Robert Fegg taking over for Bill Tavares as USA Luge coach

LAKE PLACID, N.Y. (AP) — Robert Fegg is taking over as coach of USA Luge’s national team, the organization said Wednesday.

Fegg is replacing Bill Tavares, who has been the team’s head coach since 2017. Tavares has been with USA Luge since 2010 and will remain on the coaching staff.

Fegg has spent the past two years as head coach of USA Luge’s junior national team. He is a native of Germany, makes his home in Calgary and also has coached the Canadian and South Korean teams.

“Between luge and bobsled, Bill has had a long head coaching career and felt it was time to step back while still remaining involved,” USA Luge CEO Jim Leahy said.

Tavares will remain on staff alongside fellow coaches Bengt Walden and Lubomir Mick.

“We’re really happy that he decided to remain with us and work with Robert, Bengt and Lubo to maintain the continuity of the processes that we’ve established in recent years,” Leahy said.

Tavares has coached medal winners in each of the last five Olympic Winter Games — with the U.S. women’s bobsled team in 2002, 2006 and 2010, then Erin Hamlin’s luge bronze in 2014 and Chris Mazdzer’s luge silver in 2018.

As part of Wednesday’s moves, Pat Anderson was promoted to junior national team head coach.

The World Cup and Junior World Cup seasons are scheduled to begin in November.