From Whistler to Calgary, Canadian luge trio's Olympic journey nearing full circle

Rewatch the 2010 Vancouver Paralympics closing ceremony closely, and you'll see three Canadian Olympic hopefuls belting out their national anthem.

None of Caitlin Nash, Trinity Ellis and Embyr-lee Susko were even 10 years old then.

But in that moment, and through various experiences in their B.C. childhoods, each decided somewhere deep down that this would be their path.

Little did they know that 14 years later, they'd be teammates on the Canadian luge team and roommates in Calgary.

In February, all three could be back home at the Whistler Sliding Centre to compete at the luge world championships.

"We're legacy athletes of that track and we're sort of the first generation to have grown up having Whistler as their home track. So it's a pretty cool thing to have in your back pocket," Nash said.

"I mean, when we were, I don't know, in our youth, that was like four times a week, every week, just at the Whistler Sliding Centre."

Nash, Ellis and Susko comprise perhaps the first group of athletes who were directly impacted and inspired by Vancouver 2010.

For many, it's easy to wonder how athletes end up in the relatively niche Olympic sport of luge. But for Nash, Ellis and Susko, luge was displayed immediately in front of them — particularly for Susko, whose brothers entered the sport before her and whose parents said they'd take her to exactly one event at the 2010 Games.

"Ironically enough, I watched women's luge. … I remember watching it and thinking, 'Oh, I'll never, never do that sport.' And sure enough, I'm here. And now I love it," said Susko, the youngest of the trio at 19 years old.

Embyr-Lee Susko carries her sled off the track after a race on her home in Whistler, B.C. in 2023. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press)

Luge came more naturally to Nash and Ellis, who each went out to the Sliding Centre on school field trips.

"I think it takes a special type of person to be able to love this sport. But I did one run and I immediately loved it," Nash said. "I've always loved going fast and I've loved adrenaline and luge filled that for me right away. And I think I did one run and then I think I did like seven more that day. And after that, just never stopped."

Likewise, Ellis said she was "hooked" from the get-go.

"I've always loved roller-coasters and stuff like that. And I remember there were definitely people that wouldn't even do it. They were so scared, half of the class did the first run and was like, 'I'm not doing that again.' And I was like, I want to go as many times as I can," Ellis said.

Now, the 22-year-old Ellis and 21-year-old Nash are traversing the luge World Cup circuit together, hoping to rack up the necessary points to qualify for Whistler worlds and then use their home track to their advantage while there.

Their next stop is Oberhof, Germany, with live coverage of the entire World Cup competition beginning Friday at 3:30 a.m. ET and running through the day on CBCSports.ca, the CBC Sports app and CBC Gem.

Teammates and friends

Susko is currently competing on the junior tour — she took bronze in her first race earlier this month on the French track which will be used at the 2030 Olympics — but will join her roommates on the senior side in the new year.

"Our house harmony is very good, as we like to say. We're teammates, but we're also friends in our personal lives. And I think that really strengthens our relationships that we have within our team," Nash said.

Together, the lugers recently took up rock climbing — an activity Nash made sure to mention as its requirement for upper-body strength makes it a good match for luge.

Susko learned to river-surf, since it takes place near the mountains, which brings her back to her hometown of Whistler.

"Sometimes it's just easy to want to literally just lay in bed all weekend. So it's nice to have people who get each other going and go do something fun," said Nash, who along with Ellis learned the Footloose dance at one point.

Trinity Ellis, of Pemberton, B.C., waves to spectators after a World Cup race in Whistler, B.C., in 2023. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press)

Meanwhile, it's beneficial to live with people who understand the high-performance lifestyle and can push each other to be their best.

"It is a really big commitment and we spend so much time in the grind all summer, every day in the gym, so to be able to have teammates that you really connect with and get along with well, it makes such a huge difference. I can't imagine what this experience would be like without these two mates," Ellis said.

But while summers are spent in Calgary, there are also plenty of return trips home to the Whistler area, which is Canada's lone track after the Alberta city's closed in 2019.

"We all know that track like the back of our hands for sure. I feel like we probably have the most runs on that track honestly, out of anyone ever," Ellis said.

Ellis, Nash and Susko may get to show off that experience in February at worlds.

And one year after that, they hope to be roommates once again — but this time, in Italy for the 2026 Olympics.

"We want to be able to hold hands. I want to stick my hand out the door and Embyr and Trinity are going to be right there," Nash said, with only a hint of sarcasm.

"That would be the goal. That would be the dream for sure."