News National

SAULT STE. MARIE, Ont. — Tanner Horgan’s debut at the Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling might have seemed like a rude introduction having to face the No. 1 team in the world right off the bat.

However, the 18-year-old from Sudbury, Ont., welcomed the opportunity to play in the Boost National as the sponsor’s exemption and take on Brad Gushue in the opening draw Tuesday.

While Gushue’s St. John’s, N.L., squad walked away with a convincing 9-4 victory, Horgan was taking mental notes every step of the way against the top-ranked team on tour.

“The game didn’t really go as we wanted but there’s still a lot to learn from,” Horgan said. “Every rock out there that you see from the other team, especially a team like Gushue, they’re teaching you something. They put a rock in a spot that you haven’t really seen before and making shots you haven’t seen before. You learn more from your mistakes that way. If you miss by inches they make you pay for it.

“It’s the same old thing, the better the teams you can play the more you can learn from it. Being able to play against these top teams is such a huge thing for our team to just build for the future.”

As the game started to slip away from Horgan, down 6-1 after three ends, he was open to picking up some pointers straight from Gushue himself.

“When you’re a team like us and you’re maybe not a year-round direct competitor you can ask them questions, maybe for a few tips here and there,” Horgan said with a smile. “Especially when the score gets out of hand they don’t mind giving you a few tips. They were really nice.”

The veteran skip Gushue reflected on his own rough experience when he was a rising star playing in Grand Slam events and how much it helped shape his journey.

“I can remember my first Slam, I was up against the likes of Kevin Martin, Glenn Howard, Wayne Middaugh, there were some really good teams and teams that kicked our butts, let’s face it,” said Gushue, a winner of six Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling titles. “The first couple years you were just happy to hang in there and give them a game. As you learn more and more you realize that not only can you give them a game, you can beat them.

“These guys are going to have fun here this week, I’m sure, and enjoy it but there’s a good possibility they’re going to have to take lumps too. Everybody does, it’s not just them. I’m probably going to be long out of this game before a junior team comes up and really starts handing it to the guys who have been doing it for a long time. It’s a game that I think as skip you learn the more you play so it’s harder to compete at a junior level against the top teams.”

Joining Horgan is his 16-year-old brother Jake Horgan at third, 17-year-old Nicholas Bissonnette at second and 18-year-old Maxime Blais at lead. The four have established themselves as one of the top junior teams in Canada winning silver in last season’s junior nationals. They’ve even balanced their schedule this year playing in a handful of men’s events, but receiving the sponsor’s exemption spot for a Grand Slam came as a huge surprise to the team and they were overjoyed for the opportunity.

“We were so excited when we got the invitation,” Horgan said. “It was so unexpected because we’re not ranked all that high but I think this could be something that could really help us as a team grow. … I don’t think our team would’ve been ready a couple years ago, obviously not, but I think we’ve proven ourselves in the Tier II or Tier III men’s events that we can hold our own against those kinds of teams and it’s great now that we get to test ourselves against the best in the world.”

Hometown hero Brad Jacobs, who will face Team Horgan on Wednesday night, said it’s pretty neat to see them get a chance like this.

“They’re very young and must be really pumped to be here,” said Jacobs, the reigning Olympic champion. “It’s a great opportunity for them to get some games in under the spotlight and gain some of that experience playing against the top teams in the world. I think it’s going to bode well for their future. Having said all that they’re still a great little team and you can’t take them lightly at all or else they can beat you.”

Curling runs strong in the Horgan family as Tanner and Jake have watched their older sisters Tracy Fleury and Jenn Wylie play at the elite level for several seasons. Now the four siblings suddenly find themselves playing side-by-side at the Boost National.

“That makes it extra special,” Horgan said. “There’s been a few events this year where we’ve played beside them and that’s kind of new for us. We’ve always grown up watching them at the highest levels. I remember watching them at the junior nationals and watching them on TV at the Scotties and stuff so it’s really cool now to play beside them as almost peers.”

Fleury said they’re really proud to see their younger brothers follow in their footsteps to the Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling.

“Being able to cheer them on at this event is just awesome,” she said. “I don’t know who was more excited about them to get an invitation, them or us, so yeah we’re really happy.”