Drunk curler ejection prompts review from sport’s world tour

Frosty brews are as common a sight in a curling club as rocks in the rings.

Knocking back a few pints after a game is enmeshed in the social fabric of the sport, especially at the club level. Sometimes you’ll even see elite curlers head to the bar once play is complete, with winners typically buying the first round.

What was different about last weekend’s team ejection at the Red Deer Curling Classic was the drinking was done before the game and unsportsmanlike behaviour followed. It was such an uncommon occurrence — curling prides itself on gentlemanly play — that the World Curling Tour doesn’t have anything on the books to deal with what went down.

“We don’t currently have a code of conduct specific to this kind of issue,” said WCT operations chief Gerry Geurts. “But we’re reviewing that policy in the wake of this incident and working with other Tour stakeholders to consider the next course of action.”

On Saturday, the team of Jamie Koe, Ryan Fry, Chris Schille and DJ Kidby were kicked out of the $35,000 competition. Fry, who was playing as a substitute, won a Tim Hortons Brier title in 2013 and won Olympic gold with skip Brad Jacobs at the 2014 Sochi Games.

Organizers said that after drinking in the venue’s bar area, three of the four curlers — Koe sat out — played an afternoon game that led to their disqualification. Red Deer Curling Centre manager Wade Thurber said that Fry broke three brooms, the team used foul language and there was some minor damage in the locker room.

The team members left the premises afterwards without issue, forfeited a Sunday game, and issued statements Monday apologizing for their actions. Fry, who normally plays with Jacobs, E.J. Harnden and Ryan Harnden, offered to pay for any damages, Thurber said.