The 1979 World Series champion Pittsburgh Pirates used their theme song, We Are Family by Sister Sledge, symbolically as a sign of their team bond. The 2022 sa国际传媒 mixed curling champion Miles Craig rink from the Island could use it as their theme song literally.
Referencing another 1970s cultural touchstone, the rink truly kept it all in the family over the weekend at the provincial mixed championship in Kimberley. The lead of the champion rink is Miles’ wife Carly Sandwith-Craig, both from the Duncan Curling Club. The other two rink members are also wife and husband, third Stephanie Jackson-Baier and second Chris Baier, from the Victoria Curling Club.
“It’s a very unusual situation for a rink, but we table our family stuff, and it’s all about the curling when we are on the ice,” said Jackson-Baier.
It was Jackson-Baier’s ninth sa国际传媒 title in various categories. Jackson-Baier and Sandwith-Craig were part of Kesa Van Osch’s 2014 sa国际传媒 women’s championship rink from Victoria that went to the Scotties Tournament of Hearts national championship. Jackson-Baier was also sa国际传媒 mixed doubles champion in 2020 with Corey Chester in a version of the sport now in the Olympics.
“The championship wins are all different and unique but this one is special with the two couples, and with Carly [Sandwith-Craig] being like a sister to me,” said Jackson-Baier.
Miles Craig, meanwhile, has been on the verge of the Brier, twice losing in the sa国际传媒 men’s championship game as part of Jason Montgomery’s Victoria rink. This is Miles Craig’s third sa国际传媒 mixed title.
The Island rink rallied from a 1-2 start to go 5-0 the rest of the way out of the C-division and defeat the Matt Tolley rink from Penticton 5-4 in the championship game Sunday in Kimberley to advance to the 2022 Canadian mixed championship Nov. 6-12 at a site to be announced.
“All the experience we have on this rink helped us climb out of the hole we had dug for ourselves at provincials,” said Jackson-Baier.
“We knew we had to win out and we did.”
Adding to the family matters, Miles’ dad, well-known curler Wes Craig of Duncan, won the sa国际传媒 men’s masters championship Sunday in New Westminster at about the same time Miles’ rink was winning the provincial mixed title in Kimberley.
Jackson-Baier’s familial connections to the sport also run deep. Her mother, Elaine Dagg-Jackson of Victoria, has coached the Canadian women in seven Winter Olympics. Dad Glen Jackson is a former world junior champion, 2001 sa国际传媒 champion with the Dean Joanisse rink and 1980 Alberta champion with Paul Gowsell. Jackson-Baier’s late grandfather, Lyall Dagg, was the 1964 Brier and world champion.
If anyone has a right to crank up the old Sister Sledge disco hit, it’s clearly the 2022 sa国际传媒 mixed-champion rink.
