Meet the Teams: Team Koe and Team Homan

The 2021 Tim Hortons Curling Trials, presented by AGI, will be held Nov. 20-28 at the SaskTel Centre in Saskatoon. Get to know the eventual nine men’s and womens’ teams that will be competing for the right to represent Canada at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.

Team Koe

Skip Kevin Koe will attempt to qualify for his second straight Olympics berth as he leads his team into the Tim Hortons Trials. It’s a different looking team, however, as just lead Ben Hebert remains intact from the 2018 team that competed in Pyeongchang.

Vice-skip John Morris is a double Olympics gold medallist, having taken his spot atop the podium along with Hebert on Kevin Martin’s team in 2010 in Vancouver. Morris also claimed gold in the mixed doubles event with Kaitlyn Lawes in Pyeongchang.

B.J. Neufeld, who shifted to play second on Koe’s revamped lineup, rounds out the Calgary-based foursome.

One of the most consistent skips in the men’s game, Koe desperately wants to get back to the Olympics after finishing a disappointing fourth in 2018, losing the semi-final to eventual gold medallist John Shuster of the United States.

The team has plenty of experience and all four players have had their successes. Led by Koe, the former Olympian; a four-time Tim Hortons Brier champion and three-time runner-up; two-time World champion and World silver-medallist.

Aside from his two Olympic gold medals, Morris is also a three-time Tim Hortons Brier champion and three-time runner-up; a gold-, silver- and bronze-medallist at Worlds; and twice a World and Canadian junior champion.

Neufeld has won gold, silver and bronze medals at the Tim Hortons Brier and a silver at his one World Championship appearance as Koe’s third.

Hebert is considered one of the sport’s top leads and sweepers, having appeared twice previously at the Olympics (gold in 2010 and with Koe in 2018); a four-time Tim Hortons Brier champion; two-time World gold- and silver-medallist; and World junior champion.

The foursome, which qualified for this event as a top three team on the Canadian Ranking System in 2018-19,  is coached by Dr. John Dunn, a professor in Kinesiology, Sport and Recreation and a sports psychologist.

Koe won the 2017 Canadian Curling Trials, known as the Tim Hortons Roar of the Rings in Ottawa with Marc Kennedy at vice-skip, Brent Laing at second and Hebert at lead, defeating Mike McEwen in the final, a team that coincidentally featured Neufeld at vice-skip.

Team Homan

Like Kevin Koe, Rachel Homan would dearly love to make amends at the Olympic level after failing to qualify for the playoffs in Pyeongchang in 2018, finishing sixth despite being considered a strong medal favourite.

Homan’s rink has a different wrinkle though as Sarah Wilkes took over at second in 2020, moving Joanne Courtney to lead with long-time teammate Emma Miskew remaining at vice-skip. Wilkes was not part of the 2018 Olympics team, as Lisa Weagle played lead for Homan with Courtney at second.

Homan and Miskew have three Scotties Tournament of Hearts titles to their names and have each finished second three times at the national women’s’ championship. They twice finished as runners-up at the World Championship, but along with Courtney, have also claimed a single World gold medal.
Courtney has one Scotties crown to her name and four times has finished in the silver position at nationals. Homan, Miskew and Courtney also all have a Scotties bronze to show for their efforts.
Wilkes is a Scotties Tournament of Hearts champion, finishing first in 2019 with skip Chelsea Carey, defeating Team Homan in the final. Wilkes joined the Homan team the next season and the four finished second at nationals, losing out to Kerri Einarson’s team.
Wilkes is also a two-time Canadian University champion.

Team Homan, which qualified for this event as  the 2019 Home Hardware Canada Cup champion, is coached by six-time Canadian and four-time World champion Randy Ferbey.

Tickets for the 2021 Tim Hortons Curling Trials, presented by AGI are available at: https://www.curling.ca/2021trials/tickets/

It is important to note that fans above the age of 12 will have to be fully vaccinated against COVID 19 in order to attend Curling Canada-affiliated events. https://www.curling.ca/mandatory-vaccination-policy/