I am 17 years old, and I began my luge career at the age of 10, after attending a slider search in my parents' home town of Utica, NY in September of 2019.

This past season brought new experiences, with travel to Latvia and Germany, to gain experience and train on new tracks. It was also a breakout season for me, with winning the Norton Youth A National Championship title, followed by a bronze medal finish a week later in the Norton Jr. National Championships. These results, in addition to my overall successful season, helped contribute to my being promoted to the Jr. National C Team for the upcoming season, my 7th year on Team USA. This means I will be in Lake Placid for the entire summer, training for the upcoming season, and I will be spending more time traveling during the season, competing in Jr. World Cup races and training on tracks I’ve never trained on, in places I’ve never been to, for which I am very excited!

This upcoming school year, I will be a high school senior and will be graduating early so I can focus more on luge, with my ultimate goal of becoming an Olympian! There are a lot of expenses associated with luge, especially now that I will be traveling to more far off places, including those for my equipment and travel which are all self-funded. As an athlete on the Jr. National Team, and with more international travel, this season's expenses will be more costly than any season thus far. I am raising money to help with the expenses involved with luge, so I can focus more on my training, and ease the financial burden on my family. The path to becoming an Olympian involves several years of training and traveling, and I am excited to have this opportunity. I appreciate your help in making this possible for me. Thank you so much for your support!

Kendall Achen

USA Luge Junior National Team athlete