DYNAMIC DUO
Crocker, Muyres take doubles crown
Laura Crocker and Kirk Muyres had to overcome the closest thing to perfection there was to win the 2018 Canadian mixed doubles curling championship in Leduc on Sunday.
The pair put together an 8-7 win over the Gimli, Man., tandem of Kadriana Sahaidak and Colton Lott, who up to that point, were the only remaining undefeated crew in the 32-team field competing for the right to wear Team Canada colours at the upcoming world championships in Sweden.
The Manitoba champions had strung together a 9-0 record to reach the final despite being the youngest pair on the ice. And although they fell behind early, they managed to take a 7-6 lead into the eighth and final end, before Crocker came up with the twopoint winner.
“I’m thinking about everything but what would happen if I made it,” Crocker said, recalling the thoughts racing through her mind during her final shot. “So I just tried to really fall back on my process, made sure I took my time and didn’t rush anything, and I knew out of my hand I’d be close if I did that.”
Of course, it didn’t hurt the 27-year-old Edmonton curler out of the Saville Community Sports Centre to have some experience to fall back on as the 2016 Canadian mixed doubles silver medallist, which she earned with fiance Geoff Walker.
But with Walker in Las Vegas with Brad Gushue and Team Canada at the men’s world championships this week, Crocker ended up recruiting Muyres in the Brier Patch in Regina as a new mixed partner.
“I thought I was going focus this year on men’s, on the Olympic Trials, and maybe get into (mixed doubles) down the road,” said Muyres, a Saskatoon curler who didn’t regret his decision to play with Crocker even before the two earned gold on Sunday.
“Every time we’d go out to play a game here, even through the playoffs, I’d say, ‘I want to play one more game,’ because it’s so much fun.”
“Laura made a couple of pistols late to keep us in it. She’s a winner. I’m glad to be (throwing) before her.”
Next up for Crocket and Muyres is the world mixed doubles championships from April 21-28 in Ostersund, Sweden.
“There’s no other feeling like it, and if I say much more about it, I might get emotional,” said Crocker, who wore the Maple Leaf with Rachel Homan on the way to a silver medal at the 2010 world junior championships in Flims, Switzerland.
Meanwhile, she was the skip for Canada at the 2013 Winter Universiade in Trentino, Italy.
Muyres vice-skipped with Braeden Moskowy’s Canadian squad at the 2011 world juniors in Perth, Scotland.
“I remember being able to put that on the first time and dreamed about it every day since, and to be able to do it again in a few weeks in Sweden, it’s about as good as it gets,” said Muyres.
“To go and wear the Maple Leaf is one of the coolest experiences ever. I can’t wait to get over to Sweden and go do it.”
Earlier on Saturday, Sahaidak and Lott defeated Chelsea Carey and Colin Hodgson 7-3 in one of semifinal, while Crocker and Muyres knocked off the 2017 champions Joanne Courtney and Reid Carruthers 9-4 in the other.