Curling on the Rock
Rankin team off to Canadian junior championship in Newfoundland
Darrell Greer
Northern News Services
Published Wednesday, January 21, 2015
RANKIN INLET
A junior boy's team from the Qavik Curling Club in Rankin Inlet is off to represent Nunavut at the M&M Meat Shops Canadian Juniors curling championship this week.
The event runs in Cornerbrook, N.L., from Jan. 24 to Feb. 1.
Rankin's team is comprised of skip Kane Komaksiutiksak, lead Darren Makkigak, second Sidney Nichol and third Tyson Komaksiutiksak.
Nichol, 16, enters the tournament with only about six months of curling under his belt.
He said getting the chance to take part in events like the national juniors is what attracted him to the sport.
"I knew nothing about the game at all when I started," said Nichol. "I'm lucky to have had good coaching and teammates since I began because they've been helping me learn everything quickly.
"I learned a lot on the trip we made to Iqaluit, too."
Nichol said the team has no delusions of going to Cornerbrook and competing for the title.
He said the four are working hard on the basics of the game, and look at the national tourney as a tremendous learning experience.
"Knowing we're not anywhere as good as most of those teams doesn't affect me. You just play the game and don't worry about it.
"Curling gives me one more thing to do and, now that I'm understanding the rules more and stuff, I like the sport.
"This year I'm working to improve on getting to know all the rules, making better shots and stuff like that."
Lead Darren Makkigak, 20, has two years of curling experience and attended the junior nationals in Fort McMurray in 2013.
Makkigak said he regrets taking a year away from curling, because he knows his skills would be sharper if he hadn't.
He said he really likes curling, and that's why he decided to get back into the sport.
"It's tough practising here, though, and then going to the south to compete because the ice is so much faster there," said Makkigak.
"At the nationals, there's a boy's and a girl's team from every province and territory in Canada, and they're all really good curlers.
"It's going to be awhile before we win anything, but it's fun to travel, meet new people and get to curl at that level.
"The other players give us tips on how to play better, and what things we really have to work on, so we learn a lot there, too."
