Blink and you just might miss Whistler's Madeline Blaser.
The eight-year-old hit speeds of more than 70 kilometers per hour on her first trip down Whistler's new Olympic sliding track.
"It was great, I think I hit 73 kilometres per hour," she said.
Madeline is one of about a dozen children, who signed up for a recent weekend Luge camp.
"It's pretty fast - like once you get into that corner back there it's really fast,'' said nine-year-old Adam Shippit.
They're learning how to slide on what many experienced athletes consider the fastest track of its kind in the world.
"One of the first things you notice is the speed," said Canadian Luge athlete Meaghan Simister.
It's something that didn't sit well with some parents at first.
"When I hear 80 kilometres an hour, yes,'' said mother Lisa Shippit, when asked if the speed of the track makes her nervous.
That's 80 kilometres per hour, with a start position more than three quarters of the way down, in between turn 12 and 13. The higher the start, the faster they go.
So far no so-called civilians have had a turn on this track. But sign up for Luge camp, pay the $30 fee, and the B.C. Luge association will get you sliding, that is if you are between the ages of eight and 14.
It takes thousands and thousands of runs to get the feeling down to be competitive internally, experts say.
The younger the athlete, the more runs they stand to get in before one day getting to the world stage.
"I do actually dream one day to actually maybe be able to do this in the Olympics,'' said Madeline Blaser.
With a report by CTV British Columbia's Madeline Blaser.
