Local curling team wins provincials

By Adelle Ellis, Times Reporter

Tied in the eighth and going into an extra end without any expectation to win, it came down to the last rock for the Garnett rink representing the Strathmore and District Curling Club at the 2018 Travelers Alberta Men’s Club Championships in Camrose, Oct. 19-21.
The foursome, comprised of skip Scott Garnett, third Jason Wilson, second Brennen Fule and lead Cory Campbell, took the championship game, and will represent Alberta at the 2018 Travelers Curling Club Championship in Miramichi, N.B., Nov. 19-24
The four have been curling together in the Strathmore men’s league for the past three years. Previously, Garnett has competed in two national curling championships and Wilson has been to one, but none of the team has ever been in the Travelers championship. In fact, the front end of the team had only started curling four years ago.
The team qualified for provincials after entering southern playdowns this past March for fun and to represent the Strathmore and District Curling Club. The team exceeded expectations and ended up winning all four of their games in the A event to move on to the next round.
At the provincial finals this past weekend in Camrose, it all came down to the luck of the draw for the local team competing in the final against Crestwood, a team they had been beaten badly by on the previous night. After winning their morning semifinal game, they went into the finals hoping to play well and enjoy the game.
“(We) went into the final game not really thinking we had a chance at winning – but that’s been the case this entire season,” said Garnett. “Our team never thinks we have a chance, nor do we expect to win. But somehow, some way, we figure out how to grind out a win.”
After exchanging single points for the first four ends and giving up two points in the fifth, the Garnett rink had to play smart, trying to score two points so as not to give up the benefit of throwing hammer for only a single point. The sixth end was a blank, and they were forced to a single point in the seventh. They needed two points in the eighth and final end to win the game, or at least one point to force the game into an extra end.
“One down coming home without hammer always feels like an uphill battle and is definitely not an ideal situation to be in,” said Garnett. “Thankfully, the opposition left us a centre guard which we were able to use to steal the point we needed to force an extra end. In the extra, we drew button on our last rock and forced the opposition into a difficult shot which thankfully they narrowly missed. The final was the most exhilarating provincial finals I’ve ever had the privilege of playing in.”
Garnett attributes the team’s success to their enjoyment of curling together. Without putting pressure on themselves to win it all, they were able to play with the mindset of doing their best each single game, to enjoy it and to see what would happen.
To prepare for the championships, the team will continue curling together weekly in the Strathmore men’s league and possibly trying to get in a couple extra practices, and “ride out this crazy wave, it’s carried us this far.”
Garnett will also get some extra game time by playing in a World Curling Tour event at the beginning of November with his competitive men’s team.
“(We’ll) just continue enjoying the spirit and camaraderie of the sport. As a competitive curler, it’s easy for me to lose sight of what makes this sport so unique,” said Garnett. “It’s a grind to stay competitive and focused on winning all the time, so this club curling is the perfect way to keep you grounded and to just enjoy this sport.”