There’s a Newfoundland and Labrador saying that’s usually tossed around when it’s a brilliantly glorious day filled with sunshine: ‘the sun’s splittin’ the rocks,’ the saying goes. While historically we don’t get many such days living in this often windswept province, Team Canada’s curling dynamos, Team Gushue, have given us two glorious Olympic medal wins to bask in the glow of. 

It might not be February sunshine, but we’ll take the glory of gold and the brilliance of bronze medals brought back home by Brad Gushue and Mark Nichols anytime.

Brad and Mark – who were back on the Olympic podium after 16 years following the bronze medal win at Beijing 2022 alongside teammates Brett Gallant and Geoff Walker, as well as alternate Marc Kennedy – took some time to sit down with The Herald following their latest Olympic adventures. 

The story is now the stuff of legend: Team Gushue defeated Team Shuster of the United States 8-5 in the bronze medal game. The province and country erupted. A familiar feeling. 

Brad Gushue, along with then teammates Russ Howard, Mark Nichols, Jamie Korab and Mike Adam, represented Canada in curling at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Italy, where they won the gold medal by defeating Finland 10–4.

Return to Real Life

While sporting their medals for our cameras, Brad and Mark were all about family on the day we chatted. 

It was a big day for Mark’s family as Emmett, four, had just finished his first day of kinderstart and the proud daddy got to take his son to school.  

“It marked the return to real life right away, which is awesome. I’m just as excited that I got to be home for his first day of kinderstart and to be bringing him to school as I ever am on the ice and to be a part of that for him was awesome,” Mark opened sweetly. 

Seven-year-old Beckett stood proudly beside his father as wife Colette finished adjusting Emmett’s shirt for their Herald photo session.  

Since daddy was at school dropping Beckett off, the two-time Olympic champion took some time to answer a few questions tossed his way by the school kids. Mark laughed.

“They want to know how heavy the metal is, what other sports I got to see while I was in Beijing. Did I meet any other athletes? What was the food like? And then they ask other questions like, how many medals do you own? It’s just  amazing how much the Olympics can captivate such a young audience, and it’s super cool to see how much they watched and cheered us on. That’s the stuff that really motivates you,” he said.

Brad Gushue is dad to two daughters. He understands Mark’s sentiments.  “When we lost that semifinal game, it was actually the thought of, how were my girls going to feel, which made me so emotional after the game. I was pretty good until I came ‘round the corner and saw them on the screen with the families there watching from home. When I saw the girls, it really hit,” he said.

Toughest Game Ever

Sixteen years after Olympic gold, now being a father, priorities have changed, he added. “At the end of the day, they were proud of whatever we did and to come home with a bronze medal, that’s pretty exciting. The first thing they wanted to see before they even saw me was the medal. It’s exciting. They were thrilled and filled with excitement. That meant more to me than winning the bronze.”

When asked if one game stood out, Brad doesn’t hesitate: the one for the win, of course. “The bronze medal game was the toughest. I’ve said that was the toughest game that I’ve ever had to play and I still stand by that. Coming off the loss in the morning and playing for so much … it was hard because you had all the emotions, the disappointment, but also the excitement and nervousness to play for a bronze medal and trying to wrestle all that to come through and play a pretty good game. I was pretty proud of how we did.”

Brad’s wife Krista and daughters Hayley and Marissa all share their pride in  the entire team, in fact Krista says the pride in ‘the b’ys’ comes from everywhere. 

“The girls, they’ve seen how much hard work has gone into getting to the Olympics. It’s unfortunate we couldn’t get there as a family, but seeing them on that podium – seeing the benefits after everything they’ve put into it – it was amazing and couldn’t get any better. 

“Brad’s always talked about how you’ve got to find something you love to do, and just give it your all, and we got to see that. And knowing how much support we had from everyone just made everything that much sweeter,” Krista said.

Mark’s wife Colette, who was born in Saskatchewan, agreed. “It’s nothing but love and support any time I’ve ever gone anywhere, whether it’s following a win or whether it’s following a loss. Our two boys are heavy into hockey, so I’m in hockey rinks all weekend long and I always get a pat on the shoulder saying, ‘Good luck to the boys,’ or ‘Great game last night. Keep it going.’ It’s always love and support anywhere we go as people cheer (Brad, Mark and the rest of Team Gushue) on,” she said. “It’s that kind of love and support that makes this place home,” she added.

