MY FAVOURITE BRIER
The Tankard Times asked various curlers, fans, media members and Curling Canada officials who have been to multiple Briers to choose their favourite. This is what they had to say, in the third of a series:
EDMONTON, 2005 — When you’ve covered more than 25 Briers and Edmonton teams skipped by Pat Ryan, Randy Ferbey, Kevin Martin and Kevin Koe have won a dozen of them, it’s tough to pick one. I loved my first one in 1980 in Calgary, which, come to think of it, was Saskatchewan’s last one. But how could I possibly select one other than Edmonton 2005 when the Ferbey Four won their fourth and the event set an all-time attendance record of 281,985. It was the most ballistic Brier ever.
—Terry Jones, sports columnist, Postmedia
KAMLOOPS, 1996 — I grew up in Kamloops, but I was working in Nanaimo when the CCA announced that the Brier would be played in Kamloops for the first time. I made it a priority to try to find a job in Kamloops, and about 10 months before the 1996 Brier, the sports editor’s job opened up at my hometown paper. I applied, got the job, and started counting down the days to the opening ceremony. Added bonus — my curling hero growing up, Barry McPhee, won the B.C. title and would be the hometown favourite. Those nine days were a blur but it was a classic final that went to an extra end between Jeff Stoughton and Kevin Martin. There’s nothing like your first Brier, and having it in my hometown made it that much better.
—Al Cameron, Director, Communication & Media Relations, Curling Canada
CALGARY, 1997 — That Brier is memorable for a record audience of 17,024 on championship Sunday and the epic final featuring Vic Peters and Kevin Martin, who prevailed 10-8. But, for me, it’s mostly about a card I received scant days after Peters’ crushing defeat. It was from Vic, his bride Deb and their kids —Kassie, Daley and Elisabeth — thanking me for the “endless support to our family and the friendship you extended us.” What athlete does that? What athlete’s family does that? In my experience, just one. I still have that card, and it’s the reason I won’t forget the 1997 Brier.
— Patti Dawn Swansson, Tankard Times contributor