Back to the national stage
Qavik Curling Club boy's junior team off to Ontario
Darrell Greer
Northern News Services
Wednesday, January 13, 2016
RANKIN INLET
The boys junior curling team from the Qavik Curling Club in Rankin Inlet defeated Iqaluit to earn the right to return to the M&M Meat Shops Canadian Junior Curling Championship later this month.
Arthur Siksik practises his delivery as junior teammate Tyson Komaksiutiksak awaits his turn during a recent curling clinic in Rankin Inlet. - photo courtesy of Qavik Curling Club |
The Rankin rink is comprised of Arthur Siksik (skip), Tyson Komaksiutiksak (third), Javen Komaksiutiksak (second) and Ryan Aggark (lead).
Siksik, 20, said the Rankin rink defeated Iqaluit in two-straight games this past month in Iqaluit to earn the right to compete at the junior nationals at Stratford, Ont., beginning on Jan. 20.
He said the club will get to practise in Winnipeg a couple of days before heading to the national event.
"This will be my third trip to the nationals and I'm pretty excited about it," said Siksik.
"I actually would have competed at the (junior) championship four times, but I was on a volunteer trip to Peru this past year.
"Tyson (Komaksiutiksak) and I have competed at the junior nationals previously but it's the first time for our other two teammates."
The Rankin club was off to the Nunavut capital again this past weekend to play the Iqaluit Curling Club's Team Kingdon in a best-of-five match for a territorial pre-qualification berth to the Brier in Ottawa this coming March.
Rankin's senior men's team is comprised of Arthur Siksik (skip), David Kakuktinniq (third), Tyson Komaksiutiksak (second) and Javen Komaksiutiksak (lead).
Final results were not known as of press time.
Siksik said the Rankin team has made a lot of improvements in the areas of technique and strategy during the past year.
He said those improvements have him optimistic the Rankin team will be a lot more competitive at this year's national event.
"Really, when it came to strategy during the past few years, we almost had none, but we know what we want to do this year and we're going to the nationals to try and make it happen.
"The Turning Point curling camp came to Rankin and worked with us for quite awhile this past year.
"The camp really helped our strategic game and our deliveries, which we're still working to improve.
"I plan to stick with curling for the rest of my life and I hope to represent Canada at the Olympics one day."
