U.S. natural luge Junior Team member Katie Cookman of Marquette competes in a Federation of International Luge World Cup race at Latzfons, Italy, last week that was held Jan. 6-7, 2021. She placed 18th in the women's division. (Photo courtesy @photolove Miriam Jennewein)

NEGAUNEE — With the weather hopefully cooperating, the U.S. Natural Track Luge team will be leaving the United States for Europe on Christmas Day.

With four of its five athletes representing Marquette and Negaunee and its coach hailing from Escanaba, the half-dozen-strong group is set to fly out of Green Bay, Wisconsin, and arrive in Vienna, Austria.

The athletes include Zane Farnsworth, 21, of Marquette; Torrey Cookman, 18, of Marquette; Katie Cookman, 15, of Marquette; and Jillian Best, 14, of Negaunee.

The fifth athlete is Jacob Sterk, 16, of St. Michael, Minnesota, and the group is coached by Keith Whitman of Escanaba.

After arriving in Vienna, the group is scheduled to travel to another Austrian city, Judenberg-Winterleiten, according to USA Natural Track Luge Team spokesperson Laura Farnsworth of Marquette.

The Junior team of Torrey and Katie Cookman, along with Sterk, is scheduled to compete at the first Junior World Cup competition of the season in Winterleiten on Friday and next Saturday.

From there, the trio travels to Passeier, Italy, near the Austrian border, for the second race.

Farnsworth, a Senior level competitor, will also be at Winterleiten to start before going to Mariezell-St. Sebastian, Austria.

Best has been invited to spend a week-long International Luge Federation-sponsored school in Jaufental, Italy.

The racers will also compete at meets in the Austrian city of Umhausen and the Italian cities of Jaufental, Seiser Alm and Deutschnofen.

Then in early February, these racers will go to Vatra Dornei, Romania, for competition that includes the 24th FIL Luge World Championships, and make one final stop in Umhausen, Austria, before returning to the U.S.

The U.S. Natural Track Team was introduced to the sports and trains at Lucy Hill in Negaunee, which is operated by the Upper Peninsula Luge Club.

The International Luge Federation — abbreviated FIL as the Federation International De Luge in French — is officially recognized by the International Olympic Committee as the world federation in luge and is also recognized as the highest authority in the sport.

Fifty-two federations are members of the FIL.

For more information on the U.P. Luge Club, visit online at upluge.org, for more about the World Cup races, visit fil-luge.org.

Information compiled by Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee. His email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.