Sense of urgency propels McEwen Saskatchewan skip sees greater things ahead after second-place finish at Brier By: Taylor Allen Posted: 5:39 PM CDT Thursday, Mar. 14, 2024

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This article was published 14/03/2024 (571 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It wasn’t too long ago that Mike McEwen’s future in curling looked bleak.

After running out of options in Manitoba, the Winnipegger formed a team out of Ontario that lasted one season.

Fast forward to today, one week after the 43-year-old skipped Team Saskatchewan to the Brier final, McEwen is one of the best stories in the sport.

He’s re-established himself as an elite rock thrower after being named the first-team all-star skip at the Canadian men’s curling championship.

McEwen, third Colton Flasch, second Kevin Marsh, and lead Daniel Marsh gave the Regina faithful a lot to cheer for all week at the Brandt Centre before falling 9-5 to Brad Gushue in Sunday’s national title game.

Gushue, now a six-time Brier champ, was quick to say after the contest McEwen was the most impressive player at the event.

An all-star nod and high praise are great, but the end result still isn’t easy to deal with.

McEwen is still left searching for his first Canadian crown.

“The first 48 hours (after the final) you’re like, ‘Oh my god, can I really do this again?’ My mind wanders and a little bit of doubt creeps in because it’s a big mountain to climb and it’s so far off in the distance,” said McEwen earlier this week.

“There’s a lot of room for growth; we’ve only been together for six and a half months.”–Mike McEwen

“But I’m turning a corner because I think the silver lining is we weren’t meant to do this all at once and this is something that will spur us to keep working and keep getting better. There’s a lot of room for growth; we’ve only been together for six and a half months.”

McEwen curled at 90-plus per cent for the majority of the competition. He remained sharp in the final at 89 per cent, but every time his team had a misfire, Gushue capitalized.

McEwen’s previous best finish at the Brier was a bronze medal in 2017.

“I had the mindset to go in and play every game like it was a playoff game, like it was my last. That sense of urgency helped me perform at a higher level than I’ve ever performed at over a really long time. I’ve done it in spurts, for days here and there, but I’ve never, ever played like that for 10 days straight,” said McEwen.

The talk all week was about how Saskatchewan hasn’t captured a Brier since Rick Folk won in 1980.

Even though the drought continues, Team McEwen was treated to a standing ovation on Sunday.

“The storyline was just so juicy, it was like, ‘Wow, that’s exciting if we can do it, that’d be legendary.’ And maybe that little extra juiced-up story added to the whole focus and drive for the best performance possible, I don’t know,” said McEwen.

“I certainly didn’t feel any additional pressure; it enriched the experience for me, personally.”

He was born in Brandon and now resides in Winnipeg, but McEwen felt right at home wearing green.

“I was really surprised how accepting they were of me. That exceeded my expectations. I thought they would get behind this team, but not in the way that they did. I was not expecting that and that’s something I’ll remember forever, to be honest.”

The season isn’t over yet as McEwen, who’s ranked ninth in the world curling rankings, will be in Toronto April 9-14 for the Players’ Championship.

Mixed doubles nationals start this weekend

There’s much at stake at the upcoming 32-team Canadian mixed doubles championship, beginning Sunday in Fredericton, and a couple of Manitoba teams will be in the hunt.

Kadriana and Colton Lott of Gimli, who won their third provincial title in mid-February, will compete in Pool A, while the Minnedosa duo of Chaelynn Kitz and Brayden Stewart are in Pool D.

Jennifer Jones, formerly of Winnipeg, announced her retirement from four-player curling but is vying for the national mixed doubles title with her husband, Brent Laing. The team is playing out of Barrie, Ont.

The week-long event culminates with the gold- and bronze-medals games Friday, March 22.

The top three finishers will earn spots at the 16-team Canadian mixed doubles Olympic trials, set for Dec. 30, 2024 to Jan. 4, 2025 in Liverpool, N.S.

Coming up next in Manitoba

Curl Manitoba hosts a couple of key events before the end of the 2023-24 competitive season.

The 10-team provincial mixed championship started Thursday morning in Neepawa, with the final slated for Sunday at 4 p.m.

The Manitoba senior women’s and men’s championships are set for Winnipeg’s Heather Club, beginning Wednesday, March 20.

Finally, the provincial club curling championships will be staged in Gimli, starting Thursday, April 4.

taylor.allen@freepress.mb.ca

X: @TaylorAllen31