Dow extends partnership with USA Luge team

MIDLAND, Mich.—In its latest extended partnership, Dow Inc. is reinforcing its commitment to science and speed.

Leading up to the Luge World Cup, which took place in Park City, Utah, in December, the Midland-based materials firm extended its collaboration as the official technical partner of the USA Luge team through 2026.

Dow and USA Luge have collaborated since 2007, innovating together to improve the team's Olympic-winning sleds through Dow's materials science expertise and engineering, the firm said in a Dec. 14, 2022, news release.

"The Dow partnership has brought a new level of analysis and understanding of how science and technology improve the environment that we operate in," said Gordy Sheer, director of marketing and sponsorship of USA Luge and Olympic silver medalist. "Their direct, hands-on collaboration with our team has elevated our sliders' ability to perform stronger in races from the outset, and we are looking forward to continuing our teamwork with them."

Through this partnership, engineers and scientists at Dow and USA Luge innovate in the lab and on the track to make a sled more capable of withstanding the high demands of the sport. This means a sled that is more precise, reliable and faster.

"Low temperatures, high speeds and aggressive G-forces make material selection and sled design essential for both performance and athlete safety," Dow said.

Bob Plishka, global director of sports partnerships at Dow, said the luge team came forward with the need for speed and a unique opportunity for the materials company—applying its expertise to "help them win."

"The innovations our teams have developed together have led to breakthrough performance for USA Luge and demonstrate what technical partnerships like this can achieve," Plishka said.

Since partnering with Dow, the team has earned more than 100 World Cup and World Championship medals.

And at the 2014 Olympic Games, Erin Hamlin won the first-ever USA luge singles medal (bronze), followed by Chris Mazdzer's first U.S. men's singles medal at PyeongChang 2018 (silver).

Now, the two organizations "have a number of projects ongoing" to add to this medal count.

"Our team has been putting in the hours to be the best we can be, striving for the fastest times possible, and our partnership with Dow has helped us to step into the next level of performance," said Emily Sweeney, USA Luge athlete. "Every thousandth of a second counts when you're on the track, and Dow's scientists have taken that notion, combined with our team's insights, to create innovative solutions that optimize our speed."