WINTER OLYMPICS / NOTEBOOK

At the cold and wind-swept luge track in Hunderfossen, about 12 miles from Lillehammer, there were numerous gripes about the condition of the course, according to Duncan Kennedy.

“Everybody was (complaining),” the U.S. sledder said. “It was really bumpy at the top.

“I used to get upset when the track wasn’t in shape, but not anymore.”

Kennedy has undergone a metamorphosis in that regard, so he wasn’t complaining on a blustery morning when the weather and track conditions impacted practice runs for Sunday’s first two heats of the men’s singles competition.

Kennedy finished 12th and teammate Wendel Suckow 14th in Tuesday’s timed runs. Markus Prock of Austria, the World Cup champion, was 30th. Atsushi Sasaki of Japan had the best time of 50.917 seconds.

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Bert Isatitsch of Austria, president of the International Luge Federation (FIL) and known as “the Father Luge,” died Thursday. He was 83.

Isatitsch was scheduled to be honored on the 30th anniversary of luge becoming an Olympic event. Bob Hughes, U.S. vice president of the FIL, said without Isatitsch’s efforts, “Luge would not exist as an Olympic discipline.”

The FIL board will meet this week to discuss naming a successor.