TIMMINS - Hosting a national championship a couple of years ago has injected a lot of interest in youth curling.
When the McIntyre Curling Club hosted the U18 Canadian Curling Championships in 2023, there was one youth team at the historic club.
This week, as the group holds the U18 Ontario Curling Championships, there are two girls teams and one boys team from Timmins. The completion started on Jan. 15 and runs until Jan. 19.
Eight girls' teams are competing, including Team Chilton and Team Bergounhon from Timmins, and five male teams, with Team Morris being local.
Team Chilton is the veteran U18 team at the Mac.
Made up of skip Deanna Chilton, third Natalie Graham, second Leanna Delich, lead Kendall Chilton and alternate Audrey-Lyn Desjardins, the team has their eyes on the prize this week.
While they've been playing together for years, in the last couple of seasons they've taken their game to the next level.
"We figured out, I don't know how much talent we had and how much we were improving, and I think we just really wanted to take it to the next step," said Deanna ahead of the first day of the provincial championship.
They've focused on training — both mentally and physically — and hit the road for as many competitions as possible, travelling everywhere from Oakville and Ottawa in the south to Fort Frances in northwestern Ontario.
"We're proud of how we've played, and I think it's only going to go up from here. We're playing on our home ice this weekend, so we're excited for that," she said.
With it being Graham's last year with the team, they have one goal: qualify for the U18 nationals being held in February in Saskatchewan.
That means they'll have to win this week's competition.
Coach Steve Meunier says the team is prepared, noting they have experience at the provincial level.
"They've played all of these teams before, and I believe for the most part, we've beaten every one of them at some point in time, at least one time. The girls are fully aware that they have the capability, the skill and the experience to come out on top. It's just a matter of putting it together this weekend," he said.
While playing on home ice with more people watching adds pressure, the players regularly talk to a mental performance coach and practice relentlessly.
"The girls have a great opportunity here to advance, and all I've ever asked for them is to be in the moment and to remember to have some amount of fun," he said.
What rocks about curling?
TimminsToday asked Team Chilton members what they love about the sport. Here's what they each had to say:
Deanna Chilton
"As a skip, I enjoy the strategic part of the game, since I have to call the game. Your brain's always working and thinking of different things. So I like that aspect. And I think the team, the teamwork that comes along with it too. I like working as a team."
Natalie Graham
"My favourite part is how like challenging is. There's never a moment where I'm not thinking about whether it be strategy or trying to find a way to better myself. I always find something to be working on with the sport and with the team dynamic, also just being able to work so close with the same group of people for as long as I have and get to experience the same things alongside them."
Leanna Delich
"It's just the team dynamics and like the overall skills and strategy behind the game. You get to play with some of your best friends, and getting to be out on the ice and going to different competitions around the province really just brings out joy."
Kendall Chilton
"I enjoy playing with some of my really close friends ... I've known a very long time. I like playing the shots in a game. I like travelling, and I like how we've met friends from different ends of the province, we have friends everywhere from the sport and I enjoyed travelling the cities and all the fun memories that I've made."
Audrey-Lyn Desjardin
"I like the drive. Because I've been on different teams, and it's all been different. But what I like about the sport ... I like the strategic aspect of it, and like how it's just fun because you get to play different teams and go to different cities. I've definitely travelled a lot more."
The games are open for the public to watch. The schedule for local teams is:
- Thursday, Jan. 16
- 1 p.m. - Bergounhon vs Wright (Kakabeka Falls)
- 7:30 p.m. - Chilton vs Baker (Horne Granite)
- Friday, Jan. 17
- 10 a.m. - Chilton vs Third (Cochrane), Bergounhon vs Tucker (Fort Frances)
- 2:30 p.m. - Morris vs Winters (North Bay), Chilton vs Tucker (Fort Frances)
- 7 p.m. - Bergounhon vs Third (Cochrane), Morris vs MacKay (Sault Ste. Marie)
- Saturday, Jan. 18
- 9:30 a.m. - Chilton vs Dubinsky (Kakabeka Falls), Bergounhon vs Perreault (Idylwylde), Morris vs Curtis (Port Arthur)
- 2:30 p.m. - Morris vs Hari (Fort Williams)
- 7 p.m. - Bergounhon vs Baker (Horne Granite), Chiltonv s Wright (Kakabeka Falls)
- Sunday, Jan. 18
- 9:30 a.m. - Boys championship game, girls semi-final
- 1:30 p.m. - Girls final
