Junior curling team in Manitoba playing at Canadian World Qualifiers
A new junior curling team out of Deer Lodge Curling Club is making quite the commotion after only starting to play together this spring.
Jordon McDonald (skip), Alexandre Fontaine (lead), Elias Huminicki (second), and Reece Hamm (third) are playing at the New Holland World Junior Qualifiers, underway in Saskatoon.
McDonald, who has curled competitively with Fontaine for five years, decided to add Hamm and Huminicki, some of his biggest competition, to his team.
“I thought it would be good for me and Reece to form a team together, and it was a really good idea,” McDonald said. “It worked out really well. Elias was on one of the top teams in juniors for a while as well.”
The young men each bring approximately a decade of curling experience with them, and since they formed in the spring, they’ve won four of the seven events they’ve competed at.
“We’ve been playing really, really well these last couple of weeks,” McDonald said. “I think we are on a 17-game win streak. So, you know we are feeling pretty good going into the World Qualifier.”
“It’s massive,” Hamm said. “It’s a world-qualifying event, so you win this, you become Team Canada. You head off to the Worlds in Sweden, so it’s huge. We are super excited and want to do our best.”
With two younger players, the team is counting on the veterans to show them the ropes.
“Me and Reece, it’s our first time,” said Huminicki. “Jordon and Alex, the skip and lead, they’ve been there before, so they’ve had the experience and kind of know what it’s like. To us, it’s kind of new, so we are open to what it’s going to be like and we are excited.”
With a big start since coming together, the team is looking towards a bright future in the sport.
“Hopefully, we win more this year, and next year, if we move on to men’s or juniors, that goes well for us,” said Fontaine. “One of my dreams has always been to play in the Olympics, so hopefully, one day, we can make that dream come true.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment which has been banned at Queen’s Park.
Mountain guide dies after falling into a crevasse in Banff National Park
A man who fell into a crevasse while leading a backcountry ski group deep in the Canadian Rockies has died.
B.C. tenants evicted for landlord's use after refusing large rent increase to take over neighbouring suite
Ashley Dickey and her mother rented part of the same Coquitlam duplex in three different decades under three different landlords.
2 teens charged in Halifax homicide: police
Two teenagers have been charged with second-degree murder in connection to an alleged homicide near the Halifax Shopping Centre earlier this week.
Montreal actress calls Weinstein ruling 'discouraging' but not surprising
A Montreal actress, who has previously detailed incidents she had with disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, says a New York Court of Appeals decision overturning his 2020 rape conviction is 'discouraging' but not surprising.
'Deep ignorance': Calls for Manitoba trustee to resign sparked after comments about Indigenous people and reconciliation
A rural Manitoba school trustee is facing calls to resign over comments he made about Indigenous people and residential schools earlier this week.
Here's why Harvey Weinstein's New York rape conviction was tossed and what happens next
Here's what you need to know about why movie mogul Harvey Weinstein's rape conviction was thrown out and what happens next.
12-year-old hippo in Japan raised as a male discovered to be a female
When Gen-chan arrived at a zoo in Japan in 2017, no one questioned whether the then-five-year-old hippopotamus was a boy. Seven years later, zoo staff made a surprising discovery: Gen-chan, now 12, was female.
Improve balance and build core strength with this exercise
When it comes to cardiovascular fitness, you may tend to focus on activities that move you forward, such as walking, running and cycling.