As a player, never made it to the Olympic Games.

Now as a coach, the 52-year-old curler from Kelowna is on the verge of living out a lifelong dream.

Ursel will guide the host country乌鸦传媒檚 national men乌鸦传媒檚 curling team next month at the in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

Ursel, now in his third season coaching the foursome, is grateful for what could well be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

乌鸦传媒淚t乌鸦传媒檚 just great to be going, in any capacity,乌鸦传媒� said Ursel. 乌鸦传媒淚 never made it as a player, so it乌鸦传媒檚 like a dream come true and I乌鸦传媒檓 super excited.

乌鸦传媒淚 feel pretty lucky,乌鸦传媒� he added. 乌鸦传媒淚 know it乌鸦传媒檚 for a different country (than Canada), but I think it乌鸦传媒檚 just going to be a great experience.乌鸦传媒�

Ursel spent five months coaching the Kim team during the 2015-16 season, then returned for another 12-week stint last season.

It was last spring that the young South Korean team realized a dream, winning their country乌鸦传媒檚 national trials and qualifying for the Olympic Games.

乌鸦传媒淚t was so satisfying,乌鸦传媒� Ursel said of the Korean team乌鸦传媒檚 Olympic qualification. 乌鸦传媒淭hey beat the team (Soo-Hyuk Kim) that had been national champions seven years in a row, so it was just a great accomplishment.乌鸦传媒�

Ursel, a three-time B.C. men乌鸦传媒檚 champ as a player, has enjoyed watching the team evolve and believes the Chang-Min Kim rink has a legitimate chance to make it onto the podium.

The wild card, said Ursel, will be how well the young curlers cope with the pressure and distractions of playing in their home country.

乌鸦传媒淭hey乌鸦传媒檙e a great group of guys, they乌鸦传媒檝e improved so much and it乌鸦传媒檚 really gratifying,乌鸦传媒� he said. 乌鸦传媒淚 firmly believe they can medal.

乌鸦传媒淭he million dollar question is how will they do with the pressure?乌鸦传媒� Ursel added. 乌鸦传媒淚t乌鸦传媒檚 going to be pretty demanding, the media attention, the exposure will be like nothing they乌鸦传媒檝e seen. They乌鸦传媒檝e never played in front of more than 200 people. There乌鸦传媒檚 going to be about 3,500 in the area there and TV and media, so we乌鸦传媒檒l see how they deal with that.乌鸦传媒�

From Ursel乌鸦传媒檚 perspective, his main priority in Pyeongchang will be coaching the Korean men乌鸦传媒檚 curling team. But that doesn乌鸦传媒檛 mean the Kelowna man will restrict his Olympic experience to curling only.

乌鸦传媒淚n talking to (former Olympians) Kevin Martin and Thomas Olsrud, they told us to make sure you enjoy the experience, don乌鸦传媒檛 go in there too serious and forget about what乌鸦传媒檚 going on around you,乌鸦传媒� he said. 乌鸦传媒淲hen we have some down time, I乌鸦传媒檓 going to go out and see some of the other events, experience the culture, just try and take it all in.

乌鸦传媒淵ou may never get the chance to do something like this again.乌鸦传媒�

Ursel and the Korean men乌鸦传媒檚 team are in Camrose, AB this week for the Canadian Open, the last major event in North America before next month乌鸦传媒檚 games.

The team will then spend the following two weeks practising in Canada, before heading to Pyeongchang, South Korea in early February.

The curling competition at 2018 Olympic Games is set for Feb. 14 to 25.

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