‘Back to Newfoundland’ 

“I am from Saskatchewan, and I moved here in 2005 and I love it. We did have that small stint where we moved away for two years, but as soon as I was pregnant with Beckett I knew we had to come back. That was always on my mind, how we needed to get back to Newfoundland so we could have a family here,” she said. 

Speaking of family, both Krista and Colette share that they have become close and that “Uncle Brad” and “Uncle Mark” are both important to each other’s children. 

“My boys don’t know any different. We’re family and we like it that way. My family doesn’t live here and Mark’s sister lives away now, so to have that love and support on the ice and off the ice has meant a lot to me, especially for Beckett. He really looks up to the boys (on Team Gushue) and he actually sees a lot of the hard work, a lot of the determination and the sacrifice. He knows when Dad can’t come to a hockey game it’s because the boys were working hard and that’s actually pushed him a lot harder. He skates harder and he tries harder. He’s actually seeing the big picture now and putting it all together and he knows what it all means,” she said.

We ask the families if they were nervous wrecks while cheering on at home. Krista nodded. “Absolutely. I was nervous. We had a very upsetting loss in the semifinals and curling is a mental game, you have to use your head, so we were very, very upset for them knowing how hard they worked to get there and knowing how close they got. And I know Brad. He was more worried about disappointing us than anything else and when they won, the first thing he said was ‘Were the girls happy? Were the girls proud of me?’ That’s Brad.”

Brad smiled. What’s next? we ask.  “You know what? We’re kind of hitting a point now where we’ve played together, the four of us, for three years. I’ve been with Geoff (Walker) and Brett (Gallant) now for 11 years, and Mark and I, outside of the break we had, 20 plus years.” 

But there’s been changes, he added. “Geoff recently married and moved back to Alberta, so who knows what the future is going to hold for the team, but to go to the Olympics now, come home with a medal? It’s a great moment for this team because we’ve been arguably one of the greatest teams of all time and to get an Olympic medal to go with the World Championships and the Briers and the Grand Slams is pretty cool. So I think we’re all very proud of the run that we had.”

Mark feels the same, he said, adding; “We’ve been through it all together right back to our junior days, 20 years ago. So now, to win bronze and have our families be part of that?”

A Special Moment

“It was a special moment, and we had weird challenges while we were over there so for us to fight through and battle the way we did to come home with the bronze medal, I don’t know that it can get much more special than that. We were able to get through it all together and get the outcome that we got, and that’s worth celebrating.”  

We ask Brad if he has any advice for anyone out there working towards any goal in life.  “Just do something you love,” he said simply. “Winning is not always about Olympic medals. You have to find something you want to do, and I love curling. Anybody that knows me knows how much I care about curling and how much I just enjoy going down and throwing rocks sometimes just by myself,” he said.

“Nobody else is around and no one is watching, but still you are practicing because you love the game. It relaxes me and makes me feel comfortable and I think because of that, I’ve gotten better and gotten to this stage. But it isn’t about the Olympics, it isn’t about the medal, it’s about the journey, it’s about the experience and the work you put in doing something you love.”

*First published January 30th, 2022

From small towns to curling’s biggest games, the power of teamwork, family, community and hard-work is undefeated, teases the set up for the YouTube series titled Sweeps and Stones: A Canadian Curling Story.

Kubota Canada, the genius behind farm equipment, construction equipment, mowers, and UTVs, has also been behind one of this country’s finest to ever pick up a broom; NL’s own Brad Gushue.

Olympic-worthy

Kubota teamed with Brad Gushue, Kerri Einarson, Mark Nichols, Brett Gallant and Geoff Walker to proudly present Sweeps and Stones: A Canadian Curling Story, a behind the scenes look at what it takes to win as Team Gushue compete for curling glory on the world stage at the Olympics in Beijing. 

One of the things that quickly becomes apparent in this five part series is how much time investment it truly takes to hone any talent at an Olympic-worthy level. 

Team Canada curling is not a ‘hobby’ you can dabble with on weekends or in the evening hours.

Going for Gold

Going for gold requires time, energy and commitment, and that means everything else in life – from working to family events – are often put on the back burner as  the team members reach for the stars. Add a global pandemic to the mix and you have some wild times for Gushue and co.

