It wasn’t the outcome Langley’s Team Tardi had been hoping for.
After working hard to clinch a berth at the 2022 B.C. BC Men’s championships in Kamloops, skip Tyler Tardi, third Sterling Middleton, second Jason Ginter and lead Jordan Tardi, who play out of the Langley Curling Centre (LCC), made it all the way to the playoffs to determine the final four, only be defeated 9-3 by rival Team Cotter on Saturday, Jan. 8.
“Not the result we were looking for,” Tyler Tardi remarked.
Still, making the playoffs was a “plus,” he observed, adding the team would be holding a “debriefing” meeting to review their performance.
The uncertainty created by the surging Omicron variant probably didn’t help matters, Tardi conceded.
“A few days before [the event] we didn’t know if we were going to be playing,” Tardi recalled, describing it as “a little bit of a weird feeling.”
Going into the tournament, Team Tardi was top-seed, having amassed the most points in the BC men’s Canadian Team Ranking System (CTRS) points race by competing in seven events, the most of any team in the CTRS standings.
READ ALSO: Langley’s Team Tardi clinches berth to B.C. curling championship
Because of the increase in COVID-19 cases, Curl B.C. relocated the tournament from McArthur Island Event Centre to the smaller Kamloops Curling Club, and spectators had to watch the proceedings online.
“We understand this will be a great disappointment to many people, but the safety of our players, officials, ice technicians,and volunteers is the primary concern,” said Curl B.C. CEO Scott Braley.
”Eventually, we will put COVID-19 behind us, and return to a sense of normalcy,” Braley added.
READ ALSO: Langley’s Team Tardi wins Calgary’s Original 16 bonspiel
On Sunday Jan. 9, the final men’s match came down to Team Cseke and Team Richard.
Cseke was a Cinderella story, with the young team having defeated both Team Tardi, and the team led by nine-time B.C. champion Jim Cotter.
Team Cseke was also undefeated headed into the final, and had already defeated Team Richard twice in the six days leading up to the final.
In a close-fought match, Cseke forced an extra end, but Richard emerged the winner 9-8.
Nick Meister, the lead on team Richard, is also from the Langley Curling Club and lives in Langley. He used to play with the Tardis in Juniors.
The finals of the 2022 Scotties BC Women’s championship pitted Team Arsenault against Team MacMillan, with Arsenault winning 8-6.
Both newly-minted champions now go on to represent B.C. with Arsenault appearing at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts, Jan. 28 to Feb. 6 in Thunder Bay, while Richard will go to the Tim Hortons Brier, March 4-13 in Lethbridge.
Have a story tip? Email: dan.ferguson@langleyadvancetimes.com
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