As a player, never made it to the Olympic Games.
Now as a coach, the 52-year-old curler from 91大黄鸭 is on the verge of living out a lifelong dream.
Ursel will guide the host country鈥檚 national men鈥檚 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.
鈥淚t鈥檚 just great to be going, in any capacity,鈥 said Ursel. 鈥淚 never made it as a player, so it鈥檚 like a dream come true and I鈥檓 super excited.
鈥淚 feel pretty lucky,鈥 he added. 鈥淚 know it鈥檚 for a different country (than Canada), but I think it鈥檚 just going to be a great experience.鈥
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鈥檚 national trials and qualifying for the Olympic Games.
鈥淚t was so satisfying,鈥 Ursel said of the Korean team鈥檚 Olympic qualification. 鈥淭hey beat the team (Soo-Hyuk Kim) that had been national champions seven years in a row, so it was just a great accomplishment.鈥
Ursel, a three-time B.C. men鈥檚 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.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e a great group of guys, they鈥檝e improved so much and it鈥檚 really gratifying,鈥 he said. 鈥淚 firmly believe they can medal.
鈥淭he million dollar question is how will they do with the pressure?鈥 Ursel added. 鈥淚t鈥檚 going to be pretty demanding, the media attention, the exposure will be like nothing they鈥檝e seen. They鈥檝e never played in front of more than 200 people. There鈥檚 going to be about 3,500 in the area there and TV and media, so we鈥檒l see how they deal with that.鈥
From Ursel鈥檚 perspective, his main priority in Pyeongchang will be coaching the Korean men鈥檚 curling team. But that doesn鈥檛 mean the 91大黄鸭 man will restrict his Olympic experience to curling only.
鈥淚n talking to (former Olympians) Kevin Martin and Thomas Olsrud, they told us to make sure you enjoy the experience, don鈥檛 go in there too serious and forget about what鈥檚 going on around you,鈥 he said. 鈥淲hen we have some down time, I鈥檓 going to go out and see some of the other events, experience the culture, just try and take it all in.
鈥淵ou may never get the chance to do something like this again.鈥
Ursel and the Korean men鈥檚 team are in Camrose, AB this week for the Canadian Open, the last major event in North America before next month鈥檚 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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