“You hit the nail on the head. For us especially this time around, having the support of partners like Kubota made all the difference for us. When I look back at the success we had 16 years ago, we were in our young 20s. We didn’t have families, we didn’t have kids. We we were pretty well 100 per cent focused on the Olympics,” Gushue began.

As such, each and every resource went into that goal, he added.

“At our age, we have wives and kids and businesses and other endeavors so for us to still be competitive with all the other teams in the world, we have to take a considerable amount of time away from our workplaces and from our families.”

Priority one

Without support from sponsors like Kubota, such golden opportunities might not be as easily within reach, he added. 

“Having Kubota on board with us for the last four years made a significant difference to us, to be quite honest. We were able to travel essentially anywhere we wanted to compete and (the financing) allowed us access to the best trainers around, which made a huge impact on our performance. All that will hopefully allow us to perform at our ultimate level when we head over to Beijing,” he said.

With everything that’s happening in the world these days, is his head in the game, we ask. “I’m okay. I have a good perspective on everything. But to be honest, there’s anxiety. There’s nerves about catching the virus before we get there. At this point, if we do catch (COVID), the likelihood of us being able to go is very slim and you don’t want your Olympic dream being taken away by a virus.”

Priority one: avoid the virus like, well, the plague, he said with a chuckle. 

“We have to do everything we can to make sure that we can get to Beijing with negative test results. Then, everything shifts to we have to perform. It’s a balance. Isolate as much as humanly possible so our only trips out of the house is to practice. We ‘bubble’ as a team and hopefully that’ll kind of blend the priorities that we need to focus on, which is getting ready.” 

Sweeps & Stones

In Sweeps and Stones, Gushue shared how he fell in love with the game of curling at a young age. He reflected on that life-changing moment of switching from hockey to curling.

“I knew curling was the sport for me from day one. I loved watching it, but when I actually played it, I fell in love with it that much more. My first day of curling was the day after my last game of hockey.” 

His love for the game was instant, he added. “I went and tried curling and I’m like, ‘You know what? This is what I’m going to do. This is where I want to spend my time as a young teenager,’ and my family were very supportive. My dad had just bought new hockey equipment, but he got on board pretty quick when he saw how passionate I was about it.”

Gushue shared he’s “passionate” about Sweeps and Stones too and the stories it tells.

‘“I’m anxious for everybody to see all the episodes as it really tells our story. It tells how the team has evolved and there’s a bit about our time here in St. John’s and the bubble we had last year and in the spring where we spent three months away from family and friends to be in the arena getting ready for those big moments on the ice. It gives a behind the scenes look at what we’ve given up and gone through, so I’m excited for everybody to see it. I think it tells the true story of who we are and what we’ve always had to do as a team to get where we are.” 

Team Gushue

Say ‘Team Gushue’ and many across Canada can recall where they were when the Canadian curlers achieved Olympic Gold in 2006. In this province, locals can even take the Team Gushue Highway, we tease, in honour of the win. 

“I’m sure they are not cheering when they go over the potholes,” Gushue joked. 

We ask if he’s feeling the pressure this time around. “It is quite an honour to have the amount of support that we have across the country. I think early in my career (knowing all eyes were on the team) added a lot of pressure, but I think the fact that we’ve had the success that we’ve had, that helps.”

‘True to ourselves’

There’s no amount of success that can change who they are at this point, he added. “How we are treated within the community and whether we go to the Olympics and win or don’t win a game, I don’t know if it’s going to change too much when we come home. They can’t name another highway after us, can they? So that’s been done,” he joked.  

Gushue shared that it’s all about doing their best. “A win is not going to be the life changing moment we had 16 years ago. I think accepting that takes a lot of the pressure off or takes a lot of the edge off. We want to be true to ourselves, and do our best for our families and for our supporters.”

Don’t get him wrong, he added, he very much enjoyed being one of NL’s Golden B’ys.

“16 years ago, it was very much a provincial win. Our province was just coming out of some bad times and things were looking good. And then when we won, it felt like the whole province  jumped on board with us and the celebration was for a whole bunch of reasons.” 

Back to the Olympics

Today Gushue is a dad to two daughters, aged 10 and 14. They are into “typical teenage and preteen girl stuff,” Gushue shared. 

