SAN DIEGO (NEWS 8) – There is a building next to the San Diego airport that for the past decades has created Olympic magic.
The San Diego Wind Tunnel building, itself unassuming, is where for decades Olympic greatness has been made.
The building is where athletes from Team USA Luge come to optimize their aerodynamics for competition. While the tunnel looks calm from the outside, inside Olympians like Tucker West are blasted by hurricane force winds ranging from 60 to 80 MPH.
“You are going really fast – upwards of 90 MPH, trying to stay relaxed and driving the sled on this imaginary perfect line using you shoulders and feet to steer the sled trying to be as aerodynamic as possible,” Gordy Sheer is an American Luger and Olympic silver medalist turned marketing director for USA Luge.
In a sport where winning can come down to a thousand of a second, Tucker’s team analyzes the data provided by the tunnel that indicate body position and sled set up to ensure he is going fast as possible while decreasing drag.
“It’s pretty quiet unless you are inside the tunnel,” said Sheer.
Tucker’s team is now hoping for another Olympic medal – adding to the wind tunnel’s decorated history.