Rebuilding Canadian luge team preaching patience ahead of world championships in Whistler, B.C.
There would be plenty of reason for the Canadian luge team to be feeling the heat right now.
The world championships begin Thursday at home in Whistler, B.C., — a day that just so happens to also mark one year out from the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics.
Yet the prevailing sense around the young squad is patience.
"We want to be up there competing in those top-eight positions on a weekly basis. And are we there yet? No. But are we slowly making our steps to be there? That's what we're doing," said high-performance director Sam Edney, a four-time Olympian and silver medallist.
Ultimately, Edney and Luge Canada are planning around potential podium appearances in 2030. The team as currently constructed is full of potential, but it lacks the experience of its competitors.
Edney said there are certain benchmarks he's hoping his athletes hit in Whistler — including a top-10 or two among the women's sleds, and a top-eight in men's doubles.
Coverage of the competition begins Thursday at 1:30 p.m. ET and runs through Saturday on CBCSports.ca, CBC Gem and CBC-TV.
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"If we hit those markers, then I think we're really feeling good about where we are going into that next [quadrennial]," Edney said. "I guess we're down to 12 months now, which is really the shocking thing. So there's a lot of work to be done this summer. And that's sort of kicking off [this] week with a big race at home for us."
Ellis rooms in Calgary with teammates Caitlin Nash, 21, and Embyr-lee Susko, 19. Nash watched four years ago as Ellis and the now-retired Natalie Corless qualified for Beijing while she