“They are into dance. They play soccer and volleyball. They both curl as well, which is exciting. They’re very, very excited to see us go to the Olympics and that was a big motivator for me over the last four years. Getting back to the Olympics when they were old enough to understand the magnitude of what we were doing is pretty awesome. I’d love for them to be over there, but that’s not possible, but they’re going to be watching every game here at home and supporting us as much as possible.”

Gushue’s mom, Maureen, had battled cancer and had to cheer her son on from home during the 2006 Olympics. How is she today? 

Mom’s Boy

“My mom is great. 16 years ago was a scary time for our family and she was going through cancer treatments and things didn’t look as good as we had hoped at the time. She’s in a really good place now and 16 years removed from it, she’s doing very well.”

Obviously family is very important, something that becomes very obvious throughout Sweeps and Stones. 

“Going back to the partnership with Kubota, that’s allowed us to balance things better. It’s allowed me more time to spend with family when I am home. Then you have the team, so that’s almost two families that I am able to be devoted to.”

In the fall and early winter, Gushue spent as much or more time with ‘the guys’ than with his actual family, he shared, and tight bonds were formed.  

“You develop ties to these four guys and I think that really shows up in episode three when we talk about being in that bubble for three months and living in a house together. You know, at the end of the day, that’s who I want to play for and what I’m trying to achieve; it’s for my family on and off the ice. It’s for  home. And, it’s to give my kids that little bit of inspiration that if they put their mind to something, they can achieve it.”

Family time

Gushue’s family have certainly seen his commitment, he added.

“They’ve seen me now over the last number of years trying to achieve this goal of getting to the Olympics and they know how much hard work has to be done to get there. I think that’s a bigger lesson, in my opinion, than they are ever going to get in school or anywhere else. They’ve been able to witness it firsthand. Now, if they had any dreams – whether it’s in sport or in academics or in the business world – they know how much effort has to go in to achieve it.” 

‘Accurate depiction’

Any last words?

“I just encourage everybody to watch (Sweeps and Stones). I think it’s a very accurate depiction of who we are as a team and it shows what we’ve had to go through and it shows how big having the support of a company behind us is to achieving our goal.”

The folks who “pay the bills” don’t always get the credit they deserve, he added. “One of the first things I did after we won the trials was thank them because at this stage in life, without the support that Kubota has given us as our biggest sponsor,  we couldn’t have done it.”

As for the Olympics? Watch that too, he encouraged. “Watch it. Enjoy it. Cheer. That’s all we can ask for.”

For more visit Kubota Canada’s YouTube channel.

From small towns to curling’s biggest games, the power of teamwork, family, community and hard-work is undefeated, teases the set up for the YouTube series titled Sweeps and Stones: A Canadian Curling Story.

Kubota Canada, the genius behind farm equipment, construction equipment, mowers, and UTVs, has also been behind one of this country’s finest to ever pick up a broom; NL’s own Brad Gushue.

Olympic-worthy

Kubota teamed with Brad Gushue, Kerri Einarson, Mark Nichols, Brett Gallant and Geoff Walker to proudly present Sweeps and Stones: A Canadian Curling Story, a behind the scenes look at what it takes to win as Team Gushue compete for curling glory on the world stage at the Olympics in Beijing. 

One of the things that quickly becomes apparent in this five part series is how much time investment it truly takes to hone any talent at an Olympic-worthy level. 

Team Canada curling is not a ‘hobby’ you can dabble with on weekends or in the evening hours.

Going for Gold

Going for gold requires time, energy and commitment, and that means everything else in life – from working to family events – are often put on the back burner as  the team members reach for the stars. Add a global pandemic to the mix and you have some wild times for Gushue and co.

“You hit the nail on the head. For us especially this time around, having the support of partners like Kubota made all the difference for us. When I look back at the success we had 16 years ago, we were in our young 20s. We didn’t have families, we didn’t have kids. We we were pretty well 100 per cent focused on the Olympics,” Gushue began.

As such, each and every resource went into that goal, he added.

“At our age, we have wives and kids and businesses and other endeavors so for us to still be competitive with all the other teams in the world, we have to take a considerable amount of time away from our workplaces and from our families.”

Priority one

Without support from sponsors like Kubota, such golden opportunities might not be as easily within reach, he added. 

