Kate Dubinski

Ryli&nbsp;Valliere is a long way from the days when she picked up sticks on her way home from school to fashion into bows and arrows.&nbsp;

The 17-year-old Catholic Central High School student is off to Alberta for the Canada Winter Games, one of a handful of athletes from London who will be representing the province at the games.&nbsp;

Thousands of athletes, spectators flood into Red Deer for 2019 Canada Winter Games

More than 3,600 athletes, managers and coaches, 5,500 volunteers and more than 20,000 visitors are descending on Red Deer for the 18-day Canada Winter Games that starts Friday.

Hail Grant of the Yukon is seen during the women's snowboard slopestyle on Tabor Mountain at the Canada Winter Games in Prince George, B.C. Friday, Feb. 27, 2015. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward

Canada Games 20150227

Hail Grant of the Yukon is seen during the women's snowboard slopestyle at the 2015 Canada Winter Games. The 2019 Games in Red Deer, Alta., kick of Friday with thousands of athletes, spectators and volunteers in attendance.

In the genes? How 12 McQuaid cousins have played their way onto Canada Games teams

Sports officials on P.E.I. say one Island family likely holds a provincial record. Four McQuaids are heading to this year's Canada Winter Games, bringing to 12 the number of McQuaid first cousins who have competed for P.E.I. at the games over the years.

Squash player Grace, hockey player Matthew, and synchronised swimmer Victoria are among the 12 McQuaid first-cousins to make a P.E.I. Canada Games team.  

McQuaid athletes 

Squash player Grace, hockey player Matthew and synchronised swimmer Victoria are among the 12 McQuaid first cousins to make a P.E.I. Canada Games team.  

"I absolutely love archery," said Valliere, who first fell in love with the sport after watching the movie Narnia, in which one of the female protagonists&nbsp;is an excellent archer.&nbsp;

"I used to pick up sticks and make them into bows and arrows until my mom finally relented and said, 'Fine, let's get you archery lessons,'" Valliere said.&nbsp;

The kicker was that Valliere couldn't shoot in the house. Instead, she practices both inside and outside at clubs here in London.&nbsp;

"I'm very attached to it. Sometimes, my coach or other people pick it up and I get anxious. I'm like, 'Get away from it, it's mine,'" Valliere joked.&nbsp;

She still remembers her first archery lesson.&nbsp;

"It was incredible. So much fun, difficult at first, I was just so giddy. I looked back at my mom, she was nodding her head, smiling so big at me," Valliere said.&nbsp;

In Alberta, she'll be shooting three arrows and 20 ends. That means she'll shoot three times, go to the target to see her score, then come back and shoot another three — 20 times. The score is out of 600.

"We have a lot of focus training and visualization has helped me shoot better, by visualizing me hitting that bulls-eye, hitting it every single time," Valliere says.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Archer Ryli Valliere spoke to London Morning host Julianne Hazlewood on Friday. 

Young London, Ont. archer hopes for bulls-eye at Canada Winter Games

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