Unlike their male provincial teammates, Taylor Reese-Hansen鈥檚 sa国际传媒 championship team goes into the 2018 New Holland Canadian Junior Men鈥檚 and Women鈥檚 Curling Championships in Shawinigan, Que., today as an unknown.
sa国际传媒鈥檚 Tyler Tardi is the defending national champion. But Reese-Hansen, third Catera Park, second Jordan Koster and lead Sydney Brilz enter the 14-team competition with much less fanfare.
鈥淲e鈥檙e all just really excited. It鈥檚 our first time and we鈥檙e going to soak up the experience,鈥� said Reese-Hansen, originally from Kitimat. She moved to Victoria for the curling and to pursue her education. The 20-year-old is in her second year of athletic therapy at Camosun College.
鈥淭his is what we trained for, this is why we go to compete and we feel honoured to be representing sa国际传媒 We don鈥檛 know how we鈥檒l compare to the other teams, but I鈥檓 sure we鈥檒l do fine.鈥�
The Victoria Curling Club rink has wily coach Todd Troyer leading the way. It will be his fourth Canadian junior event in the last eight years, a major plus for the group.
鈥淗e鈥檚 our lucky charm, for sure,鈥� Reese-Hansen said. 鈥淗e has a ton of experience. He has schedules for us and he knows exactly what we鈥檙e getting into. It makes it easier on us and a big help, so we鈥檙e not as shocked when we get there.鈥�
The group left Thursday, joining teammate Park, of Coquitlam, in Vancouver before pressing on east to Quebec, where the 14 men鈥檚 and 14 women鈥檚 teams will compete for Canadian titles. The teams are separated into two seven-team pools per gender for an initial round-robin, followed by a championship round (top four in each pool) leading to the playoffs.
The top team will advance to its respective final on Sunday, Jan. 21, while the second- and third-place teams meet in a semifinal the day before to determine the other finalist.
鈥淲e鈥檝e been through the schedule and I鈥檝e talked about all the things that happen,鈥� said Troyer, who took a break from coaching last year to be part of the host committee as the national tournament was held at the Archie Browning Sports Centre in Esquimalt, where Tardi won his 2017 junior men鈥檚 crown.
鈥淚t鈥檚 the excitement of arriving. Then it鈥檚 hurry up and wait around. But in the end, it鈥檚 a provincial championship times two,鈥� Troyer said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 double the length [of a normal championship tournament], but you have a routine set up with the pre-game routine. Then you come out and play the games and then de-brief the games. It鈥檚 kind of like Groundhog Day: You do it over and over and over again.鈥�
鈥淲e have goals that we鈥檝e set, but we鈥檙e going in trying not to feel too much pressure,鈥� said Courtenay鈥檚 Koster, who is 20 and studying criminal justice at Camosun College. 鈥淲e鈥檙e just going to go out there and play our best and whatever happens, happens.鈥�
That鈥檚 the attitude the group took into the provincials, where they battled their way to the title after starting the event at 0-2.
鈥淲e always knew that we could do it,鈥� said Brilz, also 20 and a second-year psychology student at Camosun College. 鈥淲e knew that we had it. Going into the [provincial] final, we felt we had to take control. We did it and it was incredible.
鈥淚 think there will be a couple of nerves 鈥� maybe more just because of the atmosphere that we鈥檙e in, but we just have to stick to doing what we know how to do.鈥�
Troyer has faith in the group, which includes 19-year-old Park, who has a year of junior eligibility remaining.
鈥淥ur goal is to make the playoffs,鈥� he said.
The winning teams will represent sa国际传媒 in the 2018 VolP Defender World Juniors, March 3-11 at Aberdeen, Scotland.
