'A bit of a wild card': Team Muyres ready to make Tankard debut in Estevan
The SaskTel Tankard Provincial Men’s Curling Championships kicks off in Estevan this week and newly formed Team Muyres is ready to make their mark.
“I think we’re a bit of a wild card, right? On paper, we’d be ranked quite low but if you look at our skill set we’ve been competitive curlers for a really long time,” Dallan Muyres, the team’s skip said.
Muyres, who is a six-time Saskatchewan Men’s Provincial Champion, is leading his team of experienced curlers; Third, Garrett Springer, Second, Jordan Tardi, and Lead, Dustin Mikush.
“Me, Dustin, and Garrett played a little bit together last year on the Deis Team and then you know I got a taste of skipping, loved it, loved the pressure, the environment back there and really wanted to increase my skill set,” Muyres explained, on how he began to build his team.
Tardi hails from Langley, B.C. and has played with Muyres in the past. However, both Springer and Mikush grew up in the neighbouring towns of Foam Lake and Wadena and first met while playing in juniors before moving onto the men's league.
Tardi comes to the team with loads of experience, having a World and Canadian championship under his belt.
“The competitive curling community is somewhat small, sometimes you have to go out of province [to build a team],” Muyres explained.
“You’re seeing it a lot more, even in Saskatchewan. The people who can put the time in and be competitive and run this schedule are getting less and less every year.”
Tardi noted the cold Saskatchewan winters are an adjustment for him but he loves the curling culture of the province.
“It’s nice see the different community Saskatchewan has versus B.C. There’s a lot more people that know what curling is, which is really quite fun. A lot of people know who we are no matter what club we’re at. We get looks all the time and people coming over to say hi,” Tardi said.
Team Muyres was at the Highland Curling Club in Regina on Tuesday for a final practice before they head to Estevan.
“We had a little bit of a slow start to the year and then in January we qualified [for the Tankard] at the last couple of events and had some strong performances. I think we’re moving in the right direction at the right time,” Mikush said.
“I think everyone plays in this province so they can end up in the Tankard at the end of the year and we’re looking forward to it. It’s been a long road to get to this for this team,” Springer said.
Even though Team Muyres is ranked lower and possibly considered the underdogs, the team is using that to their advantage.
“There’s not a target on our back, so we can go out there and play loose. Hope for the best, make some shots,” Springer said.
“The whole field is really experienced and really quality ... You just have to go one shot at a time and make the most of every shot,” Muyres said.
Team Muyres will open against Team Jacobson at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
LIVE B.C. seeks ban on using drugs in 'all public spaces,' shifting approach to decriminalization
The B.C. government is moving to have drug use banned in 'all public spaces,' marking a major shift in the province's approach to decriminalization.
Air traveller complaints to Canadian Transportation Agency hit new high
The Canadian Transportation Agency has hit a record high of more than 71,000 complaints in a backlog. The quasi-judicial regulator and tribunal tasked with settling disputes between customers and the airlines says the backlog is growing because the number of incoming complaints keeps increasing.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
U.S. flight attendant indicted in attempt to record teen girl in airplane bathroom
An American Airlines flight attendant was indicted Thursday after authorities said he tried to secretly record video of a 14-year-old girl using an airplane bathroom last September.
76ers All-Star centre Joel Embiid says he has Bell's palsy
Philadelphia 76ers All-Star centre Joel Embiid has been diagnosed with Bell’s palsy, a form of facial paralysis he says has affected him since before the play-in tournament.
AFN chief says Air Canada offered a 15% discount after her headdress was mishandled
After the Assembly of First Nations' national chief complained to Air Canada about how staffers treated her and her ceremonial headdress on a flight this week, she says the airline responded by offering a 15 per cent discount on her next flight.
Trump's lawyers try to discredit testimony of prosecution's first witness in hush money trial
Donald Trump's defence team attacked the credibility Friday of the prosecution's first witness in his hush money case, seeking to discredit testimony detailing a scheme between Trump and a tabloid to bury negative stories to protect the Republican's 2016 presidential campaign.