Saanich teen Tim Henderson will focus even more time on curling this year, as he prepares to represent the province at next year’s Canada Winter Games.
The Lambrick Park student plays fourth on Team Tardi, led by skip Tyler Tardi of Cloverdale. Rounded out by third Sterling Middleton of Fort St. John, and second Nicholas Umbach of Coquitlam, the foursome topped 12 teams in competition at the B.C. Winter Games last month (March 21-23) at the Vernon Curling Club. The Tardi rink finished 4-1 in their pool to advance to playoffs.
A come-from-behind win over Team Bartlett – they were down 3-0 after three ends – in the semi-final showed the “resilience” of the team. “We ended up winning 7-3 after seven ends,” Henderson said.
A deuce in the first and fourth ends helped Team Tardi on their way to a 7-2 win in the final over Team Silversides.
The Canada Winter Games are held in Prince George from Feb. 13 to March 1, 2015.
Henderson, 16, started curling at seven and is accustomed to living and breathing the sport, but over the next year that will kick up a notch. As part of Team B.C., he will participate in rigorous mandatory training.
Requirements include playing at high-level out-of-province competitions (they’ll play the Kevin Martin Junior Bonspiel in Edmonton later this month), mental toughness sessions, nutritional sessions and a three-day camp in July followed by a two-day bonspiel.
“It’s pretty much set up to make the best B.C. team possible,” Henderson said.
The B.C. boys will try to improve upon the team’s eighth-place finish at the 2011 Winter Games, when the B.C. girls won gold.
“The girls have big shoes to fill,” he said. “We’re trying to pave our own path.”
reporter@saanichnews.com