1999 Brier
SLAM! Sports
SLAM! Curling
1999 BRIER
ON THE ROCKS
INTERACTIVE
ALSO ON SLAM!
The Invisible Man reappears
He even gets to throw a rock once in a while.
This week will be Jules Owchar's sixth appearance as a Brier fifth man, this time for the Ken Hunka rink.
And, this one will be just as special as his five previous appearances as fifth man/coach for Kevin Martin.
"It was nice of them,'' said Owchar.
"It made it a lot easier for me because I've known Kenny for quite a long time. I always talk to him at the club.''
A DEEPER CONNECTION
But Owchar has a deeper connection to Hunka's supporting cast of Brent MacDonald, Blake MacDonald and Wade Johnston.
"I've had all three of those guys in two different years, so it made it a lot easier that going with a team that you knew, but you'd never done anything with,'' said Owchar. "It's always tough to step in when you're not with the team all year.''
Having five previous Brier appearances and two titles with Martin under his belt made Owchar the obvious first choice for the team.
"There's not much you can do besides being there,'' said Owchar, downplaying the importance of his role.
"Maybe a guy can offer some little thing somewhere that might make a difference. All they have to do is keep shooting like they've been shooting.
"Like Sparky Anderson said when he had those good teams, open the door, make the lineup and say, go at it, boys.''
Brent MacDonald played under the Owchar-coached Martin junior team in 1986, then the following two years when MacDonald finished runner-up. Owchar also coached the two front-end kids when they won the provincial junior in 1995.
For 26 years, Owchar has been a phys.-ed instructor at NAIT, right across the street from the Avonair Club. Over the years, he's been recognized for his role in helping develop the potential of young curlers who fall under his tutelage.
"That's like Kenny says: when he hears the bagpipes, it's a thrill,'' said Owchar.
"In coaching, you get a different kind of satisfaction. Playing, you get a certain satisfaction when you win. But, you also get a different satisfaction coaching, to see them win.
"You always say to yourself that maybe somewhere along the line you had this much to do with it. When you work with the young guys, they're enthusiastic and you can really see the improvement.''
NAIT'S BEEN GREAT
Over the years, Owchar's teams at NAIT have won 22 provincial college championships in various events.
Most of the kids are from out-of-city and come from an environment where they know they're good, but they really don't know how good they are.
"We've had quite a few kids go on to world championships,'' said Owchar, who's constantly promoting the value of the sport's future for the athlete against others that receive more funding.
"Our athletic director has told us, geez, maybe we have the emphasis on the wrong sports. Here's a sport where they can make some money, they can be national and world champions. When you're playing college basketball, after you finish two years a NAIT, you're not going to the NBA.''
But the future is bright for the kids whose curling lives Jules Owchar has touched.