Pierre Lueders' daughters heading down a different track to sports stardom

Pierre Lueders will go down as one of the best bobsleigh athletes Canada has ever produced. His daughters, 20-year-old Zoe and 17-year-old Maya, have also taken to the ice but instead of going down the track, they're going around it.

Dad has an Olympic gold and an Olympic silver and won several medals at World Championships.

When you think of Lueders, sliding down the ice on the bobsleigh track always comes to mind.

His daughters have Olympic dreams of their own, but they've diversified their winter sports menu, opting out of bobsleigh and in to speed skating.

Maya says they fell in love with speed skating in 2010 after watching a World Cup at the Olympic Oval. 

"I think especially after the 2010 Olympics we thought why not try it and we started going to World Cups," Maya said.

"After we did club for a year or two then we really got into it and we've been doing it ever since."

WATCHING DAD

Zoe says they grew up watching their dad go as fast as he could down the track, but bobsleigh wasn't the sport for her.

"I don't really like rollercoasters and the thought of you know going down an icy rollercoaster is not really for me," Zoe said.

"I think I'd also have to grow a bit. I'm pretty short so I don't think that's going to happen anytime soon," she said, laughing.

Zoe and Maya are heading to Prince Edward Island this week to represent Alberta at the Canada Winter Games.

Maya says she's really looking forward to it.

"I'm so excited, you know I've known the Alberta athletes on the team for years," she said.

"We've all skated together for years and you know especially having my sister with me, that's such a cool opportunity that I feel like not many people get to experience together.

"I think it would be such an amazing honour if we were able to make the podium together."

SAME TEAM

The Lueders sisters love being on the same team and according to Zoe they're each others biggest supporters.

"She's always been there for me. She knows when I'm having a good race and when I'm having a bad one and what to say after, which is really nice," she said.

"It's nice to have that, especially since a lot of people don't end up in the same sport as their siblings so to have that kind of built in is really nice for sure."

The Lueders sisters love being on the same skating team

FAST IN THE CLASSROOM

Zoe and Maya are not only fast on the ice, they're also fast in the classroom.  Zoe is on the dean's list for kinesiology at the University of Calgary and Maya is on the honour roll at the National Sports School. 

Their mom Sandra is super proud of the people they've become.

"As far as pride goes, I'm incredibly proud of them whatever they do. They're kind, hard-working dedicated people," she said.

"I'm super proud that they're both going to the Canada Winter Games, representing Alberta and their own dreams."

Their dad is in Winterberg, Germany right now, coaching a couple of Australian athletes.

Pierre says he never pressured his daughters to get into bobsleigh, he wanted them to try a lot of different sports.  He also proud of what they've been able to accomplish so far.

"As they get older they understand a bit more of what high level sports entails," he said.

"They both are exceptionally hard workers and we're always there for advice if they ask.

"Sports is not always about first, second or third," he said, "but the paths each of the girls has taken to arrive at this event (Canada Winter Games) together is already massive success for each."