DRUNKEN INCIDENT ‘LESSON LEARNED’ FOR VETERAN FRY
Northern Ontario’s third arrives at Brier focused and eager to put past behind him
An embarrassing incident earlier this year could wind up being just the thing Ryan Fry needed to start changing his ways for good. The veteran third for Brad Jacobs’ Northern Ontario team was kicked out of a bonspiel in Red Deer in November for being drunk and disorderly during a game and took an indefinite leave from the team in the immediate aftermath.
He was away for about six weeks but has returned to the team and will play in the Tim Hortons Brier, which starts Saturday afternoon at Westoba Place.
“It was mistake that I apologized for, and that’s all you can do,” Fry said Friday after practice. “From the time it happened until now, it’s been all about working on putting that in the past and moving forward and just being a better version of myself.” Fry, 40, won a Brier in 2013 and an Olympic gold medal with Jacobs in 2014. His behaviour in Red Deer made headlines around the curling world and forced Jacobs to find replacement players for a few events.
But the Northern Ontario skip praised Fry for his efforts to come back as a better person. “I think we’ve handled this entire thing with Ryan very well,” Jacobs said. “I think Ryan Fry himself has handled all of the distractions very well and he’s on a great trajectory in terms of self-improvement. His mindset, his headspace is getting healthier and healthier all the time, and I believe he’s ready to come out here and compete and show everyone how good he really is.” Jacobs, who also curls with E.J. Harnden and Ryan Harnden, said an old saying sums up how Fry has dealt with this situation. “There are no mistakes in life, only lessons,” Jacobs quoted. “It’s a lesson learned.” “That’s how I’ve looked at my whole life,” Fry added. “It’s a process. You grow up through a series of mistakes. That’s the only way you learn.”
HISTORY A LOW PRIORITY
His team has a chance to make some history this year, but that’s not even close to the top of Brad Gushue’s priority list.
If Gushue’s St. John’s foursome can win the Brier here, it will become only the second men’s team in history to take the title in three straight years. Randy Ferbey’s Edmonton team did it in 2001-03.
Gushue won the Brier as Team Newfoundland and Labrador in 2017 and repeated in Regina in 2018 as Team Canada. His foursome is wearing Team Canada colours again this year. Gushue, third Mark Nichols, second Brett Gallant and lead Geoff Walker have actually taken things easy this season, playing only seven events leading up to the Brier.
ROOKIES RARING TO GO
Scott McDonald had an answer at the ready when asked where his team of Brier rookies fits into this year’s field.
“I would place us in the dark horse category,” the 32-year-old skip of Team Ontario said. That sounds about right for this foursome from Kingston. They don’t have much experience on the big stage, but they set out to change that this season. “Between September and October, we were on the ice nine out of 10 weekends,” said McDonald, “which is really busy, but it helped us play well and gave us opportunities later in the season.” Team McDonald shocked 2018 Ontario representative and Brier semifinalist John Epping in the final in Elmira in January. In fact, McDonald beat Epping three times in that event and was fully deserving of the trip to Brandon. “The final to get to the Brier is the biggest game we’ve ever played in,” said McDonald, who curls with John Beuk, Wesley Forget and Scott Chadwick. “By seeing how we responded in that environment and being able to play so well when the pressure was on, I think that gives all of us confidence.”