Only one local curler took part in the Provincial Firefighters Championships held in Swift Current over the weekend but he just so happened to play third on a rink that would finish 5-0 while out-scoring their opponents 43-16.
Swift Current’s Chris Haichert was the lone local participant as he joined three members of the Saskatoon Fire Department on Gregg Tarasoff’s rink out of the Sutherland Curling Club.
The provincial title advances Haichert and his teammates to Nationals in Calgary on March 31-April 10.
“The event went very well,” he said. “Greg Tarasoff, our skip, was curling extremely well. He made a lot of shots, which made it easy for the rest of the team when your skip is playing really well.”
The Tarasoff rink opened play with a 9-1 win over Garnett Zummack, followed by an 8-4 win over Cam Thompson on Friday.
Saturday, the Tarasoff rink continued to roll with a 9-4 win over Jeff Gartner and an 8-4 win over Rick Day.
Tarasoff clinched the championship with a 9-3 win over Thompson on Sunday morning.
The team had never played together as a unit as Haichert is based here in Swift Current, while Tarasoff, Carmen Koch (second), and Vern Harrison (lead) are all from Saskatoon.
Haichert had played against his new teammates in 2008 at Nationals when he represented the Northwest Territories.
“The competition definitely gets a lot stiffer at Nationals and we definitely want to improve and get better in hopes that we can bring back the Canadian National title to Saskatchewan here,” he said.
The team hopes to meet up to play some games or tournaments together just to keep sharp and improve leading up to Nationals.
Curling fans may recognize Haichert’s name. He has a decorated curling resume, including Canadian and World Junior Championships in 2003 with Steve Laycock.
He won the 2008 Canadian Firefighters Championships in Richmond, BC on Steve Moss’ rink out of the Northwest Territories. He also played second on Pat Simmons’ team at the 2005 and 2006 Briers.
He said that it was team effort that led to the dominating five-game stretch.
“The entire team is a bunch of great curlers. They have all been very successful in their careers as well. We fit very well and we gel very well as a team. Everybody kind of has their own role and does what they need to do out there. I am just another one of the guys on the team that has the same goal, which was winning this title.”
Haichert and the Swift Current Fire Department hosted the seven-team event.
“It was the Swift Current Fire Department hosting this event and I had a lot of help from everybody. It was a great successful event here in Swift Current and just another tribute to the city of Swift Current hosting successful curling events.”
“It was just an extremely successful event from top to bottom. We got a lot of good reviews on how excellent the facility was, how excellent the ice was, the meals that we had brought in were good, and the Saskatchewan Firefighters Curling Association commented on what a well run event it was,” he added.
