Saluting the champions!

Alberta, Saskatchewan claim gold at 2024 Everest Canadian Senior Championships

A return to New Brunswick in just over four months is now in the plans for two teams that were crowned national champions Saturday on the closing day of the 2024 Everest Canadian Senior Curling Championships.

Alberta’s Team Atina Ford Johnston from Okotoks, Calgary and Sherwood Park, and Saskatchewan’s Team Randy Bryden from Regina prevailed in the women’s and men’s gold-medal games Saturday to earn the right to wear the Maple Leaf at the 2025 World Senior Championships April 26-May 3 in Fredericton.

Alberta stole its way to victory, defeating previously unbeaten Team Jo-Ann Rizzo of Ontario (Mississauga) 5-4, while in the men’s final, Saskatchewan was a 7-5 winner over Alberta’s Team James Pahl (Sherwood Park).

After a slow start to the women’s final, with Ontario blanking the first three ends, Ford Johnston’s Alberta foursome, rounded out by vice-skip Shannon Morris, second Sheri Pickering and lead Cori Morris, turned up the pressure in the middle ends and it paid off.

In the fourth, Rizzo needed to make a cross-house double takeout to score, but couldn’t make contact with the second stone, leaving Alberta a steal of one.

An end later, Rizzo had to try a delicate come-around tap to score, looking at four Alberta counters. She was wide with her delivery and rolled out, leaving all four Alberta stones in the rings.

Ontario got on the scoreboard in the sixth on a precision tap from Rizzo to score two, and threatened for a big steal in the seventh when Ford Johnston had to draw against three Ontario counters. She was just heavy but did cut the steal to just a single to hold a two-point lead with last rock going to the eighth.

And in the eighth, Ford Johnston, a former Canadian junior champion skip who also won Olympic and World Championship gold as the alternate for Team Sandra Schmirler, made an open hit to nail down the win.

“Oh my gosh, it was melting away from us a little bit,” said Ford Johnston of the late-game drama as Ontario clawed its way back into the game. “We started to play a little bit defensive, so that’s something we need to work on a little bit, but we’ll be stronger coming out of this experience, for sure.

“Boy, are we happy to pull that one out, and we’re very thankful and grateful that we had the opportunity to play against Ontario as well — they’re a great team, and such great ambassadors for the sport.”

Cori Morris (no relation to Shannon) has ties to the World Senior Championships; her mother-in-law Carolyn is a two-time gold-medallist at the event. She skipped Scotland to gold in 2005, and then eight years later, she won gold again as a member of Cathy King’s Canadian team that prevailed in Fredericton.

So it’s fitting that this team will play as Team Canada in Fredericton.

“We’re going to try to carry this win through, and do Canada proud,” said Ford Johnston. “I take pride in wearing that Maple Leaf. That’s going to be just incredible.”

It was the eighth time an Alberta team has won the Canadian senior women’s title.

In the bronze-medal game, Nova Scotia’s Team Mary Sue Radford (Halifax) beat Quebec’s Team Luanne Waddell (7-3; Des Collines/Chicoutimi/Buckingham/Mont-Bruno) 7-5.

In the semifinals earlier Saturday, Ontario downed Quebec 6-4 while Alberta doubled Nova Scotia 6-3.

For Bryden and his brother Russ, who lined up at second for Team Saskatchewan, it was a second national championship. They played the same positions for Saskatchewan’s gold-medal team at the 1996 Canadian Mixed Championship in Charlottetown.

“I’ve been curling competitively for a long time and never had a chance to go to the Brier. But this weekend felt awesome,” he said. “It was very competitive and the team played well and, you know, we’re fortunate to be the winners this weekend.”

Saskatchewan (vice-skip Troy Robinson and lead Chris Semenchuck round out the team) found itself down early when Pahl was able to steal one in the second by planting a perfect freeze to cover the button

But Saskatchewan bounced back with a deuce in the third, held Alberta to one in the fourth and then got a game-turning pair out of nowhere in the fifth, Pahl’s last-rock tap attempt to sit three barely rubbed on a guard, and Randy Bryden was able to make a suddenly open hit to score two and go up 4-2.

“We were very fortunate in the fifth end,” said Bryden. “If he gets by, we have a very tough shot for one. Sometimes maybe you’re meant to win, I guess.”

And while the Bryden brothers will be wearing the Maple Leaf for the first time, they won’t be the only Brydens to do it this season. Randy Bryden’s son Josh will be skipping Team Canada at the 2025 Winter World University Games in Italy next month. Josh Bryden will be backed by his University of Regina teammates Adam Bukurak, Carter Williamson and Ayden Whittemire.

In fact, the team’s Team Canada brooms are currently sitting in the living room at the Brydens’ house in Regina.

“Well, my son did give me a little challenge,” said Randy Bryden with a chuckle. “He said, ‘Hey, Dad, we’re wearing the Maple Leaf on our back. If you want to join me, you have to go play well.”

Mission accomplished.

“It’s a fantastic feeling that, and it’s a goal I’ve had since I was probably 16 years old playing in juniors,” he said. “And to do with the group that we have, like my brother, and Troy, I played with for a long, long time. And Chris; I mean, we played against him lots and he’s played with us for five years. It’s just a good group of guys.”

It was Saskatchewan’s ninth Canadian senior men’s gold medal.

Grant Odishaw’s host New Brunswick team from Grand Falls/Moncton won the bronze medal, beating Manitoba’s Team Randy Neufeld (La Salle) 8-5.

In the men’s semifinals, Saskatchewan stole its way to the final, getting one in the extra end to beat Manitoba 7-6, while Alberta was an 8-5 winner over New Brunswick.

In Fredericton, the Canadian women’s team will be looking for a third straight gold medal, following in the footsteps of Team Susan Froud last season in Östersund, Sweden, while the Canadian men will be looking to make it six in a row; Team Paul Flemming claimed gold in Östersund.

This story will be available in French as soon as possible at www.curling.ca/2024seniors/nouvelles/?lang=fr