This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Even though he finished only 22nd in his Olympic luge debut, Tucker West is a fun subject in these Games. West was 6 in 2002, when he and his father were so inspired by watching Salt Lake's Games that they built a wooden luge track in their backyard in the small town of Ridgefield, Conn. Tucker eventually moved on to the U.S. luge training center at Lake Placid, N.Y., but his father is still supportive - on and off the track. Appearing on NBC's "Today" show, Brett West said his son is "very single, and he's a little shy, so you'll have to reach out to him."Predictably, the plea has generated a big social media response, although Brett West said on Facebook, "I am in so much trouble with Tucker."