Team N.L. hits the road for 2023 Canada Winter Games
Opening ceremonies start on Saturday
The terminal at St. John's International Airport was a sea of maroon on Friday as Team Newfoundland and Labrador prepared to embark on its journey to Prince Edward Island.
The opening ceremonies for the 2023 Canada Winter Games are just a day away, and athletes and coaches were buzzing with nerves and excitement while going over last-minute checklists.
"I think I'm ready. I think I'll be good at the competition," Gleb Evstigneev, Team N.L.'s flag-bearer, told CBC News shortly before takeoff.
"I feel pretty honoured. They seem to have pretty high hopes for me. I think I'll be able to perform well."
Evstigneev, a gymnast competing in trampoline, trains in Mount Pearl.
This year will be his second Canada Games. He's coming off of a junior world championship competition in Bulgaria in 2022. Evstigneev said he has aspirations to make Canada's national team in the near future.
Suitcases, carry-ons, hockey bags and gear bags filled the terminal while more than 160 athletes waited to board their flights.
Morgan White and Sophie Tulk, from St. John's and Conception Bay South, respectively are heading for their second Canada Games as well, aiming for gold in squash.
"I got into squash when I was really young because both of my parents played squash and they actually met playing squash. I kind of grew up around the sport," said White.
"I'm a little bit less nervous because I've been there before, I know what to expect and I know it's a lot of fun. There's not a whole lot of pressure on you. You just want to go out there and have a really good time with your teammates."
Tulk said she's most excited to trade pins with athletes from other provinces.
"That was my highlight of the last Games," she said, noting she collected hundreds the last time around.
"Each province usually gets a cool puzzle that they put together, and everybody goes crazy for that one."
Janine Campbell, games co-ordinator for Team N.L., said many of the athletes have been through a lot over the last few years, with the pandemic forcing them to train solo rather than in team environments, and added there's a lot of anticipation for the Games this year.
"We're very hopeful. We have lots of people who have done very well on the national stage, lots of athletes that have been placing really highly there," she said.
"Today is an exciting day. We're just excited to get there. Everybody has done everything they needed to do, done all the training, done all the logistical things. Now we just get them on a plane and go have fun."
The event this year runs until March 5.
The Games will be streamed online through the Canada Games website.
With files from Jeremy Eaton