A University of the Sunshine Coast student and curling star is proving that he can match it with the best of the world – without putting his degree on ice.

Business student Grant Hamsey, 21, will travel to Europe this Sunday 25 December for the World Junior B Curling Championships in Östersund, Sweden, after his selection in the Australian under-21 team.

Curling, most popular in Canada, involves players sliding stones across an ice rink and using brooms to sweep the surface to control the stone’s direction.

It is the seventh consecutive year that Grant, who studies at USC Southbank, has been selected for the national team. He took up curling at age 12 to connect with the culture of his native Canada.

The Gaythorne resident said he was looking forward to competing against powerhouse curling nations like Norway, Denmark and China at the tournament from 3 to 10 January.

“The other countries are always a little bit surprised to see an Australian team competing at this level,” he said. “Qualification for the Youth Winter Olympics is up for grabs, so the stakes are high.

“Our pool includes Russia, which is one of the top teams in the world but we’ve been training hard and I’m confident we’ll do well.

“I loved curling from the moment I started it. It’s so different from what we generally experience in Australia and it takes a huge amount of balance and core strength.”

Grant’s curling career has taken him around Europe and Asia, which has further spurred the passion for travel that inspired him to enrol in a Bachelor of Business (Tourism, Leisure and Event Management) at USC.

“Before I started university, I spent some time backpacking around the world, including running events at a nightclub in China,” Grant said.

“I really loved that experience, so I decided to gain a qualification at USC Southbank to help me build a career in the tourism and events field, maybe in Asia.

“I do spend a lot of time training and competing, so studying definitely gives me a sense of balance.”

— Gen Kennedy