This N.L. curling duo will represent Canada at upcoming Youth Olympics
Cailey Locke and Simon Perry both train in St. John's. (Submitted by David Locke)
Newfoundland and Labrador's crop of talented curlers continues to grow with one duo making a splash at an event in Edmonton over the weekend.
Sixteen-year-old Cailey Locke of Conception Bay South and 17-year-old Simon Perry of Portugal Cove-St. Philip's had a bumpy start to their mixed doubles tournament on Friday, but managed to claw their way back from down 3-1 to close out the seven game set on Saturday and claim victory.
"Coming off the ice, as soon as we both looked at our phones, they were blowing up and it was so overwhelming," Locke told CBC News on Sunday from a quiet room inside the Saville Community Sports Centre.
"The support we had was amazing, which we could not ask for any better."
Both athletes train out of St. John's and already have multiple national and Canada Games event experiences under their belts.
"We've been away a good bit," said Perry.
But this weekend's event had another level of hype.
Cailey Locke, 16, of C.B.S. and Simon Perry, 17, of Portugal Cove-St.Philip's won their way into the Youth Olympics in tournament in Edmonton over the weekend. (Brian Chick/Curling Canada)
As winners, Locke and Perry get to represent Canada at the Youth Olympics in South Korea in January.
"This is definitely a big opportunity that we are fortunate enough to win the right to go. We have a lot of training coming up now to prepare for January," said Locke.
"I think something I'm most looking forward to is seeing my name above the maple leaf. That's going to be a pretty surreal moment and I think maybe an emotional one. But yeah, it's undescribable how excited I am for that."
Perry said that event will be a high point in the young lives of both team members.
"We're going to have to take in every second of it because it's going to be so, so special," he said.
"I think I'm going to shed another tear when I finally get my jersey. But just the competition as well, it's going to be so, so fun finally playing something international. We're so used to games within Canada but the Olympics is a whole new beast. It's something so special that so few get to experience."
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