Surrey’s Tyler Tardi is off to the Youth Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway.
The Lord Tweedsmuir Secondary student is one of two junior curlers from B.C. who have been picked for Team Canada at the 2016 games.
Tardi, who plays out of the Langley Curling Club, and Sterling Middleton of Fort St. John won bronze at the Canada Winter Games in Prince George as part of Team B.C.
“I’m at a loss for words,” Tardi said, reacting to the news. “It’s amazing. I’ve always wanted to wear the Maple leaf and that dream has now come true.”
Middleton is looking forward to being on a team with Tardi, who skipped Team BC to that third-place finish. “I think we meshed well together this year, so it will be great to curl with him again.”
The two 16-year-olds will be joined by Mary Fay and Karlee Burgess from Nova Scotia, fresh off a silver medal win in women’s curling at the Canada Winter Games.
Team Canada applicants were judged on their curling skills, along with their community leadership and academic experience, according to a press release from Curl BC.
“The quality of applications we received through this process was simply amazing, and it bodes well for the future of our sport in Canada,” Curling Canada’s Greg Stremlaw said.
“I know Tyler, Sterling, Mary and Karlee will wear the Maple Leaf proudly in Lillehammer, and we’re confident that they’ll be wonderful representatives, both on and off the ice.”
Tardi is a two-time B.C. mixed doubles champion who competed at the 2013 and 2015 Canadian Mixed Doubles Trials.
B.C. was represented at the inaugural 2012 Youth Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria, when Corryn Brown of Kamloops played third on the Canadian team that won bronze.
The 2016 Youth Olympics are in Lillehammer between Feb. 12 to 21, 2016.
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