Curlers, cross-country skier from Manitoba proud to represent Canada at World University Games

Manitoba curler Brianna Cullen still has the jerseys she got for the 2021 world junior curling championships hanging in her closet though she never got a chance to wear them in competition.

That event was cancelled as a result of the pandemic, but this month, Cullen is finally getting another chance to wear the red and white on the international stage.

Cullen and her University of Alberta Pandateammates, including fellow Manitoban Serena Gray-Withers, will be wearing the maple leaf atthe FISUWorld University Winter Games, officially known as the Winter Universiade.

The 31st edition of the multi-sport event organized by theInternational University Sports Federation (orFdration Internationale du Sport Universitaire) begins Thursday in Lake Placid, N.Y., and runs until Jan. 22.

The Edmonton-based curling squad punched their ticket to the Empire State by virtue of a perfect 6-0 record at Curling Canada's September 2022qualifier in Ottawa, which included an 11-4 victory over the University of Regina Cougars in the final.

Cullen's team blew the game open with five points in the third end, before stealing two more points in the eighth end to sealtheir spot in Lake Placid.

"It hit me right awaylike right after we won, I was pretty ecstatic," said the 21-year-old, who plays second for the Pandas.

Cullenis from the western Manitoba town of Swan River, and is one of six people from the province who are partof the contingent of Canadian athletes for this year's University Winter Games.

The third-year kinesiology student says the opportunity to go with Gray-Withers is especially gratifying the two havebeen on the same curling teamfor the past six seasons.

"We've been playing together for all of the big accomplishments we've each made in our curling careers, so it's nice to continue that trendand be there with each other," Cullen said.

'Definitely going to be some butterflies'

Gray-Withers, 21, is the team's alternate and may not see game actionin New York, but she's thrilled to be joining her teammates and helping in any way she can.

"We worked so hard to get there [and] all that hard work was shown and demonstrated into that win, so it was really cool," she said.

Like Cullen, Gray-Withers a third-year marketing student who is fromRosewood, in southeastern Manitoba has never had a chance to represent Canada at an international tournament.

"I definitely think that there's going to be some butterflies. It's definitely nerve-racking playing at a world event, especially with a Canadian flag on your back, because they all have you as a target,"Gray-Withers said.

Canada has competed in women's curling at seven previous editions of the University Winter Games, winning gold twice: 2017 in Almaty, Kazakhstan, and a decade earlier in Turin, Italy.

The Canadian women finished fifth the last time the biennial WinterGames were heldthe 2019 eventin Krasnoyarsk, Russia.

Across all sports, Canada has won a total of 19 gold medals atpreviousWinter Games a numberCullenwould love to be able to add to.

"It'd be pretty surreal," Cullen said."It's crazy that we're even going and I get to represent [my] country, so to be able to bring one back would be that much better."

Canada opens play in the 10-team tournament against South Korea on Friday at 1 p.m.

The top four teams advance to the playoffs.

'Amini-Olympics kind of vibe'

Canada hasn't had as much successin cross-country skiing at the Winter Games as it's had on the curling rink, but Winnipegger Conor McGovern hopes to change that.

Canada's lone cross-country skiingmedal at the Winter University Games came in Belluno, Italy, in 1985 a bronze in the men's 4x10-kilometrerelay race.

McGovern, 23, is a fifth-year organic chemistrystudent with the Lakehead University Thunderwolves in Thunder Bay, Ont., andone of 12 cross-country skiing Canadians in Lake Placid attemptingto end that drought.

"If something like that happened, it would be a pretty cool moment," McGovern said of the possibility of reaching the podium.

But that's not his goal. He wants to enjoy the experience of being at the Games.

"I think it's going to be really fun, racinga whole bunch of guys I've never raced against from a bunch of different countries," McGovern said.

"The whole multi-sport Games nature of it is cool, too [and getting to] meet some people from different sports, like a mini-Olympics kind of vibe."

There are six cross-country skiing events at the Games. McGovern doesn't knowwhich events he will be participating in, but he believes the 30-kilometre classic-ski race, with a mass start, is his best event.

He's also proud torepresenthis school,province and country.

"I've never represented Canada before at a race, so I think wearing that Canada suit is going to be pretty cool," McGovern said.

"Being from Manitoba, we're kind of maybe not a traditional cross-country skiing powerhouse province, but I definitely have some pride being from Manitoba."