Canada Games bronze medallist Emma Mullett of St. John's says the competition can sneak up on athletes who have put hundreds of hours of work and effort into their sport.

In my own experience, she's totally right. The Canada Winter Games are here, and it's time to perform.

The Games are the largest multisport event for amateur athletes in the country and represent the pinnacle of competition for many. The 2023 edition of the Games will run Feb. 18-March 5 in Charlottetown.

More than 3,600 participants will hit the ground running from all 13 provinces and territories. Newfoundland and Labrador is sending 164 athletes — including me.

This trip to the Canada Games will be my second, and I can't wait to see what unfolds over the next two weeks.

As Team N.L. heads to the biggest national sporting stage in the country, here are three things I think you should watch for.

Snowboarding was an exciting addition to the 2007 Games in Whitehorse and has been featured in each winter edition since. Some of Canada's top snowboarders have made their mark on the competition, like Mark McMorris, Meryeta O'Dine and Marianne Leeson.

Newfoundland and Labrador has never sent a snowboarding team as part of its contingent — but that changes this year.

N.L. Snowboard chair Caroline Swan says competitive snowboarding was casually introduced into the province's sport scene years ago and has flourished since. Twelve snowboarders will represent the province in Charlottetown.

"For me it's an honour. As soon as I heard about Canada Games, Newfoundland team, I thought, 'I want to be on that team to represent our province," said 15-year-old Finn Howell in January.

Meredith Hayden, 13, is also on the snowboarding team. She and her teammates have put in countless hours on the hill and in the gym, she said, adding the prospect of being on the history-making team made her want to train even harder.

Swan says Newfoundland and Labrador is one of just a few provinces that is sending a full roster of male and female athletes.

"We are so incredibly proud about that.… We have been working very hard over the last couple years to make sure that both male and female athletes have access to the sport," she said.

"We will go very proud, and come home very proud, I'm sure, with lots of accomplishments."

Team N.L. will hit the slopes beginning Feb. 28.

I couldn't write this without writing about my own team, right?

Newfoundland and Labrador made its return to wheelchair basketball at the Canada Games in 2019 in Red Deer, Alta., after a 12-year hiatus. The return was fuelled by a surge of interest and young talent from around the St. John's area — and included yours truly.

Our return came with an eighth-place finish but it showed the future was bright for the sport in the province.

But fast-forward to the 2023 Games, and we were faced with a dilemma: half of our team had aged out of the under-23 competition, so what were we going to do with half a basketball team?

It turns out the answer was simpler than we thought: you merge your team with the other Atlantic province who has half a basketball team.

The structure of the Canada Games allows for flexibility and inclusion, meaning that you don't have to compete for the province you were born in. For example, wheelchair basketball athletes from Newfoundland and Labrador have represented Prince Edward Island at past Canada Games.

As a result of the merge, Team Newfoundland and Labrador is made up of five Newfoundlanders and six Nova Scotians travelling under the Newfoundland and Labrador flag. The team competed at the junior national championships in Charlottetown this past June, finishing the tournament with a win over Ontario. 

It's been interesting trying to prepare with teammates in two different provinces during a pandemic, but I'm incredibly excited to showcase wheelchair basketball from this province on one of Canada's largest stages.

We'll hit the court against defending bronze medallists Quebec when competition begins Feb. 20.

Newfoundland and Labrador's contingent of 164 athletes will be looking to make their mark in the history books by going all out for a medal — and being sure to leave extra room in their carry-ons for some hardware.

The province secured two medals in 2019, and is hoping to grow that total this time around. Melanie Taylor of Conception Bay South won a gold medal in Red Deer in figure skating, while Emma Mullett secured a bronze in women's judo.

"It was such a surreal experience. Any medal is such an accomplishment,"  Mullett told me in January.

"It's something that you worked so long for, and something you have to get picked to be in and chosen to be in. So it was really great."

Although Mullett won't be part of Team N.L. in 2023, she applauds the years of training and dedication that go into representing your province at the highest level.

"It was definitely intensive, but you're working towards something so you know it's worth it," Mullett said. 

"It feels like it's a long ways away, but in a second it's there and you're going up … getting prepared for your match or your game or whatever it is. And yeah, you just kind of think back to how hard you were working."

Mullett's advice to athletes is to make the most of the opportunities the Canada Games presents and to not forget to take in all of the festivities. I can vouch for this one; the opening ceremony is one of my favourite memories of the Games.

I could pick only three things for the sake of length and time, but there are so many interesting stories that will capture your hearts and minds over the next two weeks.

Athletes from across Newfoundland and Labrador have put everything into getting ready for competition. They're ready to shine on the largest stage possible.

So good luck to all of the athletes. I hope to see you on the ground in Charlottetown in competition and in the stands cheering on your teammates.

Have the time of your life, work as hard as you can and know that you have a whole province behind you.

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