This will be his fourth season on the team. Coates was named to the Junior Development Team in 2020 and promoted to the Junior Candidate Team in the 2022-23 season.

“It was awesome to have the opportunity to train and compete internationally this year,” said Coates. “You really learn a lot about yourself. It’s easy to get caught up, mentally, when competing against others on a world stage. There’s a lot of pressure. I try to focus on myself and my own performance, on putting out my best effort. I had some great finishes this year and I’m proud of my first international race season.”

This past winter marked Coates’s first season of international competition. He trained and competed in three race circuits (European, Asian, and North American Continental Cups) across five countries (Latvia, Austria, Canada, USA, and South Korea). To wrap up the season, Coates competed in the Norton USA Luge Junior and Youth National Championships in Lake Placid in March 2023. He earned a silver medal and placed third overall in the two-race Youth A division, and placed 7th overall in the Junior division where he raced against 18 to 21 year old athletes.

Stakes are high for 15-year-old Coates for the upcoming season: only one or two men’s singles athletes from the U.S. team will compete at the Youth Olympic Games in January 2024. To qualify, sliders must take part in at least three international races, including at least one Youth A World Cup race in Germany in December 2023. Criteria for Team USA selection from the pool of qualified athletes have yet to be announced, but Coates hopes to be competitive.

“I know Seth has his short-term sights set on the Youth Olympic Games in PyeongChang, South Korea and it will just be a matter of putting everything together on race days that will get him there and performing his best,” said Coach Jayson Terdiman, two-time Olympian. “Seth has yet to realize his full potential, and I think when he does he will not only surprise the rest of the world, but he will also surprise himself!”

Coates juggles his competitive luge schedule with his school life as a freshman at Potsdam High School. PHS administration and teachers have been supportive and accommodating of his extensive sport-related absences. Coates works hard to keep up with classwork while he is away, catching up on missed tests and assignments upon return to Potsdam. Last fall, in addition to his daily luge training, Coates competed on the PHS Junior Varsity Soccer team. This spring he is competing in Varsity Track and Field. Motivation and drive are reflected in all of Coates’s pursuits.

Asked about Coates’s personal strengths, Coach Terdiman noted, “Seth is a smart and very dedicated individual which usually makes a great athlete. His love for the sport of luge shows in his work ethic and his desire to be better each day.”

For more information on USA Luge, visit www.usaluge.org. To try luge with the Adirondack Luge Club in Lake Placid, visit adk-luge.com.

Team Coates continues to seek support for luge training and competition. For information about sponsorship and fundraising opportunities to support Seth, contact sethcoates.luge@gmail.com .