U.S. Gets Its Licks, but Misses by Tick : Luge: American teams finish fourth and fifth in two-man event for best Olympic showing.

It’s the top man’s feet, the bottom man’s shoulders. Body language is vital in luge doubles.

“If you’re not communicating it ain’t going to work,” Mark Grimmette said.

It worked for U.S. sledders Friday.

Not well enough yet to win a medal in this back-to-the-wall sport, but for the U.S. Luge Federation, progress is the most important product.

A fourth-place finish by Grimmette and Jonathon Edwards in Winter Olympics doubles Friday was the best U.S. luge finish in any Olympics.

Chris Thorpe and Gordy Sheer were a tick behind in fifth.

Noting that Wendel Suckow’s fifth place last Monday had been a U.S. best in men’s singles and that Duncan Kennedy apparently had been on a medal pace when he crashed, Ron Rossi, executive director of U.S. Luge, said:

“It would be tough to improve on what we did here and not win a medal in ’98. I’m not happy that it didn’t happen here, but we’re making progress. We’re even with the Austrians and just behind the Germans and Italians.”

Luge became a permanent Olympic sport in ’64. Germans, Italians, Austrians and Soviets have won all 81 medals.

It was viva Italia! Friday.

Kurt Brugger and Wilfried Huber, seventh in the Calgary Olympics and fifth at Albertville, won the gold by 0.049 seconds over countrymen Hans Raffl and Norbert Huber, Wilfried’s brother.

Defending Olympic champions Stefan Krausse and Jan Behrendt of Germany were third, 0.344 of a second ahead of Grimmette and Edwards, who were 0.008 ahead of Sheer and Thorpe.

Luge doubles is a two-heat, one-day event, compared to the four heats and two days of singles.

Forest ranger Brugger, 24, and police officer Huber, 23, caught first-heat leaders Raffl, 35, and Norbert Huber, 29, with a 48.372 second heat compared to 48.495.

Sheer and Thorpe, fourth overall in World Cup this season and fourth after the first heat, needed to eclipse the Raffl-Huber course record of 48.274 to finish third. They did 48.725 and were edged out of fourth by the 48.672 of Grimmette-Edwards, who were fifth after the first heat.

“We’ve focused on being best in the world, not just the U.S.,” Grimmette said. “We’re happy to finish fourth, but we’re not where we want to be yet.

“It takes quite a few years to learn luge skills. Hans Raffl has been sliding almost as long as I’ve been alive.”

Grimmette, 23, and Edwards, 21, fourth in World Cup a year ago but an injured and inconsistent 12th this season, have been together since 1988, as have Sheer, 22, and Thorpe, 23.

All four, Thorpe said Friday, felt they were on the bubble in singles but have thrived on the teamwork of doubles.

How close are they to consistently catching the Italians and Germans?

“We’ll be there next year,” Thorpe said, adding that his and Sheer’s next goal is to win the overall World Cup title.

The ’98 Olympics?

“I’d like to go, but it’s up to Gordy,” Thorpe said.

“He might move on, and I’d have to start over with a new partner.”

Sheer is a part-time student at Ohio State. Edwards is considering Stanford, Yale and Notre Dame.

Both teams are taking it year to year. Partnerships are as difficult to develop as friendships.

“You have to know each other inside out,” Sheer said the other day. “Chris and I have literally butted heads a few times, but basically there’s total trust.

“We pretty much spend every day of our lives together. I mean, we sometimes get upset like brothers, but if you hold a grudge on the ice, you’re going to end up killing each other.”

It’s a strange business, two grown men literally lying on top of each other on a small sled, traveling up to 75 m.p.h., each with only peripheral vision.

Frustration and tension are easily transmitted. Any unplanned or unexpected movement can upset the aerodynamics--and relationship.

It’s very much like family, and no one has a better feel for it than the Hubers--Wilfried, Norbert and Arnold, who did not qualify here. Along with bobsledding brother Gunther, who begins competition today, Italy’s royal family of sledding has won 42 medals in Olympics, World Cup and European championships. While the U.S. attempts to build teams, the Hubers have their own.