Summer Britcher, the most successful US luge athlete in history, has expressed delight at being parodied in a recent Saturday Night Live skit. The 31-year-old from Glen Rock, Pennsylvania, who is preparing for her fourth Olympics, went viral within the sliding community after SNL's Jane Wickline portrayed a luge athlete named Gertie Burper.
The skit featured a faux Olympics promo with three athletes, including a snowboarder and a figure skater portrayed in typical fashion. Then came Burper, a tall, lean woman racing on a yellow sled—a colour uncommon in luge. Britcher, who is tall, lean, and races on a yellow sled, immediately recognised the parody when her boyfriend sent it to her. “I thought it was so funny,” Britcher said. “I had no idea it was coming. As I was watching it, more and more of the details stood out.”
Much of the Burper character centred on having the perfect height-weight distribution for speed. Britcher found that flattering: “I’m flattered to have a body that has the perfect shape,” she said with a laugh. However, she clarified that she does not believe a corpse of her shape could win a race, nor has she ever faked illness or needed to be pushed down the start ramp. She also does not take pills to silence her survival instinct before races.
Despite the exaggerations, Britcher acknowledged some truth in the humour. She admitted there have been times when she has hated “the thing I'm good at,” a common sentiment among sliders. She hopes the skit draws more attention to luge: “I think it’s so fun that they’re getting a little more creative with the jokes and coverage of luge. I hope it got more people interested in the sport and maybe they’ll tune in and watch.”
