Olympic luge team will be wearing helmets designed by Faith artist

FAITH — In February the residents of Faith can see the artwork of one of their own speed by at 80 mph on international television.

Faith native Gary Hess designed the helmets for the 2001 U.S. Olympic luge team.

This is the first Olympics that members of the luge teams will be allowed to have their helmets custom painted, according to Ron Rossi, executive director of the U.S. Luge Association.

Rossi has been involved with the sport since the late 1970s and he competed on the 1984 Olympic team.

Officials from the International Luge Federation, United States and Germany have been pushing for custom-painted helmets for years, according to Rossi. However, UVEX, the company that makes the helmets, had not allowed it.

This year they decided to allow the helmets to be painted, but only by UVEX.

So the U.S. Luge Association set out to find a designer.

A connection landed Hess the honor. “I thought it was a pretty big deal,” he said.

Before opening his own business — Gary Hess Design Inc. — Hess worked with John Bickford Jr. and Sr. at Action Performance Co.

Bickford Sr. is the stepfather of NASCAR driver Jeff Gordon. Through this connection Hess started painting Gordon’s racing helmets three years ago.

Hess has been painting helmets for five years, but only two years as a full-time job. He started in his garage and in September of 2000 moved to his shop on Main Street in Faith.

It was also through this NASCAR connection that his name was passed on to the Olympic team.

Once that connection was made, it was time to design.

“I wanted a stars-and-stripes type design that denoted speed,” Rossi said.

Rossi sent Hess a picture of the uniforms. “When you think of anything Olympics, you think of stars and stripes,” Hess said.

Hess said officials accepted his first design with one minor change: they put the stars in front of the waving flag.

He said his initial work is usually his best. “I usually do one design and send it,” Hess said. “Usually I’m always pushing that first one.”

“We want our team to feel like the Olympic team is special,” Rossi said. “We want them to feel the part.”

Rossi characterized the German luge team as “No. 1,” with the United States, Italy and Austria competing for the silver and bronze medal slots.

His understanding is that the United States and Germany will be wearing custom-designed helmets.

The price tag will keep many other teams from designing their own helmets. The painted helmets cost $600 each. Unpainted helmets cost $200 and are sometimes even donated to teams.

The helmets were delivered to the team’s hotel this month, but will not be used for the first time until a World Cup competition in Germany in mid-January.

Rossi said the team was excited about the new design.

Eleven helmets were painted for the 10-person team. If all goes well, they hope to send Hess the extra helmet.

Luge became an Olympic sport in 1964.

One- and two-person sleds race between 80 and 90 mph down tracks that span between six-tenths of a mile and one mile in about 45 to 55 seconds.

The United States floundered for years in this event, winning its first and only two medals in 1998 in Japan. Chris Thrope and Gordy Sheer brought home a silver medal and Mark Grimmette and Brian Martin a bronze.

This Olympic team is made up of 10 people — three individual men, three individual women and two sets of men’s doubles.

The team has high hopes for a medal or two, Rossi said.

Hess said few people in the area know about his connection to the Olympics. Those who do probably heard about it from one of his biggest fans, wife Joni.

When he began five years ago he never imagined this would happen. “I had no idea I’d be doing this,” he said.

Hess’ helmets will make their live international television debut in February at the 2001 Olympic games.

Of all the things Hess has designed — helmets for NASCAR and Busch Cup drivers, Harley motorcycles, model airplanes and more — this is what he’s most proud of, he says.

“I can always say I painted the Olympic team helmet.”

Contact Jillian McCartney at 704-797-4253 or jmccartney@salisburypost.com .