The sleds were found by Mike Miller of Moore Township as he was traveling home from work at Airport Road and Route 248 in East Allen Township.
Mike Miller is a real-life American picker.
The Moore Township man said that often to his wife Sarah’s disliking he fills his barn with whozits, whatzits and thingamabobs.
So it was no surprise to his family on Feb. 15 when, traveling home from his job as an iron worker, Miller stopped at Airport Road and Route 248 in East Allen Township and picked up five trim, little sleds lying in front of a home.
Miller had no idea the sleds belonged to the national luge team and had been accidentally dropped from the back of a poorly secured truck used by the Lake Placid, N.Y.-based U.S. Luge Association. Following media chatter, Miller learned the truth and reported his finding to Pennsylvania State Police.
“It means a lot to my family to give them back,” Miller said during a news conference held this afternoon to mark the sleds' return to the team. Blue Mountain Ski Area & Resort in Lower Towamensing Township, Carbon County, used by the luge team, hosted the event.
He was joined by his family, U.S.A. Luge members, Blue Mountain representatives and state police Cpl. Peter Kandianis.
Police just prior to today’s conference returned the sleds to the team. Miller and his family, including children Lilly, 9, Emma, 6 and Michael Jr., 4, were rewarded for the good deed with national team gear.
Miller said he initially thought the training sleds, valued between $400 to $600 each and manufactured in Austria, were children’s sleds. The sleds had no indication to whom they belonged, Miller thought. Later, however, he found "U.S.A." scribbled on one of them in marker.
The sleds were not damaged during the incident, said Heidi Lutz, spokeswoman for Blue Mountain.
Gordy Sheer, director of marketing and sponsorship for the luge association, as well as a 1998 silver medalist in Nagano, Japan, said he is glad to put the ordeal behind him.
Sheer admitted previously to failing to secure the rental truck carrying the sleds. He said the incident is a first that he is aware of and he won’t ever make the mistake again. If Miller didn’t return the sleds, Sheer said, the team would have had to purchase more and hope insurance covered it.
“We joke now our marketing strategy is to throw sleds out the back of a U-Haul,” Sheer said with a laugh. “It’s the luge story of the year.”
Blue Mountain Ski Area about five years ago became the official training and recruitment site of the U.S.A. Luge team. Official team coaches often scout prospective members along the 2,000-foot-long course, complete with twists, turns and more than 400,000 cubic feet of snow.
The training luges had been used during a clinic that past weekend and Sheer was packing it up in the truck to return to a Lehigh Valley hotel, he said. By the time he realized the sleds were missing, it was too late to retrieve them.
Sheer said the team recently recruited Theresa Buckley, 16, of Allentown, who was present at today’s event, during one of Blue Mountain’s clinics. He said Buckley’s both parents also are athletes and that her ability stood out from the crowd.“We’re always keeping an eye open for talented young kids,” Sheer said, “young, inspiring future Theresa Buckleys.”
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TRYING LUGE
The East Coast U.S.A. Luge track at Blue Mountain Ski Area & Resort is open to the public 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. It is free with a tubing ticket or $10 for three runs with a ski/board lift ticket. Sleds and helmets are provided.
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