“Having Kubota on board with us for the last four years made a significant difference to us, to be quite honest. We were able to travel essentially anywhere we wanted to compete and (the financing) allowed us access to the best trainers around, which made a huge impact on our performance. All that will hopefully allow us to perform at our ultimate level when we head over to Beijing,” he said.

With everything that’s happening in the world these days, is his head in the game, we ask. “I’m okay. I have a good perspective on everything. But to be honest, there’s anxiety. There’s nerves about catching the virus before we get there. At this point, if we do catch (COVID), the likelihood of us being able to go is very slim and you don’t want your Olympic dream being taken away by a virus.”

Priority one: avoid the virus like, well, the plague, he said with a chuckle. 

“We have to do everything we can to make sure that we can get to Beijing with negative test results. Then, everything shifts to we have to perform. It’s a balance. Isolate as much as humanly possible so our only trips out of the house is to practice. We ‘bubble’ as a team and hopefully that’ll kind of blend the priorities that we need to focus on, which is getting ready.” 

Sweeps & Stones

In Sweeps and Stones, Gushue shared how he fell in love with the game of curling at a young age. He reflected on that life-changing moment of switching from hockey to curling.

“I knew curling was the sport for me from day one. I loved watching it, but when I actually played it, I fell in love with it that much more. My first day of curling was the day after my last game of hockey.” 

His love for the game was instant, he added. “I went and tried curling and I’m like, ‘You know what? This is what I’m going to do. This is where I want to spend my time as a young teenager,’ and my family were very supportive. My dad had just bought new hockey equipment, but he got on board pretty quick when he saw how passionate I was about it.”

Gushue shared he’s “passionate” about Sweeps and Stones too and the stories it tells.

‘“I’m anxious for everybody to see all the episodes as it really tells our story. It tells how the team has evolved and there’s a bit about our time here in St. John’s and the bubble we had last year and in the spring where we spent three months away from family and friends to be in the arena getting ready for those big moments on the ice. It gives a behind the scenes look at what we’ve given up and gone through, so I’m excited for everybody to see it. I think it tells the true story of who we are and what we’ve always had to do as a team to get where we are.” 

Team Gushue

Say ‘Team Gushue’ and many across Canada can recall where they were when the Canadian curlers achieved Olympic Gold in 2006. In this province, locals can even take the Team Gushue Highway, we tease, in honour of the win. 

“I’m sure they are not cheering when they go over the potholes,” Gushue joked. 

We ask if he’s feeling the pressure this time around. “It is quite an honour to have the amount of support that we have across the country. I think early in my career (knowing all eyes were on the team) added a lot of pressure, but I think the fact that we’ve had the success that we’ve had, that helps.”

‘True to Ourselves’

There’s no amount of success that can change who they are at this point, he added. “How we are treated within the community and whether we go to the Olympics and win or don’t win a game, I don’t know if it’s going to change too much when we come home. They can’t name another highway after us, can they? So that’s been done,” he joked.  

Gushue shared that it’s all about doing their best. “A win is not going to be the life changing moment we had 16 years ago. I think accepting that takes a lot of the pressure off or takes a lot of the edge off. We want to be true to ourselves, and do our best for our families and for our supporters.”

Don’t get him wrong, he added, he very much enjoyed being one of NL’s Golden B’ys.

“16 years ago, it was very much a provincial win. Our province was just coming out of some bad times and things were looking good. And then when we won, it felt like the whole province  jumped on board with us and the celebration was for a whole bunch of reasons.” 

Back to the Olympics

Today Gushue is a dad to two daughters, aged 10 and 14. They are into “typical teenage and preteen girl stuff,” Gushue shared. 

“They are into dance. They play soccer and volleyball. They both curl as well, which is exciting. They’re very, very excited to see us go to the Olympics and that was a big motivator for me over the last four years. Getting back to the Olympics when they were old enough to understand the magnitude of what we were doing is pretty awesome. I’d love for them to be over there, but that’s not possible, but they’re going to be watching every game here at home and supporting us as much as possible.”

Gushue’s mom, Maureen, had battled cancer and had to cheer her son on from home during the 2006 Olympics. How is she today? 

