Mat Camm, David Mathers, Andrew Hamilton and Lynn Kreviazuk curl one last match at the Ottawa Club before heading to Calgary for the M&M Meat Shops Canadian junior championship.
A junior curling team based at the Ottawa Curling Club is currently competing at the M&M Meat Shops Canadian junior championship in Calgary and the curlers insist their success is due to great team chemistry.
“We have so much fun curling together,” says David Mathers, second man for Team Camm. “The four of us are the best of friends and the fun we have really calms us down when we are in tense situations on the ice.”
The championships started Jan. 29 and will continue until Feb. 6. There are 13 teams from across Canada curling in the round robin event, and the members of Team Camm say they have high expectations for the team.
“We’ve got a good chance,” says Scott Howard, third man. “From my perspective, if we don’t win it, I’ll be pretty disappointed.”
Team Camm consists of Ottawa residents Mathers, Andrew Hamilton and skip Mathew Camm, as well as Howard of Kitchener-Waterloo. Since not all the members live in the same city, communication and trust are key to their success, says Will Hamilton, coach of Team Camm.
Though the team is based at the Ottawa Curling Club in Centretown and Mathers, Hamilton and Camm play there, Howard has never curled on the OCC ice.
“When you’re not at the club with all of the guys every day or every weekend, trust is a big component of our team dynamic. I trust them to do what they need to do,” says Hamilton. “We also use mobile device to their limits, we’re always communicating via our BlackBerrys.”
The team advanced to the national championship after going undefeated at the Pepsi Ontario junior curling championship. In 2010, the team competed at several events across Canada, something that the curlers say has set them up well for the Canadian Juniors.
“We’ve played in some big events this year, so we’re not scared of the big stage,” says Mathers. “We just have to stay within ourselves and most importantly, make sure we have fun.”
The fun environment and social aspect of curling is something that two of the curlers say is their favorite part of the sport.
“I love being able to just sit with the team afterwards and talk,” says Camm. “It’s a very social sport.”
Howard, meanwhile, says he appreciates the opportunities that curling has allowed him.
“I like meeting lots of new people and traveling. That’s what’s really fun about the game,” says Howard.
Though the four curlers have been competing together for only a year now, several of the members have been friends for many years.
Despite this, the future of Team Camm is uncertain, as the curlers are advancing in age and the players could be picked up by other men’s teams in the future, says Howard.
“We’ll have to wait and see and play it by ear. If we win the championships, we’ll probably stay together.”
Camm's rink isn't the only team heading to a national championship.
Rachel Homan’s rink, national junior champions from last year, will now prepare for the national championship Feb 19-27 in P.E.I., after winning the Ontario Scotties Tournament of Hearts last month in Thornhill.
Homan defeated defending provincial champions Krista McCariville of Thunber Bay, 9-6 in the final.