Local curlers win big at international competition

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This article was published 28/10/2019 (2172 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A local team from Assiniboine Memorial Curling Club took home gold at an international competition.

Team Kurz, representing Team Canada at the 2019 World Mixed Curling Championship in Aberdeen, Scotland, won the gold medal game against Germany on Sat., Oct. 19. The team consists of skip Colin Kurz, vice-skip Meghan Walter, second Brendan Bilawka, lead Sara Oliver and national coach Jim Waite.
Kurz said they were happy with the success.

“World champion has a good ring to it. We’re really happy, it hasn’t quite sunk in yet for us, but it’s kind of what we came here for. ” Kurz said. “We realize it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity and we want to make the most of it.”

Team Canada’s run began and ended with matches against Germany. The championship began with a round-robin game, in which Canada came out on top with a 6-3 victory. Kurz said the gold medal rematch was a much more challenging game. The teams were tied 1-1 by the fourth end, Canada scored three points to gain the upper hand but the German team fought back hard.

In the end, Kurz and Team Canada squeezed out a 6-5 victory.

Kurz mentioned a few other highlights, including a close match with the Hong Kong team, as well as the opportunity to play against a Nigerian team, who are relatively new to the sport of curling.

Kurz said the key to their success is that the team is close, both on and off the ice.

“Just as a team, we really get along. I think our team dynamic is something that has helped us succeed. We’re not just a curling team, we’re close friends,” Kurz said. “We’re able to talk to each other … more directly. Everybody knows what’s going on with each other, and we just try to have as much fun as possible. I think that translates to success on the ice.”

Kurz was born and raised in Winnipeg. His mom was a competitive curler when he was young, which inspired him to take up the sport. He remembers watching her curl at the former Wildwood Curling Club, which closed down a few years ago. As soon as the game was finished, Kurz was on the ice, learning how to throw a rock and sweep.

The victory puts Canada in an unprecedented position, as no country has ever won back-to-back gold medals since the event began in 2015. Walter, 17, is also the youngest player in history to win a mixed championship gold medal in curling.