This year’s trip to the Viterra Championship will certainly be special for the Graham Freeman rink from Virden.
For the first time, Freeman will be competing at the men’s provincial curling championship with his son, Brooks. The rest of the rink that earned the provincials berth is made up of relatives and Freeman’s longtime teammates Cory Barkley and Dwayne Barkley. The Viterra Championships run Jan. 31- Feb. 4 in Winkler.
“I have been to the provincials many times before to watch my dad play in them, but this will be my first time competing in a game,” said Brooks, who served as a fifth for his dad’s rink last year. “I'm looking forward to playing with my dad and the rest of the team because it will be a really special moment for the whole family and also because all three of them have lots of experience in the men’s provincials.”
It will be Graham’s 11th time skipping a team at men’s provincials. Cory, who throws second stones, will be competing in his 13th men’s provincials, while Dwayne, who throws lead, will be at his 12th. Cory is Graham’s brother-in-law and Brooks’ uncle. Dwayne, (curled with Graham for 26 years) and Cory are first cousins. Fifth Kevin Barkley is Dwayne’s brother. In regards to Brooks and Graham, Cory noted that not too many father/son combinations have played together at the event over the years.
“It is very cool to be curling with my son in a provincial men’s championship,” Graham said. “It seems like just yesterday that I was coaching him and his friends in the Junior Super League. That was four years ago in their first year of being a dedicated curling team. I am very proud of how quickly he has developed as a thrower, sweeper and as a student of the game. … I’m definitely looking forward to it and hope the experience will benefit him as he moves forward in his young curling career.”
Junior Success
While it will be Brooks’ first time curling in a men’s provincials, this past December he skipped his team to a 3-4 record at the junior men’s provincials in Altona. The rink, which includes Virden’s Will Draper, knocked off two of the top seeds.
“It showed us that we can compete with the best when we really want to and that we were not to be taken lightly,” said Brooks, who is attending Brandon’s Assiniboine Community College.
Still Fun
Graham said that at this point in his curling career every appearance at the Viterra Championship is kind of a bonus because it is not getting any easier. The competitiveness of the event is still enjoyable for Dwayne. In an interview a few years ago, he told this reporter that as the rink had cut back its schedule, provincials was a time to see some faces that it used to see week in and week out and had not seen in a while.
“Now I don't think I'm that old yet, but I must be creeping up there because those faces are no longer around or playing,” Dwayne said. “So trying to keep up to these younger players that are so good right now is a challenge that I enjoy.”
Earning Berth
The Freeman rink earned its way into the provincials with a second place finish at the Brandon Men’s Bonspiel. They received a late invite to the event after a rink had dropped out two days before. Graham said it was a tough field and he wasn’t really thinking too hard about expecting to win. He said the rink curled well and things went in their favour.
“I’m impressed with how the guys can still make enough shots to get the job done.”
Cory said that he thought the opportunity to play with Brooks and to try to get him an appearance at the Viterra Championship energized the rink a little.
“We shook off a little rust at the Westman regional in Rivers (lost two berth games there) with our regular third Kevin Barkley, and then this opportunity presented itself on Wednesday morning and I think we all felt like it was a good chance to play another weekend and see how it went. Full credit to Brooks, he played extremely well for an 18-year-old kid in a relatively unfamiliar situation. A very solid veteran-like performance.”
Family Bond
It has been about six years since Brooks and Graham have curled competitively together, the son said. Usually Graham is behind the glass coaching Brooks’ junior team. The Freeman rink is pleased to be able to head to the Viterra Championship as a family.
“I curl with my brothers and dad a lot also so I think playing with Graham and Cory for so many years it’s an extension of when I play with my family,” Dwayne said. “We are usually on the same page and at the end of the day there's not much we can do about it because we are still family. To pinpoint one thing I like about curling with family, I think, is hard to do. As a team, you need the same drive and intensity and maybe it’s easier for us because we are all related.”
