5'10"
31
Glen Rock, PA
Summer Britcher's path to luge began by accident during a family ski trip to Liberty Mountain Resort in Adams County, Pennsylvania. Britcher was 11 years old when she and her family encountered a promotional event called the Luge Challenge. USA Luge had set up a track on the slopes with plastic sleds and official timing systems. Summer, competitive from an early age, tried desperately to beat her older brothers.
USA Luge scout Gordy Sheer noticed her talent and suggested she attend a tryout in Lake Placid, New York. Britcher eventually moved to Lake Placid to train full-time while attending Susquehannock High School in Glen Rock, Pennsylvania, where she played soccer and tennis. Britcher graduated in 2012—the same year that she had her first major international success. Part of a team relay event alongside Tucker West, Ty Andersen and Pat Edmunds, Britcher took home the gold at the Youth Olympic Winter Games Innsbruck 2012. At the same event, she placed fifth in the girls’ individual event.
In 2013, Britcher won the U.S. junior national championship, and in 2014, she joined the U.S. Olympic team at the Olympic Winter Games Sochi 2014. At just 19, Britcher was the youngest member of this event’s team.
Britcher quickly became a dominant force on the world cup circuit, earning five individual FIL World Cup victories—a record that makes her the all-time singles leader in USA Luge history.
Beyond her athletic achievements, Britcher has become a leader in the luge community. She serves as an Athlete Representative to the International Luge Federation (FIL) and has worked with the FIL Strategic Planning Committee. She also sits on the United States Luge Association's Board of Directors and has worked in broadcasting as an expert commentator. Athlete advocacy, gender equality, and fair play are her guiding principles.
As the excitement of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games winds down, it’s time for Team USA’s winter sports athletes to begin their trek towards qualifying for the Milano-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games.Although winter athletes typically spen...
American men (and one mixed team) stood apart in 2023 with record-setting performances, world titles and other firsts.
At the Olympic Winter Games Milan Cortina 2026, the sliding sports — bobsled, skeleton, and luge — will be held at the new Cortina Sliding Centre in Cortina d’Ampezzo. The facility opened to sliding this fall. It’s located in Cortina d’Ampezzo, 257 mil...
When Emily Fischnaller (née Sweeney) first tried luge, some of her young teammates were not even born yet. But the 32-year-old is not ready to retire. Far from it. After winning USA Luge’s start championships in September, she is on her way to qualifyi...
In 2022, at the first world championship for women’s doubles luge, Team USA’s Chevonne Forgan and Sophia Kirkby won a bronze medal. They had been sliding together for less than two years.They won another bronze medal at the 2024 FIL World Championships...
USA Luge's Emily Sweeney could call multiple states in the Northeast her home. While she spent significant time in Maine and Connecticut, she often attributes her hometown to Lake Placid, New York. It is a small mountain town known primarily for two th...
The four-time Olympian announced his retirement ahead of this weekend’s world cup in Lake Placid, New York.
