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What does it take to coach athletes hurtling down an icy track at 140+ km/h and build the mental toughness to match? This week, Mariel sits down with Robert Fegg, Head Coach of the Canadian National Luge Team, for a conversation that goes far beyond sliding sports.

Robert shares why he believes we're rushing youth athletes toward results at the cost of their long-term development, and what he's learned from decades of coaching across Germany, Canada, Korea, and the United States. From the start of his own luge career to guiding Team Canada at the 2026 Cortina Olympics, Robert brings raw honesty and hard-earned wisdom to every topic.

In this episode, you'll hear:

• Why enjoyment is the #1 predictor of athletic success and why we're undermining it
• How trust between coach and athlete has fundamentally shifted with Gen Z, and what coaches need to do differently
• The pre-performance routine story that changed how Robert coaches every athlete individually
• What luge teaches us about learning to crash and why avoiding failure might be the biggest mistake in youth sport
• The mindset shift required when transitioning from athlete to coach
• Why Robert says it will take 8 years to build the Canadian Luge program into what it needs to be

Whether you're a youth athlete, a coach, or a parent navigating the sidelines, this episode is packed with perspective on development, grit, communication, and what it truly means to give sport everything you've got.

About Robert:

Robert Fegg returned to Canada for his second stint with the Canadian Luge Team in the spring of 2022, this time to take the head coaching reins of the national program and guide the nation's best luge athletes into a new era.

The German has lived in the Calgary area with his family since completing his first stretch with the Canadian program from 2003 to 2011. After two seasons as the Junior National Team coach for the United States Luge Association (2018–2020), Robert served as head coach of the American luge program before coming back to Canada, where he guided the team to the Beijing Winter Games.

Coaching has been in Robert's blood since he wrapped up an eight-year career sliding on the German National Team in 2002. He cut his teeth in the coaching ranks the following year when he became the Assistant Coach of the Canadian Luge Team. After playing a key support role in developing Canada's luge athletes into medal winners for seven years, Robert took on head coaching responsibilities of the Junior National Team in Canada from 2010–14.

Robert was recruited as National Team Coach of the Korea Luge Federation in 2014, where he led many new athletes toward their first Olympic Games at home while also building the team's competitive sleds. Following the 2018 Olympic Winter Games, Robert returned to North America for a four-year stint with the Americans.

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