University of Regina men’s curling club: A team of strong and committed student-athletes
REGINA, Saskatchewan — Curling is a sport with deep roots in the Regina community. This team sport involves four positions – lead, skip, third, and second – arranged based on when they throw the rocks. The lead throws first, the skip calls the game and leads the strategy, the third supports the skip, and the second does the sweeping alongside the lead.
A curling team cannot succeed without having strong and committed teammates.
That’s the best way to describe the University of Regina men’s curling team – strong and committed. They’ve been winning even when other clubs and sports teams in the university haven’t.
The U of R Curling Club came home with the bronze medal after participating in the 2008 CIS/CCA Curling Championships. On the team were Regina-born Dustin “Deuce” Kidby, who played second and was skipped by Byron Moffatt.
In 2013, the men’s curling team finished in fifth place at the 2013 Canada West CIS Curling Championships held in Edmonton, Alberta. In addition, the University of Regina Curling Club hosted the 2014 CIS/CIA National Championship in collaboration with the City of Regina.
By 2017, the team participated in the 2017 Western Canadian University Championships, where they finished with a 3-3 record at the draw stage. To qualify for the USports competition, they had to beat their University of Brandon counterparts in a 7-6 victory. Drew Springer (skip), Sam Wills, Brody Blackwell, Avery Pakulak, and Grady LaMontagne were on the team.
When the men’s rink got to the 2017 U Sports Canadian University Curling Championships – thanks to a brand new team with brand new coaches – they gave their best and mesmerized their fans with a fantastic display of curling skills.
The five-member squad comprised Brody Blackwell (lead), Sam Wills (skip), Grady Lamontagne (second), Drew Springer (third), and Matthias McCreary (alternate). It was their first experience at the U Sports Canadian University Curling Championships after successfully making it through the Canada West Playdowns to earn the spot. They came face-to-face with the University of Alberta Golden Bears’ former Canadian champions – Christopher Gallant, Matthew Hall, Adam Boland, and many others.
Coached by Dave Miller and Jamie Schneider, the boys, who were just then starting their careers at the University of Regina, gave their best at the games. They beat Queen’s University 5-4, Lakehead University 10-4, and Wilfrid Laurier University 10-2. But, unfortunately, they lost to Seed Memorial University 8-7 at the semifinal games and lost the bronze medal to the University of Prince Edward Island after playing 7-6.
At the end of the Championship, the University of Regina men’s curling club finished in fourth place.
Currently, the men’s roster comprises Jaedon Miller, Ryan Grabarczyk, Trey Chernoff, and Giovanni Wright.
While curling fans looked forward to watching their favorite curlers this fall 2021 season (to be held between October and December), the University of Regina Curling Club president, Cheryl Camilo, on behalf of the Club’s executive committee, announced that curling activities are still suspended. She gave the COVID-19 pandemic’s worsening fourth wave and uncertain trajectory as the reason for the season’s suspension.
“We will be watching events closely and (we) will meet later this fall to discuss possibilities,” said Camilo.
Meanwhile, the university’s curling community is hoping that everything returns to normal soon so that curling can resume in the January to March 2022 winter season.
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