Page 10 - Brandon Sun - Tim Hortons - Brier 2019

10 THE BRANDON SUN • BRIER’S BACK IN BRANDON • FRIDAY, MARCH 1, 2019

Fowler has coached and played on big stage

Continued from Page 9 end to win 11-7.
Team Manitoba still man-
For Fowler, the coolest part aged to take home one title —
of it may have been having his Moffat won the fifth-man com-
father, Brian along as coach. petition.
“There’s no question, that “Know how he won that?
was special,” Fowler said. “I re- Doing that,” said Kyle as he
member being a young kid in pointed to a picture of Moffat
Grade 6, that witnessed him with a large pitcher of beer.
win the Manitoba champi- The fifth-man competition
onship in the old Winnipeg included a crokinole-style
Arena. For my sister (Rhonda) event on the ice, a speech ele-
and I, that really sparked curl- ment and drinking contest.
ing in our minds. Moffat won the first event and
“Twenty-five years later, to was good in the last one to take
have him in Saskatoon coach- the crown.
ing us, it was not only helpful Fowler almost cost his team-
because he did a great job mate the title.
preparing us for the Brier, but “I said ‘You can’t count that
also special because he’s the because that guy started before
one that paved the way in 1987 him,’” Fowler said. “I didn’t re-
when he did it.” alize Brian had beat them any-
Brian Fowler and his Bran- way. So they made him do it
don Curling Club-based team again, and he beat them
became the first Westman again.”
team to reach the Brier since The best teams have all been
the Wheat City hosted in 1982. through the growing pains, and
Fowler’s team of Keith Kyle, Brian Fowler and his Brandon Curling Club team of Keith Kyle (from left), Dale Wallace, Gary Poole and Brian Moffat represented it’s hard to remember what
Dale Wallace, Gary Poole and Manitoba at the 1987 Brier in Edmonton. The team tied for fourth at 6-5. (Submitted) they were like in their Brier de-
fifth Brian Moffat entered the made a comment to me, ‘You buts. The same goes for the
Brier in Edmonton with high guys aren’t playing like you did broadcasters.
hopes that were quickly to get there,’” Fowler said. The 1987 Brier marked the
dashed on Day 1. “When you get to the Brier. second time TSN covered the
In an event that magnifies You’re not prepared for that, it’s event. It was growing, but still
mistakes and offers little op- all new. tough to imagine the national-
portunity to come back from “We fell into their trap, be- scale spectacle it is today. One
losses, going 0-2 against New cause they weren’t going to hit constant from back then: The
Brunswick and Prince Edward with us. We started playing our voice of the event hasn’t
Island to start the week was game and next thing you know, changed, although it’s a more
deadly. we only lost three games after confident one today.
“New Brunswick kind of the first day.” “I remember talking to Vic
fluked a shot against us to win, Fowler finished the week Rauter the second day, I said
and then Prince Edward Is- with a 7-4 win over bronze something about being nerv-
land, those first two or three medalist Mark Noseworthy ous the first day and he said,
games, they come out and and Newfoundland and ‘Don’t worry, so am I. It’s only
think they’re going to win the Labrador for a 6-5 record and my second time covering this
Brier,” Kyle said. “They never four-way tie for fourth. At the thing,’” Fowler said. “I don’t
missed a thing. You’d want to Brian Fowler, left, coached his son Rob in the 2012 Brier in Saskatoon. It was 25 years time, only the top three teams think we realized how big it
play them later in the week reached the playoffs, so the was, but it was growing into
with about five losses under after Brian skipped his own team to an appearance at the Canadian men’s curling team’s two losses to start the something huge.
championship. (The Canadian Press)
their belt. event proved costly. “When you go now, you’re a
“The biggest disappoint- Fowler realized the impor- eastern teams tried to play ag- B.C.’s Bernie Sparks beat little more prepared for it be-
ment was losing those first two tance of past experience at the gressive with a lot of rocks in Noseworthy in the semifinal cause you see a bit more cover-
games. If we’d have won one of Brier. Styles of play across the play. before losing the final to On- age on TV.”
them, we’d have gotten to go to country varied a ton — Mani- “We got through the first day tario’s Russ Howard in the final.
the (Olympic) trials.” toba wanted to hit and the with two losses, and Dale’s dad Howard scored five in the last » See ‘Edwards’ — Page 11

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