The Howe Sound Secondary School boys' curling team rocked the Zone 2 Regional Playdowns and is sliding to the high school provincials.
Grade 10 skip Patrick McEachran led Austin Sweeney (Grade 10), Alex Sykora (Grade 11) and Ben Hughes (Grade 9) through six straight wins in three days after losing their first match in the double knockout bonspiel. They beat West Vancouver 6-3 in the final game at the Howe Sound Curling Club on Sunday (Jan. 27).
One might think losing the very first game would rattle the boys since one more loss meant closeting the brooms, but McEachran said he and his teammates remained calm.
"It kind of took the pressure off. It was like 'Well, if we lose, we've got government exams...' so we've been studying, then doing a game, and then studying again."
Competing in exhibition games against some of the Howe Sound Men's League teams likely helped them prepare for the 11 high school teams from around the Lower Mainland and Sunshine Coast, said coach Glen McEachran, who competed in the Brier in 1990 as a member of the British Columbia men's championship team.
"They got schooled each time but it was definitely a good experience for them," he said. "They've improved every game this weekend."
Although the team flies under the Howe Sound Secondary banner, Sykora is its only student. That doesn't mean the younger curlers from Don Ross Secondary lack experience. Sweeney and McEachran have been delivering stones for at least four years, said coach McEachran.The Sounders' experience certainly showed in their dominance. Not only did the Sounders win five straight games to take them to the final victory, they did it with a streak of blowouts, said Zone 2 convenor Janet Dunkin.
"They won their last three games by double digits, so they're looking pretty hot," she said.
But with all the outdoor activities around British Columbia - and particularly 樱桃视频- curling hasn't caught fire like it has in other parts of Canada, said Dunkin. It's difficult to draw athletes indoors when people can, for the most part, continue their sport all year-round or hit the mountain snow on the temperate west coast. Meanwhile, the chill of the curling rink is a welcome break from freezing temperatures in other parts of the country.
"In Manitoba it's hockey and it's curling," he said. "But here, there's so many outdoor activities."
For the Howe Sound team, the strategic sport plays "second cousin" to sports like skiing and mountain biking, said coach McEachran. But it teaches the boys important skills all the same."Curling requires a whole different discipline, a whole kind of mindset. You can't be aggressive out here. The more you get mad the worse you shoot."
The Sounders head to the North Shore Winter Club for the Provincial Championships to face the seven other districts on March 6.
