Mike Liu

For the former Thunderbird, it has been a long journey, with experiences and hurdles that he could never have seen coming.

"They just really want to compete and they want to play and want to represent the school,” said UBC golf head coach Chris MacDonald. And represent UBC they have.

The women’s team came agonizingly close to a berth in the finals to defend their national crown, only to fall in two heartbreakers and finish fourth in the nation. As for the men, a familiar pattern repeated itself yet again as they flamed out in the quarterfinals.

The proof is in the pudding: the men’s and women’s teams have swept their way to Canada West banners, racing past their competition in Saskatoon.

“Every single dude, all 26 of us that were in Kingston and for the guys that stayed back home, we all deserve to be champions,” the fourth-year centre Connor Byron.

My experience at the Winter Olympics was the first time that being Chinese Canadian clicked into place.

It wasn’t always this easy for him. Kelly’s story is a thread tied intricately to the game of rugby.