Victoria Unicomb spent most of yesterday packing for the biggest sporting tournament of her short career.

And from here the Telarah teenager’s excitement levels will only continue to rise ahead of her appearance at the Australian Youth Olympic Festival.

Today she will hop on a bus bound for the state capital before meeting with fellow Australian team members at the University of Sydney tonight.

Tomorrow morning she will train with the women’s basketball team and later that night take part in the opening ceremony of the elite junior international competition at Darling Harbour.

Then, it’s down to business.

From Thursday to Saturday she will be on court for a series of 3x3 matches against the likes of Great Britain, China, New Zealand and Indonesia.

Her selection late last year in the national under-18 squad now seems an eternity ago and the reality of the upcoming competition has begun to take hold for the 2012 Maitland Junior Sportsperson of the Year nominee.

“I think it has started to sink in,” Unicomb told the Mercury yesterday.

“The nerves have started to hit because it’s the junior Olympics.”

The Maitland Mustangs junior said the prospect of donning the green and gold uniform for the first time was an unbelievable one.

“I can’t even imagine it yet,” the 16-year-old said.

“The walk-out gear, the opening ceremony uniform and then the playing strip as well.”

Unicomb expected the quality of competition to be quite high and was looking forward to her first crack at the shortened 3x3 form of the game.

“It will be up a notch [from anything I have played before],” she said.

“It will be tough but the 3x3 will be something new and a good experience.”

Unicomb is one of three athletes from the Maitland district representing Australia at the 2013 Australian Youth Olympic Festival.

She will be joined by East Maitland’s Holly Lawrence (rowing) and Bellbird’s Nathan Blackburn (shooting).