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Rings & Things

ANYONE KNOW A GOOD SPY?: Apparently, the secret to luge racing is protecting your secrets.

Doubles slider Brian Martin, who won bronze in the 1998 Olympics with teammate Mark Grimmette, is fearful other teams have done something to tweak their sleds in the past two years to make them faster.

"We all kind of pretend to have secrets," Martin said on a conference call. "I think there's some secrets out there and we've been trying everything to figure out what makes other people go faster. It's kind of frustrating when you see people go faster than you on a run that appears to be worse.

"Your only thought is that it's the sled and you're not really sure what they're doing."

ELVIS WILL NOT LEAVE THE BUILDING: He was a long shot for an Olympic medal as a 20-year-old upstart in Albertville in 1992. Now, after winning silver in Lillehammer and Nagano in '94 and '98, Elvis Stojko is back to playing the role of underdog.

At 30 years old, the Canadian is ancient by figure-skating standards. Still, Stojko said he has hung around the past couple of years to take one final shot at winning Olympic gold.

"I feel like an iron man, like Cal Ripken," Stojko told the National Post in Canada. "And it feels good."

NASCAR FANS WOULDN'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THIS: Jeremy Bloom is aware of the inherent danger in freestyle skiing, and he accepts it. He also accepts it is part of the sport's popularity.

"That's one of the great things about this sport, the spectators love the big falls," Bloom said on a conference call. "We don't like it when we're the one taking the big fall, but it is part of the excitement."

While fans can head to the local park and throw a football or play softball, they must live vicariously when it comes to the outlandish twists and turns in freestyle skiing.

"I think it's very exciting for spectators to watch," Bloom said. "Everyone looks a little different and we're all doing things the people watching can't do. ... With the music and the fans, it's just a fun time."

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