Mom’s Boy

“My mom is great. 16 years ago was a scary time for our family and she was going through cancer treatments and things didn’t look as good as we had hoped at the time. She’s in a really good place now and 16 years removed from it, she’s doing very well.”

Obviously family is very important, something that becomes very obvious throughout Sweeps and Stones. 

“Going back to the partnership with Kubota, that’s allowed us to balance things better. It’s allowed me more time to spend with family when I am home. Then you have the team, so that’s almost two families that I am able to be devoted to.”

In the fall and early winter, Gushue spent as much or more time with ‘the guys’ than with his actual family, he shared, and tight bonds were formed.  

“You develop ties to these four guys and I think that really shows up in episode three when we talk about being in that bubble for three months and living in a house together. You know, at the end of the day, that’s who I want to play for and what I’m trying to achieve; it’s for my family on and off the ice. It’s for  home. And, it’s to give my kids that little bit of inspiration that if they put their mind to something, they can achieve it.”

Family Time

Gushue’s family have certainly seen his commitment, he added.

“They’ve seen me now over the last number of years trying to achieve this goal of getting to the Olympics and they know how much hard work has to be done to get there. I think that’s a bigger lesson, in my opinion, than they are ever going to get in school or anywhere else. They’ve been able to witness it firsthand. Now, if they had any dreams – whether it’s in sport or in academics or in the business world – they know how much effort has to go in to achieve it.” 

‘Accurate Depiction’

Any last words?

“I just encourage everybody to watch (Sweeps and Stones). I think it’s a very accurate depiction of who we are as a team and it shows what we’ve had to go through and it shows how big having the support of a company behind us is to achieving our goal.”

The folks who “pay the bills” don’t always get the credit they deserve, he added. “One of the first things I did after we won the trials was thank them because at this stage in life, without the support that Kubota has given us as our biggest sponsor,  we couldn’t have done it.”

As for the Olympics? Watch that too, he encouraged. “Watch it. Enjoy it. Cheer. That’s all we can ask for.”

For more visit Kubota Canada’s YouTube channel.

Olympic fever has come to an end yet again, but that’s not to say it’s time to stop celebrating all of the accomplishments we witnessed this year in Pyeongchang, South Korea. From bobsledding to alpine skiing, all the way to snowboarding and curling, there were a total of 102 events within 15 sports.

GIVING IT ALL

Figure skating may have been the most watched sport in the 2018 Winter Olympics within Newfoundland and Labrador, for the obvious reason that our own Kaetlyn Osmond was one of 153 competitors at the Gangneung Ice Arena, giving it all in a fight for the gold.

Last year, Osmond helped make Canadian history at the 2017 World Championships where she won the silver medal to share the podium with bronze medalist and teammate, Gabrielle Daleman. It was the first time two Canadian women had stood together on the world championship podium.

This year, the reigning world silver medalist from Marystown skated to music from Black Swan, scoring 152.15 in her long program for a combined score of 231.02 and proudly winning a bronze medal in women’s singles figure skating, and taking gold in the team event.

“It was incredible. At the team event, when we were on the ice, we were all so nervous, we were fighting for that gold medal. We were second in Sochi, so we wanted to improve on that. The whole team was dedicated to the team event to get that gold medal, and we fought for it so hard,” Osmond shared in an exclusive interview with The Newfoundland Herald.

“When we found out that we won, we all just celebrated together. We’re like a family, we’ve become so close in the last couple of years. To be able to be up on the podium with them was amazing. We had a huge group hug up on the top of the podium and we were all just so excited. When I was standing up there all I could think about was that I wanna be back up on this podium enjoying this once again, and when I stepped out on the edge for my own program, I felt so good and so comfortable. I was terrified, I was so nervous, but I felt like I was exactly where I needed to be and exactly where I wanted to be.”

RELATED: IN CONVERSATION WITH
PEOPLE | In Conversation With Alan Doyle
PEOPLE | In Conversation with Premier Andrew Furey
PEOPLE | In Conversation with Rick Mercer

SILVER BLADES

“I’ve gotten to travel the world a lot more than I was expecting to. I’ve been to a couple places that I never thought I would like Korea – I never thought I’d end up there. I’ve gone to Japan numerous times, also a place I never thought I would go and it’s now one of my favourite places,” she shared.

