Tyler Tardi and Dezeray Hawes will begin their quest for the 2021 Canadian Mixed Doubles Curling Championship on Thursday, March 18, in Calgary.
Tardi, a Cloverdale resident whose Langley/Victoria team won silver at last year’s B.C. championship, and Hawes, are going by the nickname “Team Hawt.”
They are replacing the team of Katie Cottrill and Shawn Cottrill, who declined their berth.
That makes them the only team on the waitlist to get a berth, something Tardi called “pretty fortunate.”
Tardi has been stuck in his room in Calgary, while he and Hawes awaited the results of COVID-19 screening tests.
Because they arrived in Calgary on different days, they still weren’t able to meet face-to-face as of Tuesday, March 16.
“We’re next to each other’s rooms, but we can’t see each other,” Tardi told the Langley Advance Times.
They were expected to be allowed back on the ice together in time for practice sessions on Wednesday.
He is cautiously optimistic about Team Hawt’s prospects, noting they have done better every year they’ve competed in the mixed doubles championships.
“In theory, this year, we’ll make the quarters,” if the trend continues, Tardi commented.
They will be pursuing the biggest prize ever offered at a mixed doubles event — $50,000 from the total purse of $150,000 — and the chance to wear Canadian colours at the 2021 World Mixed Doubles Championship.
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Thirty-five teams will open play in the 2021 Home Hardware Canadian Mixed Doubles Curling Championship, presented by Nature’s Bounty in a fan-free bubble at WinSport Arena at Canada Olympic Park in Calgary.
The teams have been split into five round-robin pools.
READ ALSO: Tyler Tardi to serve as alternate for B.C. team at Brier
After the round-robin competition is completed on March 23, the five pool winners, plus the teams with the next seven best records, regardless of what pool they were win, will advance to the playoffs that begin the evening of March 23.
The gold-medal game takes place on March 25.
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