1999 Brier
SLAM! Sports
SLAM! Curling
1999 BRIER
ON THE ROCKS
INTERACTIVE
ALSO ON SLAM!
Saskatchewan's Shymko tickled by his first trip to the Brier
EDMONTON (CP) -- Saskatchewan and its affable grain farming skip Gerald Shymko came about two inches away from a berth in today's Labatt Brier final, but the towering curler from Calder didn't see it as a defeat.Quebec skip Guy Hemmings drew to the button with his final rock for a dramatic 6-5 extra-end win over Shymko.
Shymko, 42, was an imposing figure both with his stature and cool-as-ice shotmaking, during the Canadian men's curling championship described his first trip to the Brier as a spine-tingling experience.
"I think the most chilling feeling running up your spine is the opening ceremonies," said Shymko, whose rink recovered from a 0-2 start last weekend to very nearly become one of the finalists.
"You know you've made it, it's something we'll never forget.
"It's memories that money can't buy."
Shymko, voted the Canadian Curling Association's Ross Harstone award by his fellow players for his sportsmanship and curling ability, captured the imagination of the Brier crowd with his unlikely run during the week.
Saskatchewan is a strong curling province, but it has been 20 years since it won a national title -- Rick Folk in 1980 -- and coming into the week few gave the little-known team from the Yorkton Curling Cub much of a chance.
"We were thinking to make the playoffs when we arrived here," said Shymko. "We started out 0-2 and not given too many chances and here we were two inches away from a final.
"But that's curling. You have to hold your head high, it was a great shot (by Guy). We didn't just give him a draw to the 12-foot for the win."
Third Gerry Adam said it was a fun day on the ice, something the game wasn't for him when he left it for a four-year span in the mid 1990s.
"Maybe the loss will sink in a little later when we're having a drink," he said. "But when you're down to the last three in Canada it's quite an achievement.
"Six weeks ago in our regional play downs and we were down three points in the B event to get out who would have know we'd be among the last three in Canada."
Adam said the support from Saskatchewan, with hundreds of faxes and e-mails pouring in plus the thousands of supporters in the stands, helped the team continue on through the week.
"It's just a great feeling, people say you have to come here and have fun," he said. "Back 10 years ago I had the worst attitude out there, this is the first year I've curled competitively in four years.
"So I came out and decided to keep a smile on my face and things have come around."