It’s only the middle of September and already we are chasing the local curling talent that are competing with some of the best teams in the country out of the starting gate.
Team (John) Epping, blessed with the Sudbury sibling tandem of Jake and Tanner Horgan, had already garnered both a quarter-final and semi-final finish while competing at bonspiels in Italy and Oakville (Stu Sells) as they made their way to the AMJ Campbell Shorty Jenkins Classic last weekend in Cornwall.
Exactly how much that early experience aided their cause is hard to say but the results were nothing if not impressive as Team Epping posted eight straight victories on route to a championship payday of $14,000.
To be clear, this field was no walk in the park as the team that also includes lead Ian McMillan doubled the Matt Dunstone Manitoba powerhouse 4-2 in their very first encounter, scoring a deuce in the seventh end to take the win.
The gents followed up with pool play victories over Benny Kapp of Germany (6-2), Julien Tremblay from Levis (PQ – 9-4), a close 6-5 triumph over Ontario rival Scott Howard and a 6-3 scoreboard over Denis Cordick from Halton Hills (ON).
Come time for the playoffs, Team Epping disposed of the Chinese quartet skipped by Xaio Ming Xu in the quarter-finals (7-4), trimmed American Daniel Casper in the semis (4-3) and cooled off the red-hot Swiss foursome led by Yannick Schwaller 6-3 in the final.
In so doing, Team Epping improved their global rankings to ninth in the world as they look to gain momentum heading into the Olympic Trials in Halifax in November.
We all know just how high the bar has been set for the Rachel Homan rink that features pride of Sudbury, Tracy (Horgan) Fleury at vice-skip. So for as much as a semi-final run that culminated with an 8-1 loss to the Madeleine Dupont Danish entry might be considered quite good for 14-team women’s field at the Jenkins event, chances are it left Team Homan a tad disappointed.
The two-time defending world champions posted a 4-2 record in Cornwall, their remaining loss coming at the hands of the eventual champs (Xenia Schwaller – Switzerland), while the win column included solid outings against Isabella Wrana (Sweden – 10-6) and Kayla MacMillan (B.C. – 7-2).
Other local content on the weekend included Team Emma Artichuk, with Jamie Smith at third and Lauren Rajala at lead, amassing a mark of 1-4 and Team Lauren Mann, with Stephanie Barbeau at second, who went 2-3.
Rounding out the rink with Evelyn Robert at second, the Artichuk foursome were coming off a semi-final appearance at the U25 NextGen Classic in Edmonton at the end of August, dropping a 6-5 extra end decision to the gold medal winning hometown Serena Gray-Withers crew.
Closer to home, the Stu Sells Oakville Tankard drew a bit larger contingent with Sudbury ties as Team Deschene (Abby Deschene – skip; Mia Toner – second) and Team Inglis (Kira Brunton – vice) joined the Artichuk women for the 22 team competition – though none would crack the top eight that advanced to the playoff round.
In the men’s draw, representation from these parts came once again courtesy of the Horgan gents (Jake and Tanner), both of whom have spent countless hours initially at the Idylwylde Golf & Country Club and more recently at the Northern Credit Union Community Centre.
Team Epping advanced to the Elite Eight but were eliminated via an 8-5 loss at the hands of the Minnesota-based team skipped by Korey Dropkin, the American entry falling short in the final to Ross Whyte from Scotland (7-3).
NCUCC reps Sandy MacEwan (skip), Dustin Montpellier (vice), Luc Ouimet (second) and Lee Toner (lead) are in action currently in Waterloo, one of 25 teams participating in the men’s bracket of the Hogged Rock KW Fall Classic. The locals came out on the short end of a 6-2 scoreline Thursday afternoon versus Marco Hoesli from Switzerland, with remaining pool encounters with Jayden King (London, ON), Mark Kean (Woodstock, ON) and Jacob Lamb (Dundas, ON).
Still with the Sudbury curling scene, Team Krysta Burns (Maddy Warriner – vice; Sara Guy – second; Laura Masters – lead) also made their 2025-2026 debut in Waterloo, falling 7-4 to Momoha Tabata from Japan. Remaining matchups will see them trading stones with Hollie Duncan (Woodstock, ON), Danielle Inglis (Ottawa, ON) and Amanda Gebhardt (Listowel, ON).
Returning to a four player roster, Team Krista Scharf is also taking on a new (old) name this year as the veteran skip from Thunder Bay returns to her maiden name. Sudbury native Kendra Lilly resumes her role as vice-skip, with the front end tandem of Ashley Sippala and Sarah Potts still intact.
The quartet who have enjoyed multiple trips to the Scotties Tournament of Hearts kick off their season at the Stu Sells Toronto Tankard, a 23-team event that also includes Team Artichuk. Scharf and company then prepare for the Olympic pre-Trials in Wolfville (Nova Scotia) from October 21st to 26th, hoping to secure a berth at Trials in Halifax one month later.
Beyond the excitement of the upcoming Olympics lies yet another big event to be hosted in Sudbury as the U-21 Mixed Doubles Curling Championships make their way to the Gerry McCrory Countryside Sports Complex from March 24th through to March 27th.
