Sierra Ullrich is your typical teenager. This 13-year-old is not only a good student, but she loves skateboarding.

But Ullrich, who will be a freshman at Desert Vista High School, next year, has picked up another sport. She is a part of United States Luge Association Junior Development Team.

“My first run, I just kind of closed my eyes and went with the flow,” Ullrich said.

Ullrich was selected to be on the team last year, after attending the Verizon-USA Luge Slider Search in Ahwatukee.

‘Because we only have two tracks, one in Lake Placid, New York and one in Salt Lake City, Utah we have a very limited pool to draw kids from in the area,” said United States Luge Association junior national team coach Pete Motta. “So we started traveling around the country in the summer to broaden are base.”

Motta and several other people, like two-time Olympian Tony Benshoof and junior national champion Megan Sweeney, travel the country looking for the future athletes of Luge. These searches have been conducted since 1985.

“After we’ve seen everyone, we usually select between 75 and 100 kids to come to a week long training camp up in Lake Placid, and try the sport on ice.” Motta said.

Since being invited to be on the junior development team, Ullrich travels to Lake Placid to train. But when she’s at home, Ullrich works out at the Bar Personal Training Studio and School of Athletic Performance.

“Having someone in luge is a completely different realm for us,” said the studio’s owner Brad Rogers. “We love it, and we love her in here.”

‘We try to teach her to be explosive as possible,” Rogers said. “But we also throw things in like core and stretch, and things like that to keep her younger and limber.”

So no matter where Ullrich is preparing for her sport, being a part of luge is an experience she'll never forget.

“It’s completely changed my life,” Ullrich said. “Even if f I don’t make the Olympics, it will change my life.”