If this is Quesnel, it must be Tuesday.
In yet another movie reference, there were no trains, but more than a few planes, automobiles and buses to get from Prince Albert, Sask., to Saskatoon to Vancouver to Quesnel.
Alex Horvath of Victoria barely had time to savour playing lead on skip Tyler Tardi鈥檚 Canadian men鈥檚 junior champion rink Sunday in Prince Albert before the rink had to make its way to Quesnel for the start today of the sa国际传媒 men鈥檚 curling championship.
鈥淭he travel has been crazy. We鈥檙e basically on no sleep 鈥� barely three hours tops 鈥� since Prince Albert on Sunday,鈥� said Horvath, after arriving in Quesnel late Monday in 鈥渨hat is the smallest airport I鈥檝e ever seen.鈥�
Defending world men鈥檚 junior champion Tardi defeated J.T. Ryan of Manitoba 7-5 in the Canadian final Sunday in Prince Albert to win his record third consecutive championship in a run that began at Esquimalt in 2017, continuing through Shawinigan, Que., in 2018 and culminating with the three-peat in Prince Albert.
Horvath, who had skipped his own Victoria Curling Centre rink in previous seasons, joined the Tardi rink of Langley this season and is happy to be caught up in the whirlwind of the record-breaking campaign as Cloverdale鈥檚 Tardi and third Sterling Middleton of Fort St. John won their trey of national titles.
As a member of Cameron de Jong鈥檚 Victoria rink, Horvath has beaten Tardi in the past, which is no easy thing. When the lead spot opened up this year on his rink, Tardi could think of no better person to fill it than Horvath. To say the Islander has fit in well would be an understatement of the curling season.
It has resulted in a trip for now Canadian-champion Horvath to the world junior men鈥檚 championship Feb. 16-23 in Liverpool, Nova Scotia. Tardi won last year鈥檚 worlds in Aberdeen, Scotland, and travelled to Pyeongchang, South Korea, for the 2017 world juniors, which were the test event for the 2018 Winter Olympics.
鈥淚鈥檓 maybe a little disappointed the worlds aren鈥檛 going to be held overseas again this year,鈥� said Horvath. 鈥淏ut there鈥檚 a lot of pride in wearing the Maple Leaf and representing sa国际传媒 in sa国际传媒. That鈥檚 always a big thing for any Canadian athlete.鈥�
Liverpool is also where the de Jong rink, with Horvath, beat Tardi in round-robin play in the 2014 Canadian juniors.
鈥淪o, there鈥檚 a sense of coming full circle for me to Liverpool, Nova Scotia,鈥� said Horvath.
Horvath is an all-rounder, scoring the first basket in the history of Royal Bay Secondary Ravens boys鈥� basketball when the Colwood school opened in 2015.
鈥淚 broke my wrist on the next play and missed much of the season,鈥� he said, of what happened after his franchise-first moment.
Horvath is also an ice technician at Victoria Curling Centre, giving him a background in the sport few other curlers possess. He made a point of picking the brains of the ice makers at the Canadian juniors in Prince Albert and was well rewarded for his interest.
鈥淚t was the little things that they don鈥檛 tell just anybody,鈥� said Horvath.
Although juniors, the Tardi rink played against men鈥檚 teams in major tournaments, earning enough points to qualify for the sa国际传媒 men鈥檚 championship in Quesnel.
鈥淲e got our butts handed to us a few times at the start [against men鈥檚 rinks], but it鈥檚 been a good experience and we learned a lot,鈥� said Horvath.
As a graduating 20-year-old junior, he鈥檚 going to have to play against these guys next season, regardless. So might as well get used to it.
Now comes the job of coming down from the high of winning a national junior championship Sunday to playing right away in the provincial men鈥檚 tournament today.
鈥淚t鈥檚 going to be hard to refocus, for sure,鈥� said Horvath.
鈥淏ut it鈥檚 going to be good practice for the world juniors.鈥�
Or, for the Tim Hortons Brier next month in Brandon. Who knows? That, however, is a longshot against men鈥檚 players such as Victoria鈥檚 Jason Montgomery and Chris Baier at the provincial men鈥檚 this week in Quesnel.
Open-qualifier Montgomery and Island-champion third Baier, with Matt Blandford of Alberta skipping, are attempting to become the first Island rinks to win the sa国际传媒 championship since Dean Joanisse of Victoria in 2007. Joanisse, now based on the Lower Mainland, is back in the hunt this year in Quesnel.
鈥淵ou鈥檝e got to get off to a good start and figure out the ice,鈥� said Montgomery, in his sixth provincials.
The event has been dominated by the Okanagan and New Westminster since. Sean Geall from Kelowna won last year鈥檚 provincial men鈥檚 in Parksville, Jim Cotter of Vernon won it in 2011, 2012, 2015 and 2016 and fellow-Vernon Club skip John Morris in 2017 and 2014, Geall and Andrew Bilesky of Royal City in 2009 and 2013 and Bob Ursel and Jeff Richard of Kelowna in 2008 and 2010.
鈥淐otter is the team to beat, for sure,鈥� said Montgomery, of the 2019 provincials.
Meanwhile, the defending champion Kesa Van Osch rink of Nanaimo headlines the sa国际传媒 women鈥檚 championship, which will be played at the same time as the men鈥檚 in Quesnel. The 2018 sa国际传媒 champion women鈥檚 rink consisted of sisters Kesa, Kalia and Marika Van Osch of Nanaimo and Amy Gibson of Victoria.
