Team USA Luge was in Utica this weekend for the USA Luge Slider Search, an opportunity to teach children aged 9 - 13 about the sport.

For some, their participation in the Slider Search marks a step closer to joining Team USA.

Individuals who impress are invited to Lake Placid to participate in four days of training. From there, some are selected to join the Junior National Development Team.

Team USA officials said roughly 90 percent of their athletes are discovered through these programs, including Olympian and Mohawk Valley native Erin Hamlin.

Hamlin participated in a Slider Search in Syracuse when she was 12 years old. Since then, she’s gone to become one of the most successful lugers in Team USA history.

She became the first American female to earn an Olympic medal in the singles event with a bronze at the 2014 Games in Sochi. She’s also earned gold medals in two world championships.

A native of Remsen, she’s excited to help local kids achieve similar dreams. Additionally, she hopes the young athletes that participate in the program can eventually follow in her footsteps.

“I think showing kids that someone from where they're from kind of followed that path and was able to achieve a lot of success, that makes it realistic to them,” Hamlin said. “(It) shows that no dream is too big."