White Castle, an Official Sponsor of USA Luge, Shows Support for Fellow "Sliders" During the Winter Games

COLUMBUS, Ohio, Feb. 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- White Castle will be cheering on the USA Luge team when they compete in the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing between February 5 and 10.

That's because White Castle, the home of the Original Slider^®, is an official sponsor of USA Luge and the title sponsor of the organization's off-season recruitment program, the White Castle USA Luge Slider Search. The nation's two foremost "slider experts" became partners in 2017.

White Castle is proud to support USA Luge all year round. But it's especially excited to support the athletes, fresh from an outstanding performance at the Luge World Cup, as they now compete in the Winter Games. The 101-year-old family owned business is showing that even smaller brands can support world-class athletes on both local and global scales.

"We're two slider experts coming together, and it's worked so well for the past five years. Our special relationship with USA Luge has allowed us to support these athletes and watch them progress to the highest level," said Jamie Richardson, vice president at White Castle. "We're really looking forward to supporting Team USA as they compete in the Winter Games. We're sliders cheering on sliders!"

White Castle designed special scarves for the members of the luge team to wish them well and keep them warm on their journey. From the opening ceremonies through the luge races, White Castle will be in Lake Placid, NY, headquarters for USA Luge, serving up Sliders each day to nourish the souls and stomachs of the team's families and friends gathered there to cheer on the athletes. White Castle will also be rooting for the team on all of its social media platforms.

White Castle's support extends far beyond just these quadrennial games, however. The White Castle USA Luge Slider Search is the official off-season recruitment program for USA Luge, the national governing body for the sport of luge. With support from both White Castle's consumer packaged goods and restaurant divisions, USA Luge takes its summer and fall recruitment tours to cities coast to coast. Children ages 9 through 13 can attend the free clinics, where U.S. Olympic and National Team coaches and athletes teach the basics of riding a luge sled. Participants get the opportunity to ride down paved tracks on wheel-equipped luge sleds. Those who show promise are considered for the USA Luge National Development Team.

Current USA Luge team members Jonny Gustafson, Emily Sweeney and Zack DiGregorio all started their luge careers at a Slider Search.

"The White Castle USA Luge Slider Search program has been instrumental in raising awareness of the sport, driving interest among young athletes and providing the talent pool for future competitors who will represent us all at the Winter Games," said Gordy Sheer, USA Luge director of marketing and sponsorships and the 1998 Olympic silver medalist in the sport.

Luge has been an Olympic sport since 1964. Commonly referred to as "sliders," luge athletes slide down a track of ice on sleds, feet first, at speeds reaching 90 miles an hour. The USA Luge team has won six Olympic medals and almost 600 medals in elite- and junior-level international competitions since 1994.

More information about the White Castle USA Luge Slider Search program can be found on teamusa.org/usa-luge/white-castle-slider-search. 

About White Castle^®

White Castle, America's first fast-food hamburger chain, has been making hot and tasty Sliders as a family-owned business for 101 years. Based in Columbus, Ohio, White Castle started serving The Original Slider^® in 1921. Today White Castle owns and operates more than 350 restaurants dedicated to satisfying customers' cravings morning, noon and night and sells its famous fare in retail stores nationwide. The Original Slider, named in 2014 as Time magazine's "Most Influential Burger of All Time," is served alongside a menu of creatively crafted Sliders and other mouthwatering food options, including White Castle's Impossible^™ Slider, named by Thrillist in 2019 as the "Best Plant-Based Fast Food Burger." White Castle's commitment to maintaining the highest quality products extends to the company owning and operating its own meat processing plants, bakeries and frozen-food processing plants. In 2021, 100 years after the first Slider was sold, Fast Company named the fast-food pioneer one of the "10 Most Innovative Dining Companies." White Castle is known for the legendary loyalty of its team members, more than 1 in 4 of whom have worked for White Castle for at least 10 years, and also for its faithful fans ("Cravers"), many of whom compete each year for entry into the Cravers Hall of Fame. The official White Castle app, available at iTunes App Store or Google Play, makes it easy for Cravers to access sweet deals and place pickup orders at any time. They can also have their orders delivered using one of White Castle's delivery partners. For more information on White Castle, visit whitecastle.com. 

SOURCE White Castle