Magnitude of Universiade shocks Athlete

Struan Tonnar (right) has been thoroughly impressed with the magnitude of the 2013 Winter Universiade 

CANAZEI – When Struan Tonnar made the Great Britain men’s ice hockey team, nothing prepared him for what he saw upon arriving at the 2013 Winter Universiade.

“It’s second to none really,” he said. “I was totally taken back by how much work and effort has been put into it. It’s honestly one of the greatest achievements of any athlete’s career.”

Tonnar is from Dumfries, Scotland and attends school at the West of Scotland where he is working on a business degree. The 23-year-old has played his ice hockey for the Solway Sharks for the last six years.

But no other tournament could have prepared him for what he has seen at the Universiade.

“I think it’s got something different than a normal ice hockey tournament; it’s a lot more special and a lot more entertaining for the players than for just a regular tournament.”

Team GBR isn’t considered one of the favourites in Trentino, but Tonnar is having a blast on and off the ice.

“There are some really class players here,” he said of the opposing players. In Team GBR’s first game, an 8-0 loss to Russia, they faced five current KHL players.

Off the ice, Tonnar catches other men’s hockey games where he scouts and learns from watching some of the other players on display in the Universiade. But outside the rink he is having just as much fun.

“Beautiful, great place, love everything about it,” he said of Canazei. “The food here is brilliant, all the rooms have great views, and it’s a great place.”

Matt Tidcombe, FISU Young Reporter