Skip takes long route to Tankard
By JOE PAVIA
Ottawa Sun
January 19, 2010
The promise of fun made it worthwhile.
Ottawa’s Chris Gardner skipped his Arnprior Curling Club-based team to an Ontario Tankard spot, winning the Challenge East event on Monday.
The double knockout is gruelling, especially if you have to come through the B side.
“We had so much fun last year, so we figured we are going to fight until we are out of breath,” laughed Gardner, who played his first Tankard last winter. “We said we wouldn’t go through the Challenge again, but because we had so much fun last year (at the Tankard) we would do everything we could to get there again.”
It seemed like fun on Monday morning when Gardner led 6-1 at the fifth-end break against the A-side winner, Ottawa’s Brian Lewis. In the sixth end, they let Lewis back in when he scored a triple on a misplaced freeze. Lewis came close, but ran out of gas, giving up a ninth-end four-ender to lose 11-6. Having to defeat Lewis for a second time might have proved tough but the Gardner squad played well defensively and won 9-1.
Former Ottawa resident Mike April plays second.
“He’s a little older and got a lot of experience. He is sort of the voice of reason. Sometimes I get a little bit too excited. I call shots that aren’t even there and Mike’s the calming one and he likes to party a little bit too so he fits right in,” Gardner said.
Brad Kidd is the third, while Sean Harrison is the lead.
Harrison’s dad, Neil Harrison, the two-time Brier and world champion, was in attendance as the fifth man. He is the team’s Tankard spare.
“I’m real proud of my guys,” Gardner said.
CA results
Bantam regional winners were — 1A: Dan Lillico and Eve Fortier; 1B: Devan Barr and Lauren Horton; 2A: Ben Bevan and Erin Walker; 2B: Jack Lindsay and Erin Macaulay; 3A: Tyler Sagan and Carly Howard; 3B: Derrick Veitch and Kendall Haymes; 4A: Fraser Reid and Chelsea Brandwood; 4B: Blake Sandham and Shannon Kee. In Masters zone action those advancing to regions are: 1A: Raja Wysocki and George Ferrall; 1B: Joanne McIntosh and Bob Rodney; 2A: Lois Graham and Wally Morris; 2B: Bonnie Morris and Frank Van Ryckeghem; 3A: Catherine Burnside and Dick Stoddart; 3B: Pat Lee; 4A: Betty Bush and Alex McKinney; 4B: Toni Rutland and Doug Burnside.
Winners circle
Dwayne Lowe, along with Rick Picard, Scott Patterson and Glenn McDonald, won the Leatherworks ’spiel on Sunday … Rachel Homan is now 6-0 at the M&M Meat Shops Canadian Juniors. The women’s final is Sunday (2:30 p.m., TSN) followed by the men’s (7:30, TSN) … Rogers Television will also broadcast the Ontario senior finals on Sunday.
Curling this week
The Capital One Grand Slam of Curling BDO Canadian Open from Winnipeg begins Wednesday. CBC will air the quarter-finals Saturday at 3 p.m.; semi-finals are on CBC Bold at 7, with the final back on CBC (Sunday, 1).
joe@hoglinecurling.com