These photos, taken by USA Luge Junior National Team Coach Fred Zimny, are not the images of competitors, sled and ice that everyone might expect. Instead, his interests have led him to look beyond winter games venues and out into the surrounding host cities and countries. The result is an interesting mix of landscapes, people and, occasionally, animals from Europe to Asia where past games have been held.

“My dad always took a lot of family photos, and I started getting into it when I was 13,” said Zimny as an explanation of how he came by his avocation.

His late father was also instrumental in his coming to Lake Placid and becoming a luger. Zimny was a high school student in Boonton, New Jersey when first saw it broadcasted on TV as part of the 1976 Olympic Winter Games in Innsbruck, Austria and knew it was something he wanted to try. He credits his father for being open to the idea and helping him. “He was the greatest,” Zimny said. “He was so supportive.”

They were returning to New Jersey from the 1976 Olympic Summer Games in Montreal when they decided to take a side trip to Lake Placid to find out more about luging. Before he knew it, Zimny was in a two-week training program. Just three weeks later, the 16-year-old found himself on a plane headed for Innsbruck and his first international competition.

Lake Placid in 1980: Man with flag after U.S. won hockey game with USSR. (Photo provided — Fred Zimny)

“I couldn’t believe it. If you can imagine, for a kid that age, it was really heady stuff,” he said.

School officials in Boonton went along with the idea and made allowances for his training and race schedule.

His back-and-forth – school to sport — existence continued through his studies at Arizona State University as well, and may have taken its toll on his competitive edge when he missed making the 1980 Olympic team by a tenth of a second.

“Fourth is the worst,” he said of his placement in the trials for the Olympic Winter Games in Lake Placid. “It takes years to get over that.”

Zimny switched from competitor to organizer in 1988, becoming national team manager for 13 years and then Junior National Team head coach. All through his international luge world travels, Zimny’s interest in photography grew along with his desire to see more of host countries.

His wanderings have resulted in images as diverse as sunlight filtering through the dome at the Vatican and snow monkeys warming themselves in hot springs of northern Japan.

Luge images are not completely shut out and there is an athlete’s eye-view of entering opening ceremonies. Many of his works show an affinity for the symmetry of nature and an affection for local people and for animals.

The show will be up until the end of March with a reception, to which all are invited, scheduled from 5 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 22. The gallery is always free and open regular library hours.