No kidding around at Tankard

DALE CLIFFORD
PETERBOROUGH EXAMINER
JANUARY 21, 2010

Peterborough's Brad Kidd is hoping his team's inaugural appearance in last year's Ontario men's curling championships will help in their second showing this time around.

The 24-year-old Peterborough native, vice on Arnprior Curling Club skip Chris Gardner's rink, is heading to his second Tankard in Napanee Feb. 1-7.

The team, also consisting of Peterborough's Sean Harrison at lead and Mike Aprile at second, advanced after winning the 12- team OCA Men's Challenge Round East qualifier at the RCMP Curling Club in Ottawa on Monday.

They finished with a 6-1 record and beat Ottawa's Brian Lewis twice, including 9-3 in the final game. Their only loss was to Lewis after they won their first two games.

Gardner went 3-6 in his first trip to the Tankard last year and Kidd thinks they're a different crew this time around. He added a good showing in Ottawa, including a win over highly-ranked Greg Balsdon of the Loonie Curling Club in Chaffey's Lock in their fifth game in Ottawa helped them a lot.

"The big thing for us was confidence," Kidd told The Examiner on Tuesday.

"When we beat Balsdon, we started to click. We curled well together and had a lot of confidence in our shots. Everybody curled well. After being in it (Tankard) last year we feel a lot better. It was great being in it for the first time and now we feel we have a chance to win.

"We learned a lot last year. You have to take it one game at a time and every team is good. You have to be in every game. We will have to curl like we did last weekend."

Kidd, who lives just outside of Peterborough, said he has teamed with Gardner the last six years.

Harrison, who lives in Newmarket with family connections to Peterborough, has been on the squad for the last four. Aprile is a newcomer, replacing Derek Abbotts.

Kidd, who was second the last three years, said he hooked up with Gardner through their junior days.

"We curled against each other and it went from there," said Kidd. "I curled a lot with Sean, too."

He added they have played out of the Arnprior club the past two seasons because Gardner, who lives in Ottawa, was looking for something close to his home and affordable and the small community fit the bill and readily took them in.

Kidd grew up in Peterborough and still maintains ties to the Peterborough Curling Club and Omemee Curling Club, where he began about 15 years ago.

He curls in a Tuesday men's league at the PCC and on Wednesdays in Omemee.

Kidd said he is curling with a PCC crew in a smaller men's event, sponsored by Marriott, this weekend.

Kidd, an Adam Scott Collegiate grad, currently works for Canada Post and is taking the Community Justice and Services program at Fleming College, with the goal of becoming a corrections officer.

NOTES: Brad Kidd curled at the high school level and is currently with the Fleming College men's team, coached by Steve Whitehill.