Saskatchewan will have a local flavour at this year鈥檚 Tim Horton鈥檚 Brier in Regina.
After missing out on a trip to the brier last year St. Gregor鈥檚 Kirk and Dallan Muyres and the rest of Team Laycock will be returning to the brier, this time on home ice.
鈥淚t means a lot. You don鈥檛 really realize a lot of the cool things you鈥檙e doing when you鈥檙e in the midst of your career but this is something we鈥檒l look back on when we鈥檙e retired, have kids of our own to say that we went to the Brier four times in five years, that鈥檚 pretty special,鈥� noted Kirk.
Team Laycock鈥檚 trip to the brier included facing off with an old friend as Laycock鈥檚 rink knocked off Colton Flasch鈥檚 rink in the provincial final.
Flasch served as Laycock鈥檚 second from 2012 until last spring when he announced he would be leaving the rink.
Getting back to the brier is a big deal, noted Kirk, who said missing last year served as a bit of a wake up call for Laycock鈥檚 rink.
鈥淲hen you go for three years in a row you kind of just think maybe that鈥檚 the way it鈥檚 always going to be and we got a rude awakening last year obviously,鈥� he noted.
鈥淪o this year going back into it knowing that maybe we aren鈥檛 going to win, maybe we aren鈥檛 going to go. When that last rock settled out it was pretty exciting and almost reinvigorating to know that we went through it again, worked hard and got the result we wanted.鈥�
Of course, this year鈥檚 trip is a little more special for Laycock鈥檚 rink as they will be playing on home ice in Regina, and while none of the four curlers have any experience playing in a brier on home ice, Kirk notes he has been to three Saskatchewan brier鈥檚 watching Muenster鈥檚 Bruce Korte in 2000 and 2004 in Saskatoon, and Pat Simmons鈥� rink in 2006 in Regina.
鈥淲e were just kids at the time so we watched them play and saw how the Saskatchewan fans hung on every single shot. They were wooing and cheering as the rock comes down the ice so I think the atmosphere is going to be nuts and we鈥檙e going to have to do a good job of really compartmentalizing our energy levels,鈥� noted Kirk, who said it will be important that the guys stay within their routines.
Of course, having the brier in their home province means more support from friends, family, sponsors, and the rest of the province, notes Kirk.
鈥淚t鈥檚 going to be real cool to have all the people that supported you watching you on T.V. over the years and now they鈥檙e going to be there in real life so that鈥檚 going to be nice鈥� I think one of the really nice things is having that family and that support system right there with you and I think it will give us a jolt of energy when we鈥檙e feeling low or feeling tired.鈥�
Kirk notes he thinks having that support system close by could be a benefit for the team when they get into the later portion of the tournament.
That support could come in handy, notes Kirk who says in addition to family it will be important for the team to spend time with the fans, which could suck some of the energy out of the guys.
鈥淲e鈥檙e going to have to make sure we have the time with the fans to make sure that they realize they are appreciated instead of maybe just running away to the hotel room between draws. So we鈥檙e going to have to save up our energy where we can but expel it in good spots.鈥�
The brier kicks off March 3, with the championship final March 11, and Kirk says the goals for the team are to be the last team standing on March 11.
鈥淲e鈥檙e going there to win the Brier. We鈥檝e said it before. We鈥檝e played all the teams there, we鈥檝e beaten all the teams there. We鈥檝e now got some really good experience on our side, we know what to expect going into a Brier,鈥� he said.
鈥淪askatchewan hasn鈥檛 won it in 38 years. We鈥檙e going there with one goal and that鈥檚 to win it and I think if we play good, and stick to our processes we鈥檒l have a good chance to do it. Obviously there鈥檚 a lot of other teams that are going
to play good too but if we get some of the right luck throughout the week I think we鈥檒l be there at the end of the week and hopefully we鈥檒l come home Brier champions.鈥�
The brier will be another family affair for the Muyres鈥� as Kirk and Dallan鈥檚 father Lyle will also be attending the brier as he serves as the coach for Team Laycock.