“There’s a place in Germany called Obertsdorf, I do a competition there sometimes and that is incredible. I competed in France, it’s hard not to love France. I’d love to go to Australia. Right now the only thing on my mind is somewhere warm. At the moment, anything warm I’m very much okay with.”

Originally from Newfoundland and currently residing in Alberta, Osmond has been around the world, something that most 22-year-olds can’t say they’ve done. No matter how many countries and cities she tours abroad, she always makes time to come back to the island for a visit.

“I make it into St. John’s usually once a year at least, but I haven’t been back to Marystown in four years so I’m very excited to go back there. I’m going to Newfoundland for a number of things. One weekend I’ll be making a trip to Marys-town, doing a few things there. Couple things in CBS, and the following weekend is when I’ll be in Corner Brook. I do have an agent, but when it comes to Newfoundland, I feel like my dad just takes over,” she shared with a laugh.

The Silver Blades Skating Club in Corner Brook has a long history of phenomenal year end ice shows. In recent years, they’ve been honoured to have skaters like Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, Elvis Stojko, and Joannie Rochette. In 2013, Kaetlyn Osmond headlined the show. Lisa Young, coach at the Silver Blades Skating Club, is beyond thrilled to announce that Kaetlyn Osmond will be back this year as their headline performer.

“We are beyond thrilled and honoured this year to have 2018 Olympic medalist (gold and bronze) Kaetlyn Osmond back as our headline performer! Artistic direction will be provided again this year by the incredibly talented choreographer Nathalie Deschênes, and the show will feature the very entertaining and very excited skaters of the Silver Blades Skating Club. It will be an ice show evening of Olympic proportions,” Young shared.

Kaetlyn elaborated, “I get to guest skate in Silver Blades! I’ll be around a little bit after, sign some autographs and I’ll have my medals on me this year anywhere I go, people can take pictures with those and hold them. It’s quite exciting to hold them. Seeing it is one thing, feeling the weight of it is another.”

The Olympics may be over, but there’s no time to rest for the figure skating star. Back on her skates, Osmond has already begun training for the World Figure Skating Championships in Milan, which begins in just a couple of weeks.

PURSUING HER DREAM

“For the next couple of months, I’m pretty flat out. I was trying to organize my schedule yesterday and it was even overwhelming me a little bit, but I think now that it’s settled, I’m okay,” she laughs.

“I go straight from Worlds to Japan for Stars on Ice. Then I’ll be here in Edmonton for a couple of days before I head to Newfoundland. In between my two weekends in Newfoundland I’ll be in Toronto getting some choreography done, and after Newfoundland I’ll go straight to Halifax, which is where we start our Canadian Stars on Ice tour.”

As she began travelling to pursue her dream at such a young age, Osmond says she is pretty use to being away from friends and family. “I feel like being away from my animals is more troublesome. I have a cat and a dog, and they both sleep with me when I’m home so it’s sometimes a little hard when I’m away for so long. I’m still debating, my dog might come to Newfoundland with me because I’ll be away for so long.”

Catch Kaetlyn Osmond in Marystown at the Ice Crystals Annual Skating Event on April 14, followed by the Silver Blades Annual Ice Show in Corner Brook on April 21

Five athletes from this province will be in Ecuador in August representing Canada at the 2016 Cadet and Junior Pam-American Karate Championships that take place in Guayaquil, Ecuador from August 22-28.

It’s the first year for this province to have five athletes on the national team said Karate NL coach, Derek Ryan.

“We’ve been rebuilding a team of elite athletes since 2004. So, twelve years later things are starting to look very strong,” Derek said.

Team NL

While the athletes will be under the Karate Canada coaching staff in Ecuador, Derek is a referee at international events and will be at the championships as an official.

Wing Au will also be refereeing some games while in Ecuador, Derek said. Wing’s son Christopher is the youngest athlete from this province to make the national team.

Nathaniel Besso, 18, is the oldest athlete heading to Ecuador. He’ll be competing in the U21 division.

Nathaniel has competed nationally and internationally on several occasions.

“In 2013, Nathaniel was the first Newfoundlander to make the Canadian National team as a youth/junior athlete,” Derek said.

His previous competitions have also taken him to other Pan-American Championships and in June Nathaniel brought home a bronze medal from the European Youth Cup in Croatia.

