Prince George judokas Nicolas Richards and Maxwell Young have both fought outside the province before.
And the pair of 14-year-olds from the North Capital Judo Club have found success on the mats.
Richards won the bronze medal in the U16 juvenile boys under-66-kilogram class at the Edmonton International in mid-March.
Young finished fifth in the U16 -46kg juvenile boys class at the same tournament.
They've also had success within B.C. Young moved up to the under-50kg class and won the bronze medal at the Vancouver International Open and Youth Provincial championships in Langley in early February.
Earlier in the season, Richards won the silver medal in the Steveston judo tournament in November.
Now, for the first time in their careers, they're competing at the Canadian judo championships in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que. The championships get underway Friday and wrap up Sunday.
Nationals may be a different beast, but they're ready for it.
"I'm pretty confident right now," said Richards. "I'm ranked second in B.C. and I'm happy. I had a good fight, a long fight that lasted seven minutes at provincials. I'm mentally focused and just working on my technical skills right now."
Ditto for Young, who, because of the lack of athletes in his weight class in B.C., always moves up a division. He also won the bronze medal in Steveston in the -50kg class.
"It definitely helps fighting bigger guys and better opponents," he said. "I fought an 18-year-old at the Prince George tournament (April 11) and won. I'm just focusing on my technique, speed - just make sure I'm doing my own thing. I'm pretty confident going in. I fought the number one guy from Ontario in Richmond. I've fought him twice this year and am 0-2, but I got better each time."
Richards and Young are part of a 15-member contingent (13 athletes, two coaches) from Prince George's three judo clubs who are representing B.C. at the national championships.
Unlike Richards and Young, who are making their first appearance at Canadians, it's the fourth trip for 16-year-old Grace Northrop from the Hart Judo Academy.
Northrop won her division at Youth Provincials, but was held off the podium at the 2015 Canada Winter Games. She rebounded nicely to win gold medals at the Vancouver International Open and Pacific International Open in the U18 under-52kg class.
Northrop's best finish at the national level was fifth in her first appearance and she knows she'll be in tough this year with 10 girls in her category.
"I'm going in with no expectations," she said. "I've learned to not sell yourself short, to take it one match at a time. That's my goal. The Canada Winter Games was very different than nationals. It was easy to let the nerves get to you competing in my hometown. Some of the same girls who were at the Canada Winter Games will be at nationals."
They include five from Quebec, two from B.C., two from Ontario and one athlete from P.E.I.
In late April, Northrop returned from watching the Pan American championships in Edmonton. Afterwards she also had a chance to train against girls from B.C., Alberta and Saskatchewan.
She hopes that helps in the long run.
"Competing against them was really awesome," she said. "I was fighting girls who were older and bigger. There was a lot of variety."
After arriving in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu Wednesday night, and after practice on Thursday, Northrop fights on the first day of competition.
It will be the third appearance at nationals for Levi Price, 15, from the Prince George Judo Club. He will compete in the U16 under-66kg class.
He's coming off a bronze medal at the Youth Provincials.
"I haven't done well at previous nationals, but I'm confident going in this year," he said. "I've been working on my technique and speed and feel pretty well prepared. My goal is to win a couple of rounds in Quebec. My advice for rookies is don't expect to win."
Other Prince George athletes going to Quebec this week include U16 judokas from the Hart Judo Academy Kimiko Kamstra, Lorna Jane Simmons and Kurtis Cormack. PGJC athletes include Ryan Russell and Branden Edwards. Lisa Russell and Taylor Shaus will represent PGJC in the U18 division.
The Hart Judo Academy's Lavanna Laass, who won the silver medal for Team B.C. at the Canada Winter Games, will compete in the U21 and senior women's division. Quinn Clemas of PGJC will compete in the senior men's category.
Bruce Kamstra, the Hart Judo Academy's head coach, will serve as head coach for Team B.C., while Aline Strasdin, the head coach at PGJC, will also be a provincial coach. They're among six other coaches who will oversee a contingent of 60 on Team B.C.
"There are a couple of new, younger athletes (Kimiko Kamstra, Cormack, Richards and Young) who are going for the first time and we've been helping them with their training and preparation," said Strasdin. "The Prince George group is always good at sticking together. They all have individual goals. We want to see them improve on their performance from last year. The U18 and U21 athletes have some pretty serious goals. For the U16s, it's their first time and I tell them to set personal goals."
