They did it again.
Team Tardi – or at least part of the traditional team – walked away with another curling championship this past weekend.
The latest victory came in Nanaimo, where the two youngest members of the team – skip Tyler Tardi and third Sterling Middleton – were joined by Victoria’s Scott Gray (second) and Derek Chandler (lead) in the BC U18 Curling Championships that ran Thursday to Sunday on the Island.
These championships were previously for curlers 16 years and younger, and it was called the Juvenile Curling Championships. The winners went to the Optimists International U18 Curling event (which featured teams from several provinces – but not all provinces – as well as places like the U.S.A. and Japan).
This year’s contest was between eight teams contending for the gold.
And the winner – that being the Langley-based Team Tardi – is now off to compete in the first-ever national U18 event, which takes place in Moncton, N.B. from April 17 to 22.
Back home Monday, Tardi was elated with the win, and excited to be headed to New Brunswick soon.
“Provincials in Nanaimo was one that I won’t forget because it was the first ever U18 provincials and its exciting to be the first winners on a list that in many years will hold names of future champions,” he told the Langley Advance.
“It is a cool feeling to be a part of that.”
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Meanwhile, Middleton called the competition “fantastic.”
“The host committee, volunteers, ice makers, and everyone else involved were very excited to host this event and it really showed,” he shared.
“Our competition was strong all week and they really pushed us to be on top of our game. Standing on the podium after the final game and getting the gold medal made me excited to have another chance to represent BC. I can’t wait for the nationals in Moncton,” Middleton concluded.
In the meantime, Tardi and Middleton recently represented Canada at the 2017 VoIP Defender World Junior Curling Championships (for curlers under the age of 21). These two boys, along with Tyler’s older brother Jordan, Langley’s Nicholas Meister, and alternate Nicholas Rabi came home from Korea without a medal, but they were strong contenders – making it to the tiebreaker for the qualifying round.
To view the end by end scores, and the player roster, visit http://playdowns.curlbc.ca.