OSHAWA, Ont. - Laurier curler Emma Artichuk's reading week plans are set. Unlike most student vacationers though, she'll be heading for the Swiss Alps rather than sunnier climes. 

That became official after the fourth-year communications studies major and her rink, representing the Guelph Curling Club, won the 2023 WFG Canadian Junior Cup in Oshawa on December 30. With the victory came the privilege of representing Canada at the prestigious Swiss Junior Cup in Bern, Switzerland from February 19 to February 26.

"Just sharing this experience with this team is something I'll never forget," said Artichuk. Having played in the Junior Cup every year since she was 13, this was the first time she both skipped a team at the event, let alone won it.

"I was nervous going into it. I felt pressure because I didn't want to let my team down but trusted my training. Everything worked out," said Artichuk, who hails from Ottawa and throws second for the Golden Hawks women's varsity curling team.
 
It's the first season she's played competitively at the club level with Lauren Rajala, Kailee Delaney, and Tori Zemmelink. Artichuk admitted that, while there was some adversity to begin the year, the team got on track when it counted most.

"We had some early losses, which made us evaluate where our gaps were. We sat down and told ourselves we wanted this so badly. Everyone's super-committed," she said.

After going undefeated through four draws of the Junior Cup round robin, the squad found itself in a semi-final match-up against the visiting Swiss team St.Gallen-Flims-Thun. 

Admitting that it turned out to be "the hardest game of the tournament", Artichuk and Co. exacted some revenge for being eliminated by the team at the same event last year, coming away with a 4-3 win this time.

A 7-2 victory over Allory Johnson's rink in the final booked their ticket for the global event next month - which will be Artichuk's first time playing her sport outside of North America. 

With just three more events on her club schedule and a few practices left to prepare before the upcoming competition, she stressed that the team is focusing on "staying in the moment and taking it piece by piece."

That includes the integral work she puts into her game with her Laurier teammates and coaches, which "helps me improve in every aspect of my game when I step foot on the ice."

When she does so wearing the red and white, it'll be with a mix of excitement and level-headedness.  

"We're going to take the same approach we just had into the Swiss Cup and enjoy the whole experience."