“I really think, for whatever reason, that this is kind of my new calling, my new position.”

It might be hard for many local curling folk to fathom teenage Tanner Horgan uttering these words in contemplating a move from his long-standing role as a team skip to the front end.

But now blessed with the wisdom of 26 years, the bulk of which have been spent curling at a relatively elite level, and having enjoyed a great deal of success on the ice but always looking for more, Horgan projects a certain confidence in throwing second stones for the John Epping rink that also includes Jake Horgan (vice) and Ian McMillan (lead).

Of course, the emotional lift that comes with the Team Epping triumph at the recent Stu Sells Living Waters Collingwood Classic and the knowledge the foursome are right in the thick of the race for an automatic entry into the Olympic Trials in 2025 certainly helps in allowing the graduate of Lockerby Composite who now resides in Mississauga to feel pretty darn good about the way things are going for his new squad this year.

“We played really well, building momentum throughout the event,” said Horgan this week. “We started getting into a groove heading into the playoffs and were playing really well on Sunday.”

Adding the accomplished talents of John Epping to a trio that benefitted from plenty of pre-existing familiarity was going to entail a period of adjustment, though Horgan and company are thrilled at how quickly it’s all come together.

“John is getting better at reading everyone’s releases and we’re moulding more towards a team identity in terms of how we want to throw the rocks, how we want to play,” explained Horgan, a six-time Northern Ontario junior curling champion for the period that ran from 2014 to 2019.

“The biggest thing in the past couple of events is that John now has an expectation of what’s coming at him.”

As for the move from skip to second, a positional tangent that Horgan seemed sincerely interested in plunging into when we last chatted in the spring, the results may have even exceeded his own expectations.

“I am probably enjoying it even a little but more than I thought I was going to.”

That said, the journey to this revelation is not one the young man who qualified for the Brier for the first time in 2023 as a member of the Darren Moulding NOCA rink would have predicted.

“I thought it would take me quite a bit of time to get used to the sweeping, used to judging rocks,” said Horgan. “The bigger learning curve for me is having to see the game from the other end of the ice. I am so used to reading the ice and putting the broom where I want, cheating the ice a bit here and a bit there.”

“I think I have been slowly getting my throwing back to how I want it to be,” he continued. “I think John (Epping) would agree that our last event was probably my best event.”

Representing the Northern Credit Union Community Centre in Sudbury this season, Team Epping cruised through the “A” draw in Collingwood, posting wins over Landan Rooney (7-3) and Nova Scotian Owen Purcell (5-2).

The playoff encounters went every bit as well as the team eliminated Jayden King in the quarter-finals (7-4), Scott Howard in the semis (8-2) and topping the Swiss rink skipped by Michael Brunner in the championship tilt (8-1).

Out in Moncton, the local mixed doubles team of Samantha Digiglio and Brendan Rajala are still in the hunt heading into play Friday afternoon at the Canadian U21 Mixed Doubles East Qualifier. A total of 33 teams are on hand, battling it out to try and secure one of four berths at the inaugural U21 Mixed Doubles Nationals in March (another 40 teams are in Brandon – MB – taking part in the West Qualifier).

On Tuesday evening, the Digiglio / Rajala tandem put up points in each of the first four ends, cruising to a 9-2 win over Isabelle Daigle-Sean Blythe, but were bumped to the “B” bracket following a tough 6-4 loss to Ashley Siddall-John Siddall.

The Sudbury duo put another notch in the win column, trimming Kakabeka Falls curlers Lily Wright & Brayden Sinclair, but continued to teeter-totter thanks to a 6-4 setback at the hands of Charlotte Johnston – Kyle Stratton.

Early Friday morning, Digiglio and Rajala survived their first “win or you’re out” test, bouncing Sophie Blades and Cruz Pineau 8-1, but now must fend off Ella Lenentine and Jack MacFadyen in order to secure one of eight playoff spots that will produce four qualifiers.

Finally, much closer to home, a handful of curlers with local ties are in North Bay this weekend, site of the Montana’s Mixed Doubles Bonspiel, as Kira Brunton, Amanda Gates, Dustin Montpellier, David Daoust, Manon Paquette and Megan Smith are all on hand for the 16 team event.

The Gates – Montpellier entry will kick things off against Lauren Wasylkiw – Shane Konings while Team Paquette – Daoust draws the Chinese twosome of Ziqi Dong – Xuequing Fei.

Kira Brunton teams with Wesley Forget to face Katie Ford & Oliver Campbell while Megan Smith is once again with partner Doug Thomson, battling it out against Mackenzie Daley and Kyle Vainio.