A quartet of curlers based out of Langley are preparing for the world championships later this month.
So, how do Tyler Tardi and his team prep?
They play in another championship competitions – a few a little closer to home.
Last weekend all four competed in the BC mixed doubles curling championships in Kelowna.
Today through Sunday, they’re in Abbotsford for the 2017 belairdirect BC Men’s Curling Championship.
Then, they have to immediately hop on a plane to Korea for the world juniors.
Team Tardi is made up of Tyler as skip, his older brother Jordan as second, Burnaby’s Sterling Middleton as third, and Langley’s Nicholas Meister as lead. The Tradi’s father Paul serves as their coach, their mother Anita as coach.
In their first game Wednesday, they fell to Team Bilesky 6-4, then came back that evening to pull out a 9-8 defeat against Team Guignard.
Since then, they won a game against Team McArdie 10-9 on Thursday, won a game Friday against team Jackson, 10-4, then lost a game against Team Joanisse Friday afternoon, 4-5.
"Yes, they played Team Bilesky this afternoon and struggled a bit with the ice," Anita Tardi told the Langley Advance after the first day.
"But [they] rebounded nicely this evening and pulled out the win against Team Guignard," she added. "They are using this event as great practice leading up to the trip to Korea. What better practice than the best men's teams in B.C.?"
They were back on the ice Friday night, hoping to bring home another victory against Team McArdie , but it wasn't possible. They fell 8-2 to the McArdie rink - knocking them out of the running for the top spot.
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This tournament features 12 teams competing for a chance to represent BC at the Tim Hortons Brier in St. John’s N.L March 4 to 12.
Coming off their recent national junior championship win, Team Tardi hasn’t had much down time, and they still won’t for a while.
They head to the 2017 VoIP Defender World Junior Championships being held Feb. 16 to 26 in Gangneung, South Korea.
In the meantime, however, their focus is on their current games in Abbotsford this week.
“This tournament brings together B.C.’s best men’s curling teams and will provide some of the most exciting curling this province has seen this year,” said Curl BC CEO Scott Braley.
“Curl BC is confident Abbotsford will put on a top-notch tournament for curling fans from across the province.”
The four playoff games will be televised on Shaw TV Vancouver Feb. 11 and 12.
Tickets for the 2017 Belairdirect BC Men’s Curling Championships are available through the Abbotsford Curling Club’s website or at the club (2555 McMillan Rd, Abbotsford).
• Stay tuned to the Langley Advance print and online editions for more on Team Tardi