“Canada sent 43 athletes, male and female. Nathaniel was the only male athlete who medaled at that event,” Derek said of the European Youth Cup.

“He repeated his junior performance as a gold medalist and he was a bronze medalist in the senior division (18 and older),” Derek said.

This is Christopher Coady’s third year on the national team.

Christopher has been a gold medalist in the junior division on two occasions and will be competing in that division in the Pam-American Championships.

“Christopher is a very strong contender,” Derek said of the17-year-old.

Tyson Besso (Nathaniel’s brother) is 15 years old. His accolades include a bronze medal in January at the Canadian Championships in the cadet division (14-15 year olds). “Tyson has medalled at the US Open. He’s a strong contender as well,” Derek said.

Gold Medal Winner

Fifteen-year-old James Thorne will also be competing in the cadet division.

He has been successful in international competition for the past three years.

“He has competed at the Canadian Nationals this year and received a gold medal in his division. He has competed in the US Open twice,” Derek said.

James accumulated enough points to be ranked #1 Cadet 70+ kg division with Karate Canada this year. Not only will he represent Canada at the Junior Pan- m Championships in Ecuador in August James will also represent Canada at Pan-Am Kick Boxing Championships in Cancun Mexico in October.

Like James, Christopher Au, started training at age five, following in his brother, Andrew, and his sister, Samantha’s footsteps training at NL Tsuruoka Karate Dojo under the direction of his father.

In 2015 Christopher placed third in the 12-13 year old intermediate division at the US Open Karate Championships in Las Vegas.

Earlier this year, the 13-year-old represented NL at the Canadian National Karate Championships. Christopher was the youngest member on the team ever as this is the first time Karate NL participated in the youth division in the Canadian National Karate Championships. His silver medal allowed him to participate in elite training sessions with the Canadian Team coaches.

After three days of training at Junior National Training Camp in July, Christopher was selected along with 52 other Canadian athletes to represent Canada in Ecuador. “Christopher is competing in the youth (12-13 year-old) division,” Derek said.

Christopher and the other athletes are training hard, Derek sad, and he has great expectations for all five youth.

“We always go with the attitude that everything is possible. We just do our best performance and leave the calls to the referees,” Derek said.

A Big Karate Family

Christopher’s mother Cindy Au said karate parents support each other a great deal particularly when their children are competing out-of-province.

Those involved with the sport have become “a big karate family” she said.

Many friendships have been built over the years, Cindy said, between both athletes and parents.

“It there is a parent at the tournament, they are usually providing updates via text or over Facebook messenger. If the event is streamed over the internet all parents who are home start a group and we chat while trying to watch all the athletes,” Cindy said.

The athletes support each other at home and on the road, she said.

“Karate has built them each into a well rounded individual. They have won and lost. They have been injured and through the good and the bad they are there for their teammates/friends.”

The athletes have learned to respect themselves and others and show great sportsmanship, she said, both on and off the mat. “Yes, they are disappointed with a loss but they pick themselves up and move to the next mat where a teammate is competing and start cheering.”

Nathaniel is an assistant coach and team leader with Karate NL.

He helps train the athletes – both rising stars and proven competitors.

“A lot of experiences that I’ve had, I get to bring them back to the younger athletes and that helps prepare them for their own tournaments,” Nathaniel said.

Training at this stage is intense, Nathaniel said, but it will taper off as the dates of the championships get closer.

“We do something called the taper which prepares our body to travel. Then, once we get to Ecuador, we will have a week to adjust and get acclimatized and to train with the national team.”

Heading into this third Pam-Am Games, Nathaniel has set a goal that he hopes to accomplish.

“My first Pam-Am was 2013 in Columbia. I finished seventh… Last year in Bolivia I finished fifth… and hopefully this year I’m going to medal.”

Karate has brought much to his life, Nathaniel said. It’s made him more comfortable speaking in front of crowds, he said, and gave him the confidence to teach a self-defense course to hundreds of students at his school.

“It also helps a lot with your studies. You’re able to focus on a task and to set goals for yourself.”

Nathaniel – as well as other young karate athletes – has his sights set on the probable inclusion of karate in the 2020 Summer Olympic Games, which will be held in Tokyo, Japan. “My long term goal is Tokyo 2020. And it looks very likely that it will be a sport in those Olympics,” Nathaniel said.