Two months ago, Peter Andersen, Andrew Komlodi, Tyler Gamble and skip Lee Buott were on separate curling teams vying for top spot in their respective leagues.
Now, they are going to the CIS/CCA curling championships in Kamloops, B.C. as members of the Dalhousie Curling Club.
“We’re not on the same team during the regular season, but we came together for the Dal team over the last month and we gelled pretty well,” said Komlodi, a fourth-year student who throws second. “We got some good practices in to see how everyone throws, showed up at [Atlantic qualifiers] and it worked out well.”
Assembling a team only weeks before a qualifying tournament may seem unusual to casual observers. However, it is just one of the many unique aspects of a widely misunderstood sport. For them, it’s a part of curling.
“During the men’s circuit, you always see the guys in the locker room, you say ‘hello,’ you have some drinks together,” said Gamble, a master’s student who curled for McGill at nationals in 2007 and 2008. “That’s why it’s easy for four random guys to get together and have somewhat of a chemistry already because you already know them,” added the third thrower.
Dal started the qualifying tournament in Halifax over a month ago by defeating Acadia. They secured their spot at nationals with a win over 2011 CIS champion Memorial.
This is the first time Dal has qualified for nationals since making it to the semifinal in Edmonton in 2010. While this is the first appearance for Buott, Andersen and Komlodi, each has competed in junior nationals at the provincial level, and they are confident they can make some noise in B.C.
“I don’t expect it to be much different than any competition I’ve played in,” said lead thrower Andersen.
“If you can get in the mindset that you’re just playing another game, if you let the awe of being in a national intimidate you, you’ll miss a lot of shots and lose a lot of games,” said Buott.
Dal’s rink will head to nationals without their coach Rob Harris, a former Brier champion, due to work commitments. Harris has provided the team with invaluable advice on how to balance the mental and physical aspects of curling, Gamble said.
“The game’s almost 90 per cent mental,” said Buott. “That said, if your team is physically weak, you won’t be able to sweep rocks and you’ll lose the game.”
Dal will rendezvous with an interim coach at the tournament.
Heading into the year-end bonspiel at Thompson Rivers University March 20-24, Dal faces several hurdles off the ice in addition to going up against elite clubs from across the country. They receive little funding from the university, they say, which only covers the entry fee and the team jackets, leaving the four teammates to pay close to a combined $10,000 for the trip.
Despite most of the money coming from their own pockets and various fundraising initiatives, the team is adamant that financial obstacles will not hamper their love of the game and their desire to take home a national title.
“We don’t curl to get rich,” said Gamble. “We curl for the glory,” the reticent Buott added, causing his teammates to burst out in laughter.
The Dal Curling Club offers recreational curling Sundays at 5:30 p.m. at the Halifax Curling Club. For more information, contact k.e.m.smith@dal.ca.
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