Cloverdale curler Tyler Tardi is getting ready for one of Canada’s most prestigious events – the Brier.
Tardi – who is one of the country’s most decorated young curlers, having skipped teams to three national junior titles and two world junior championships – will head to the Brier, which is Canada’s men’s championship, as a ‘fifth/alternate’ with Team Laycock.
The team is skipped by Steve Laycock, who throws third, as well as lead Rick Sawatsky, second Andrew Nerpin and fourth Jim Cotter.
The 2021 Tim Hortons Brier is schedule for March 5-14 in Calgary. It follows the women’s national championship – the 2021 Scotties Tournament of Hearts – and precedes the Canadian Mixed Doubles Championships, both of which will also be held in Calgary.
All three events will be held in a ‘bubble’ due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. B.C. will have one team in each event.
Cotter and Sawatsky have competed at 10 Brier championships, while Laycock and Nerpin are “no strangers to the event either,” according to a Curl BC news release issued this week.
Cotter said the team is looking forward to having Tardi there.
“We’re super excited to have Tyler. With his experience and ability to step in and play any position, and at half my age, or more than half, he’s got the energy,” Cotter said.
Typically, alternates will step in only in the case of injury or illness.
Tardi, whose Langley/Victoria team won silver at last year’s B.C. championship, said he was excited at the prospect of gaining some experience.
“The main thing I’m trying to get out of this is to learn and soak in as much as possible to hopefully help increase my chances of success in the future,” he said.
Team Laycock was awarded B.C.’s spot at nationals based on their provincial wins last year. The most recent Curl BC provincial championships were cancelled due to the pandemic and related health orders restricting both sport and travel.
“Although BC was unable to run a provincial championship this year, we are extremely excited that we will be so well represented at the national bubble by all three teams,” Curl BC High Performance Director Melissa Soligo said.
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