Steve Harris takes over leadership of high-performance program, filling in for Sam Edney during his parental leave

Calgary (FIL) The President of Luge Canada, Steve Harris is stepping down from the Board of Directors to assist the staff in leading the high performance program as director. Luge Canada made the announcement on June 24, 2021.
PyeongChang 2018 Olympic medalist Sam Edney will take a year of parental leave from the high-performance manager position beginning Sept. 1 to support his family. His wife, Elyce, will give birth to their second child this fall.

Harris, who was elected president of Luge Canada in 2015, will assume the duties of high performance manager during Edney's one-year absence from competitive sports. The timing of the opportunity for Harris to fill the one-year vacancy is ideal. The Calgary-based detective will retire in August after 25 years of service with the Calgary Police Service.  

"Supporting the needs of all our employees and members in Luge Canada remains our top priority. That's why we are committed to supporting Sam in his desire to be there for his family," said Tim Farstad, Executive Director of Luge Canada.
"Steve has been involved in all aspects of our sport for the past 35 years and has been very involved as President for the past six years. This move helps us provide continuity in our program, which is critical in this critical Olympic year ahead, while providing the important balance needed for Sam during his time away."

Harris is a former luge athlete, national team coach and technical official. Prior to taking over as president of the organization, he worked closely with the high performance program as vice president of sports on the board of directors from 2006 to 2010.
Edney assumed the role of high-performance manager in 2019 following his retirement from luge, which culminated with winning a silver medal at the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics. For the past two years, Edney - who has been a relentless advocate for excellence and fair play in the sport - has led the development of Canada's next generation of lugers, who are pursuing similar Olympic goals.

"This was, of course, a really tough decision for our family, but one I'm very excited about," Edney said. "After our first child, Quin, was born, I knew I wanted to take a year of paternity leave to support Elyce, who wanted to return to work sooner after we welcomed a second baby into our family. Ideally, the baby would have come right after Beijing, but you can't always time something like that perfectly. I know the program is in good hands with Steve, and I look forward to following the continued progress of our athletes as they realize their own Olympic dreams in 2022."
Edney will coordinate the transition with Steve Harris and Tim Farstad in August to ensure minimal disruption for participating athletes and staff.
Luge Canada will hold its annual general meeting on June 26, when the board will decide how to manage the presidential duties next year.