Two weeks ago, I camped out in front of my television and watched another edition of The X-Games. Every year I watch it, in similar fashion that I might watch a Nascar race, wondering when “the big one” is going to happen.

Don’t act like you don’t do the same thing.

Those of us who watch X-Games or Nascar, are the same type of people who always enjoyed the opening of Wide World of Sports with that poor ski jumper crashing on a weekly basis, or will watch 1,000 Ways To Die on Spike TV.

Still, watching 21-year-old Olympian Nodar Kumaritashvili lose his life in a luge accident on Friday was truly one of the most sickening things I have ever watched on television. I didn’t enjoy it.

Next to the bobsled, the luge is probably one of the more dangerous sports in the winter games. I remember, growing up, how we would wax the bottom of a piece of cardboard and ride down the hill beside our house. To me, that was frightening.

In the luge, the riders lay on a sled, on their back, steering with their feet, and fly down the ice-covered track at speeds in excess of 90 mph.

While you almost expect something tragic to happen during the X-Games, for the most part you expect flawless performances during the Olympics.

On his practice run, however, Kumaritashvili came screaming around the last curve of the run, hit the wall, flew up in the air and over the barrier on the opposite side of the track, and into an unpadded metal support beam.

As I watched the replay of the accident, my first thought was “how did someone not see the possibility of this happening?” There were these huge steel beams lined up along side the track. Unpadded beams at that, but at the speeds the luge riders go, I’m not sure any amount of padding would have helped in this incident.

Here was the statement from Olympic officials following the accident:

It appears after a routine run, the athlete came late out of curve 15 and did not compensate properly to make correct entrance into curve 16. This resulted in a late entrance into curve 16 and although the athlete worked to correct the problem he eventually lost control of the sled resulting in the tragic accident. The technical officials of the FIL were able to retrace the path of the athlete and concluded there was no indication that the accident was caused by deficiencies in the track.

There is no doubt that anyone who jumps on on a luge is, for the most part, taking their life into their own hands, but apparently there are those who believe that Olympic organizers and the sport’s governing body was aware that this track was just too fast.

Talks had been taking place regarding ways to lower the speeds below 85 mph.

In addition to the speed of the track, Canadian organizers were limiting the amount of practice time for visiting athletes.

Kumaritashvili’s father said that he thought his son was afraid of this particular track.

How sad that, during the one time of the year when the world seems to be somewhat united, such a tragic accident would happen.  

Whether it was rider error, or a problem with the track design, athletic competition should never end in death.

My prayers go out to the family of Nodar Kumaritashvili and the people of the Republic of Georgia.

 -Hit ‘em straight

Dale Jones is a staff writer for The Islander. Reach him at djones@gulfcoastnewspapers.com