Once to you get a taste, you always crave more.
The Victoria Curling Club seems set for a run at the B.C. championship three-peat following its second-consecutive appearance in the Brier national championship tournament.
The VCC rink finished 4-4 in the 2024 Brier in Regina, improving on its 3-5 from 2023, and vowed to return.
“We’ve not talked about it yet but I will return next season. I can’t see why not,” said skip Catlin Schneider, who was backed by third Sterling Middleton, second Jason Ginter and lead Alex Horvath on the B.C.-champion VCC rink.
“We’ve put ourselves in a spot to build on. This Brier was a stepping stone,” added Schneider.
“We were close. A couple of very close games didn’t go our way. If they had, we would have been in the playoffs. And we were one of the youngest rinks in the Brier against guys who have been to four, five, eight Briers. Some of these other rinks are getting up in age.”
Even at 32, Schneider is considered young for a skip in the world of curling.
“It’s hard to believe in comparison with other sports but that’s the way it is in curling. Brad Gushue was [41] and still winning an Olympic medal for Canada [bronze at Beijing in 2022].”
Schneider joined the Victoria rink this season to replace the 2023 B.C.-champion VCC skip Jacques Gauthier, who left to join the Calgary rink of Olympian and two-time world-champion Kevin Koe this season.
It was the fourth Brier for Schneider after being part of Saskatchewan-champion rinks at three previous Briers. Schneider received a lot of attention the past week, including nationally, as a local Regina guy playing in B.C. colours.
“It was quite the year and quite the journey and something new for me,” said Schneider.
The Schneider rink was the sixth from the VCC to play in the Brier following Gauthier last year, Dean Joanisse in 2007 and 2001, Tim Horrigan in 1980 and Tony Gutoski in 1958. It was the eighth appearance by an Island rink in the Brier, including Glen Harper of Duncan in 1960 and 1963.
Schneider’s VCC foursome was looking to become the first rink from B.C. to win the Brier since Greg McAulay of Royal City in 2000 and the fifth Brier-winning rink from B.C. including Rick Folk’s of Kelowna in 1994, Lyall Dagg’s of Vancouver in 1964 and Frenchy D’Amour’s of Trail in 1948.
The quest to end that drought continues next year with the VCC foursome of Schneider, Middleton, Ginter and Horvath looking promising to be right back in that hunt.
>>> To comment on this article, write a letter to the editor: [email protected]
