The 2023 US Luge team poses for a photo during a meet and greet event on Dec. 22, 2023 at U.P State Credit Union in Escanaba

ESCANABA — A handful of athletes, including four from the Upper Peninsula, are ready to represent the United States Natural Luge team in World Cup competition in Europe.

The four U.P. lugers were on hand here for a meet and greet event at the U.P. State Credit Union here Friday.

Among the group, Marquette native Torrey Cookman, now a student at Western Michigan University, brings the most experience.

The team, which flew out of Sawyer International Airport Sunday, begins World Cup competition Saturday in Winterlieten, Austria.

Cookman, who’s in his ninth year of competition, is competing in Europe for the sixth time as a 19-year-old.

“Because I’ve been there before, I try to memorize each track,” he said. “I know what to expect. When I get to a race, I can give it my all. Even as an experienced luger I get the butterflies before each race. You’ve got to stay locked in mentally and not get overconfident.”

Weather conditions, as expected, are quite chilly in Europe in January and February, but not quite as cold as in the Upper Peninsula during the winter.

“Probably the coldest it gets is about 15 degrees, but it’s typically in the lower 20s,” Cookman said. “At those temperatures there’s enough grip in the ice and the track is still fast. It can be very dangerous when the temperature gets above 32 degrees. When the track gets wet, your gloves get wet and you can lose your grip very easily. As conditions change, your strategy changes.”

His sister, Katie Cookman, who’s 16, has been on the team for three years and will be competing in Europe for the third time.

“I’m excited,” she said. “I’m looking forward to seeing my old friends and making new ones. I’m also looking forward to getting better. Torrey and I were pretty close to begin with and this makes us even closer. It’s very special for us to be able to compete together. We got fifth in the World Championships in a team race. It’s so exciting and so much adrenaline. There’s no other feeling like it.”

Katie says she hopes to improve her time and technique.

“I feel I have grown as a person,” she added. “I’ve become more independent. I’ve learned to adapt to different social situations and just go with the flow. I appreciated everything Keith (coach Whitman) has done. He worked hard to get us over there and create this opportunity for us.”

Leonard Pizziola, a 19-year-old from Ishpeming, Thomas Karban (14) of Marquette and Mason Palecek (15) of Oshkosh, Wis. are new to World Cup competition.

“I’m really excited,” Pizziola said. “I’ve been watching a lot of film which teaches you what the courses are like. You get to see some of the other lugers so you’re not going in completely blind. I’m going to be a little nervous at first, but it will also be exciting. I’m looking forward to hearing the crowd. I want to achieve self-improvement and have fun. I like the speed of it. The more I keep putting things together, the more I enjoy it.”

At age 14, Karban is the team’s youngest member.

“Being the youngest, luge is a little bit different,” he said. “I’m looking forward to making new friends. Mentally, this is going to be a big change. By watching film I definitely get to learn about the track. There are bumps in the ice and it’s rough. It’s going to be harder than our home track (Lucy Hill in Negaunee). This will be a new experience. I’ll get to learn about new cultures and meet people from other countries. I’m just going to go with the flow.

Everything started on Lucy Hill for this group.

“I love that track so much,” Katie Cookman said. “It’s nice to come home after racing on different tracks.

Torrey Cookman had similar thoughts about the local track.

“It’s a phenomenal track,” he said. “It’s very technical at the top, but it’s also an east track to learn on. It’s the only natural track in North America which is a huge asset for us. On our track you can usually go until mid-March.”

Whitman says it’s an honor to coach this group.

“I’m proud of America sending the best,” he added. “They will represent America very well. They’re fine young men and women.”