With memories to make and gold in their eyes, this youth curling duo is bound for South Korea

Cailey Locke and Simon Perry were the first two on the ice for a Wednesday afternoon practice at the Remax Centre — home of the St. John's Curling Club. 

Not much is said between teammates as they stare down the 50 metres to the other end of the sheet. They begin stretching and preparing rocks for some warm-up throws. 

The only noise to break the silence is from the overhead air ducts and the scrape of their brooms along the ice as Locke and Perry push off from the hack. 

They're all business, but the quiet confidence in the pair of high schoolers turns to excitement as they speak about what's just around the corner. 

Locke, from Conception Bay South, and Perry, from Portugal Cove-St. Philip's, are representing Canada in curling mixed doubles at the 2024 Winter Youth Olympic Games in Gangwon province, South Korea. The Games start Friday.

"It's hard to describe. It's definitely surreal but also so exciting," said Locke. 

"We've been working really hard the last couple of months just trying to prepare for this opportunity."

What's important to note is the pair — both skips on their own four-person teams — have been playing together only since September, when they were paired for a national event in Edmonton. They won and punched their ticket to the biggest stage of their young careers so far. 

Mixed doubles, as Locke explains, is fast-paced with five rocks thrown per side instead of the traditional eight. Both team members are responsible for sweeping, regardless of which end of the rink they're on. 

"It's definitely a lot faster. It's a lot of fun," she said. "I can't wait to get out on the ice."

Looking ahead to South Korea, both agree winning gold would make for a nice moment. But both also say the experience of the event in and of itself, wearing the Maple Leaf and exploring a new culture top their priority list.

"I know tickets have already sold out for these games, for the mixed teams especially," said Perry.

"We're going to a place where we're going to have a real atmosphere in the arena. It's going to be so cool to play."

Locke's parents and brother — who she calls her best friend — will be joining her on the trip. Perry's parents will accompany him.

"It's going to be special. We're staying in Seoul for a few days before so we're still going to get a little bit of family time in, enjoy it and get our tourism stuff done and then have them cheer us on," said Perry.

"[We'll] have our dads screaming in the stands and our moms biting their nails."

But that's not all. Buzz is building at their home rink in St. John's as the pair prepare for South Korea. They're on the ice most days of the week, putting in the work before taking off to the other side of the world.

Students and teachers at their respective schools also know how big the moment is. 

Perry said their team kit landed two weeks ago, signalling that the duo's biggest games are almost here. 

"We've done a fair bit of bragging. You can't not, right? We got the Lululemon gear two weeks back — I had to tell the b'ys," he said with a laugh. 

Canada's first mixed double game is Jan. 27.

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