It was pretty much inevitable that Vernon’s Jim Cotter would end up throwing curling stones at one level or another.
Growing up in Kamloops, his parents, Rick and Pat Cotter, used to help organize the local junior program. Jim was drawn to it like a gentle out-turn to the button.
“We had a huge junior program… there were 80 teams and there was a lot of excitement around it,” said Cotter, who won his first B.C. junior title as a 15-year-old, curling with 19-year-olds Nikko Bakker, Ron Douglas and Brian Fisher.
“My dad was coach and one of their guys had aged out so they asked me.”
Another junior title in 1995, followed by B.C. men’s crowns in ‘08 and last month at the Vernon Curling Club, and the 36-year-old Cotter is heading to his second Tim Hortons Brier, his first as a skip. He will be supported in London, Ont. by third Ken Maskiewich, second Kevin Folk and lead Rick Sawatsky.
Maskiewich became a mid-season replacement after Kelowna’s Bob Ursel was unable to curl due to a knee injury. Ironically, Maskiewich faced the Ursel/Cotter rink in the 2008 championship game as he curled with Richmond’s Greg McAulay.
“We couldn’t be happier for Ken. He probably should have been there a couple times, but that’s the game of curling,” said Cotter, who skips for another rink in the Vernon Super League.
“There’s something special about your first Brier.”
The Cotter crew begins the 12-team marathon round-robin Saturday (11:30 a.m. PT) against Manitoba’s Jeff Stoughton. Things don’t get any easier Sunday when the Vernon rink tangles with defending Olympic and former world champion Kevin Martin of Alberta (11:30 a.m.), followed by a night draw (4:30 p.m.) against 2006 Olympic gold medalist Brad Gushue of Newfoundland/Labrador (Vernon’s Jamie Danbrook curls lead for Gushue).
The quality of competition is not lost on Cotter.
“People are asking ‘Is this the best Brier field ever?’ Every province has a great team. That’s the way you want it to be. It’s the national championships,” said Cotter, who works from home as an IT specialist in the health care industry.
Sawatsky, who grew up in Vernon before moving to Kelowna in 2000, joined the Ursel rink in 2006. The 35-year-old is pumped to be returning to the national stage.
“It’s a good opportunity to represent your province and compete for a national championship. It’s a great atmosphere to be in,” said Sawatsky, a technician with Corix Utilities in Kelowna.
“It is physically, mentally and emotionally draining. It’s a roller coaster, but our team is experienced in curling in these kinds of events. We’re well prepared.”
Sawatsky added he doesn’t mind being an underdog heading into the Brier, and is happy to let heavyweights like Martin and Ontario’s Glenn Howard stand in the spotlight.
“We play those guys on a regular basis on tour. If we can play consistent, we’ll be right in there with the big boys. We’re happy to fly under the radar.”
Helping the Cotter rink stay grounded is coach Rick Folk, a two-time world champion (1980, ‘94), and Kevin’s father.
“We couldn’t ask for a better guy to have on our side,” said Cotter.
When he’s not curling for himself, Cotter likes to help others learn the game. Following in his parents’ footsteps, he is helping the next crop of up-and-comers in the Vernon club’s junior program, and through an inter-city program involving Vernon, Lumby, Enderby, Armstrong and Salmon Arm. He says the camaraderie players derive from curling is unlike any other sport.
“In curling, you shake hands before the game, you shake hands after the game, and afterwards you go up and share a table. It doesn’t take away from the competitive nature of it. There’s lots of respect for the opposition.”
Cotter is married to wife, Bobbi, and has three children – Jaelyn, who celebrated her 11th birthday on Thursday, Taylor, six, and Emerson, four.
The Tim Hortons Brier can be watched on TSN, or online at www.tsn.ca.
