ever, has decided to make the 2006 Winter Games her last and end her career in the sport. The first female athlete to represent the Caribbean in the Winter Olympics while racing for the U.S. Virgin Islands, Abernathy won over many fans during the course of her courageous 18-year career that included a bout with cancer, rehabilitation from brain damage and recoveries from dozens of fractures and surgeries.

“I just have no desire to get back on the sled,” Abernathy, who resides in Falls Church, told the News-Press last week. “After 23 years, the passion is gone.”

At age 52, Abernathy broke her own record as the oldest female Olympian when she competed at the Torino Games in 2006. In the process, she also became the first woman over 50 to compete in the Olympics and was the first six-time female Olympian.

Those marks did not come without some measure of controversy. Prior to the luge competition at Torino, Abernathy broke her wrist during a training run and was ruled out of the competition by race director Marie-Luise Rainer. Abernathy had to petition the Court of Arbitration for Sport to be listed in the competition as a “Did Not Start,” an appeal she won. News of her crash in training and ensuing appeal was circulated among the leading headlines of dozens of major news outlets.

Following the 2006 Olympics, Abernathy had discussed the possibility of competing in this year’s World Cup, but has since changed her mind.

“Luge has been an all-consuming task, especially the last four years when I had to work and train longer and harder to be able to compete against kids a third of my age,” Abernathy said. The youngest luge competitor at Torino was 16.

“I’m ready for something different. It’s time to use my experience and knowledge to mentor and coach future Olympians.”

Retirement from the sport has brought new challenges as well, such as repaying loans she used to finance her training and competition costs. Currently she is writing and touring as a motivational and inspirational speaker, however she hopes to work in some capacity with the 2010 Winter Olympics to be held in Vancouver.

She has also applied to appear on CBS flagship reality show “Survivor,” which is set to be filmed in the Cook Islands in the South Pacific.

Another possibility Abernathy is exploring is bringing the sport of curling to the U.S. Virgin Islands. She is currently in talks to build a curling rink there, though finding a location to facilitate both the dimensions and temperature requirements has proven problematic.

Abernathy will be profiled on the PBS show “Boomer Generation,” which will air this fall. She will also appear in Fifty Over Fifty, a biographical compilation of 50 women who have accomplished major goals over the age of 50.

Abernathy first competed at the Calgary Olympics of 1988 at the age of 34. It was then that she earned her handle as Grandma Luge, a nickname given to her by the German luge team.

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