With Saskatchewan being so tough to get out of for most curling events, it would stand to reason that Estevan’s Wade St. Onge and the rink he was with would have felt comfortable with the tough competition at the national Traveller’s Championship in Kingston, Ont.
They just missed out after a late game score 5-4 by the John Myrglod rink from Alberta.
“We knew the competition would be strong but we felt the competition that we have in the province would prepare us well with the competition there,” said St. Onge, whose team was based out of the Power Dodge Curling Centre. The team included lead Ryan Hansen, second St. Onge, third James Gordon of Saskatoon and skip Adam Himmelspach of Whitewood.
“None of us had ever been to a national championship. We knew how tough it was to have been there and we may never be back to one,” he said. “We just want to make sure we enjoyed every moment of that experience. I feel that helped us to relax and curl well.”
Saskatchewan was in a pool with Quebec, British Columbia, Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick, Nunavut and Alberta. They earned wins over Nunavut, Quebec and New Brunswick in the round robin.
“It was disappointing that we didn’t make playoffs. That was our goal,” said St. Onge. “But we curled well but the games we lost were just one key shot here or there that turned the game. Three of the top four teams we’d played in the round robin and we were tied in the last end of all those games and lost on the last rock.”
Usually, the teams there would have had to go to the club championship and head to a regional and a provincial title. So once St. Onge’s rink won the Power Dodge championship, they were right off to provincials because Estevan hosted provincials.
Teams that curl in weekly league across the province were in the provincials.
“There were teams that were good enough to get into the provincial Tankard playdowns,” said St. Onge. “All of us have curled in this event. We haven’t always curled on the same team but we have curled for years and played in club playdowns… That experience all helps us to succeed at the provincial level.”
Last year the team was formed specifically for competing in the club championship.
“This was the first time the four of us have curled together,” he said. “Throughout the year it usually takes some time to gel and learn each individual curler’s habits and how they throw. It was important that we had curled together all year. Towards the end we really started to become stronger.”
The future for St. Onge’s curling won’t include this year’s Traveller’s Championship, as all of this year’s teams that qualified are unable to try again. Their season will be what it’s always been, and just hit some local bonspiels.
“That’s what this event is for,” he said. “It’s for curlers who go out and curl in a regular league in their club and they attend and support the local bonspiels. That’s going to be what we do the rest of the season.”
