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Many years later, each Calgary curlers lastly arrive to identical Brier
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Mickey Pendergast is aware of the brilliance of Kevin Koe first-hand.
For 3 years again within the ’90s, Koe was Pendergast’s third, honing his craft on the Calgary curling scene and chasing the dream of reaching the Brier.
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That’s lastly occurred for each at this 12 months’s nationwide championship in Regina, albeit on two completely different groups with skip Koe now making his twelfth Brier look as one among Canada’s best-ever curlers, whereas Pendergast is having fun with his maiden voyage to the enduring occasion.
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“Fairly excited,” mentioned Pendergast, teaching the Alberta champions skipped by Airdrie’s Aaron Sluchinski. “I’m 66, and there’s a few issues that excite me about curling nonetheless.”
One is watching Koe toss the rocks round — simply as he’s doing this week on the Brier in a bid to turn out to be a five-time Brier champ.
Certainly, Pendergast nonetheless will get a kick out of watching his former henchman.
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“We met Kevin completely accidentally,” mentioned Pendergast, recalling his first assembly with Koe. “We had been on the large bonspiel in Vernon again within the day. And there was this group there from the Northwest Territories that was doing effectively. It was Klaus Schoenne — he went to the Brier just a few years and often gained two or three video games. Good man and good participant, however he doesn’t have the depth on his group.
“And it appears like he’s taking part in along with his 12-year-old nephew or one thing. He had this skinny little child with him on the group. It’s Kevin, and he was in all probability 16 or one thing, however he was skinny as hell and didn’t look very outdated. However they’re beating everyone, and so they’re profitable the bonspiel.
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“Anyway, so a few years later, I flip the TV on and right here’s this child within the closing of junior Canadians from the Territories.”
That was 1994, when a burned-rock controversy — on an unintended kick by NWT second Mark Whitehead — stored Koe, Whitehead & Co. from a deserved win over Alberta’s Colin Davison in what ended up a 6-5 Alberta closing on the Canadian Junior Curling Championships in Truro, N.S.
“So in a 12 months or two later, Koe moved to Calgary to go to highschool,” continued Pendergast, a Curling Alberta board of director and co-author of the curling technique e book ‘What’s Your Name?’ that includes a ahead written by — who else? —Koe. “And he calls my brother, Kevin, who was on my group on the time — he bought to know him from a few spiels we bumped into him at. He says, ‘I’m shifting to Calgary — are you aware any males’s group that’s searching for a participant?’ And our group had type of run its course, so we mentioned, ‘Yeah, we type of know a males’s group searching for a participant.’ Particularly a child who can play like that.
“So we connected and performed collectively for 3 years and made a few provincials however didn’t actually make any noise. We made it to a few tour championships and did OK on the bonspiel path.
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“We had enjoyable.”
After the 1998 season, Koe went his personal manner, leaping into the skip’s place and on to an incredible profession within the sport.
“When he began doing effectively, my brother, Kevin, and I might joke saying, ‘Yup, we taught him every part he is aware of,’” mentioned Pendergast of Koe. “Then, you notice it’s ‘I taught him every part I do know’ …
“And he surpassed that and extra.”
And the way.
Koe represented Canada on the 2018 Winter Olympic Video games.
He’s a two-time world champion and a four-time Brier kingpin.
And he’s the proprietor of eight Alberta males’s titles — solely Kevin Martin has extra with 12.
His cost for No. 13 was — paradoxically — minimize down by the Pendergast-coached Sluchinski rink final month in Hinton, Alta.
Sluchinski & Co. then beat Koe once more in Draw 1 of this Brier in an 8-4 closer-than-the-score-looks choice.
However the latest run of hiccups — together with one other loss on final rock Sunday 6-5 to Saskatchewan’s Mike McEwen — doesn’t make Koe any much less harmful on the market to win all of it, says Pendergast.
“He sees the sport in a different way,” mentioned Pendergast, himself a two-time Canadian masters champion in 2018 and ’19 and provincial runner-up in each 1990 — to Harold Breckenridge — and 2000 — to Martin. “Although we beat him twice right here at provincials, Koe referred to as some fascinating photographs. He’s nonetheless bought that strategic edge and is aware of learn how to mainly construct off that and make issues occur.
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“He’s enjoyable to look at.”
He’s nonetheless one to be careful for on the Brier, regardless that he’s in some hassle.
“Again then, you would see the expertise — the uncooked pure expertise — which is his shot-making capacity,” added Pendergast. “He had that low, snake supply that he’s nonetheless bought. He was a shot-maker. He noticed the photographs and threw them.
“I wouldn’t name him a technical man then. He’s extra that now. However you noticed then he had a present for making photographs, and he’s among the best nonetheless.
“Mike Harris requested the query, ‘In the event you had one shot left with a recreation, who would you need throwing it?’ I’m not going to let you know if it’s a draw a success or a runback or no matter. It’s simply who would you need?’ Mike all the time mentioned Wayne Middaugh.
“However I believe you make a fairly nice argument with Kevin Koe. He has the entire vary.”
EXTRA ENDS
Koe and his Alberta crew from The Glencoe Membership in Calgary (1-2) meet Quebec’s Julien Tremblay (1-2) on Monday morning (8 a.m., TSN) earlier than dealing with Canada’s Brad Gushue (2-1) later Monday (6 p.m., TSN) … Within the meantime, Sluchinski (2-0) — who toppled Nunavut’s Shane Latimer (0-2) 12-10 on Sunday afternoon, because of four-ender tenth — will get Nova Scotia’s Matthew Manuel (0-3) in Monday’s early draw and Prince Edward Island’s Tyler Smith (1-1) on Monday evening … The opposite Alberta crew, skipped Brendan Bottcher (2-0) out of The Glencoe Membership, confronted Ontario’s Scott Howard (1-1) late Sunday, forward of assembly Northern Ontario’s Trevor Bonot (2-0) on Monday afternoon (1 p.m., TSN).
tsaelhof@postmedia.com
http://www.x.com/ToddSaelhofPM
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