Dana Kellogg was off from work on Monday when USA Luge made the announcement that he’s been waiting for.
The organization released the names of the 12 sliders who would make up the national team for the upcoming World Cup season. The Chesterfield native and Smith Vocational graduate was among those names.
“It’s very exciting. This is one of the stepping stones to making the Olympic team,” Kellogg, 20, said. “It was exciting to finally have that spot and see your name down on the team list, like ‘Hey, I made it.’”
Kellogg and his doubles partner, Duncan Segger, are among four newcomers on the team.
The duo finished the 2019-20 Junior Luge World Cup season in sixth place. They did not race in the final event yet still finished with 209 points.
Kellogg and Segger opened the junior season with a gold medal at Königssee, Germany. They made their World Cup debut in Sigulda, Latvia, and placed 20th. They proceeded to place 16th (in Oberhof, Germany) and 11th (in Königssee) in World Cup races.
“I feel like the win that we had for the junior event in Königssee, Germany, really helped,” Kellogg said. “We started our season last year winning our first junior race and I think that was definitely a big factor.”
Kellogg lives at the Olympic Training Center in Lake Placid, New York. The COVID-19 pandemic has closed the center’s facilities so he is left to work out on his own.
“I can’t do any training in the traditional sense, like team training or weight lifting,” Kellogg said. “It’s all body weight exercises with the resources I have here, going for runs, that sort of stuff.”
The 2020-21 World Cup schedule is currently set to start in late September in Norway.
“I have not heard anything on the upcoming season,” Kellogg said. “I’m sure once any definitive answer is made on whether to continue the season, to postpone it, to cancel it; I’m sure once that decision is made we’ll know. As of right now everything is still scheduled to continue as planned with the 2020-2021 season.”
Kellogg hopes the season starts on time.
“I really want the season to happen,” he said. “I want there to be season but if COVID-19 continues the way it is, it’s not looking too hopeful, although it is possible.”
Kellogg is doing his part with the pandemic. He joined the National Guard in March 2019 and left for basic training in Fort Benning, Georgia, on April 10.
Kellogg was activated by the New York National Guard on March 17, shortly after winning the USA Luge Junior National Championship in Lake Placid with Segger.
He’s has been stationed in Fishkill, New York, and has worked as a transporter, delivering supplies to New York City.
“We have all the adequate protective gear at all times whenever we’re going out on a convoy or mission,” Pfc. Kellogg said. “We always have enough PPE — the personal protective equipment. We’re pretty safe whenever we do mission. It’s set up so we drive the trucks to a warehouse, people load the trucks up, we leave and go to the next destination then other people unload it. We don’t actually have to come in direct contact with anyone.”
Kellogg said it’s been interesting driving through New York with little traffic.
“There are still people on the roads. All the essential workers still need to get to where they are going,” Kellogg said. “The streets aren’t completely empty but it definitely is a much faster commute through the city than any time I’ve every been there.”
Kellogg joined the National Guard to take advantage of the Army’s World Class Athlete Program, which allows top-ranked soldier-athletes to perform at the international level while also serving the nation. When Kellogg competes on the World Cup circuit, he represents the United States as well as the U.S. Army. Ultimately, he hopes to represent both at the 2020 Winter Olympics in Beijing.
“It’s nice to get paid for something you enjoy doing,” Kellogg said. “Luge does pay, but there’s not enough sponsors. It’s not like football where you have money coming from every side. It’s a much smaller sport, there is not as much awareness of the sport so less sponsors and less money coming in.”
Mike Moran can be reached at mmoran@gazettenet.com. Follow on Twitter @mikemoranDHG.