Crazy old ladies

This is a story you will probably hear several times during the upcoming 2006 Olympic Games, but some of you can say you saw it here first. In 2002, fellow blogger Anne Abernathy was named by the Guiness World Book of Records as the oldest woman to ever compete in the Winter Olympics. Now over 50, she's doing it again. (http://www.grandmaluge.com/blog/raceseason.html)

None of the winter sports are for wimps, but "Grandma Luge" competes in that strange sport called The Luge, also known as The Fastest Sport on Ice. The luge is a small sled with no head or leg supports, no mechanical steering, and no brakes. Athletes use only brute strength to steer and brake as they hurtle feet first down a narrow track at over 85 miles an hour.

Go, Granny, go!

Anne was affectionately nicknamed "Grandma Luge" in 1993 by fellow athletes and fans who realized it isn’t easy to compete successfully in a sport generally dominated by 20 year olds when you’re twice their age. Today at age 51, she is preparing for her sixth Olympics. She explains why she's going to participate in the games instead of watching from a rocking chair, "When I was in my 40's, people thought I was too old to compete. Now I'm over 50 and I'm old enough to do whatever I want."

Crazy old ladies. Doing whatever they want.