Page 4 - Brandon Sun - Tim Hortons - Brier 2019
P. 4
a THE BRANDON SUN ■ BRIER’S BACK IN BRANDON - FRIDAY, MARCH 1,2019
Patch came out of necessity, became tradition
Continued from Page 3
“Any time we played in West
ern Canada, we knew the fans
would be knowledgeable and
the place would be packed. It
was a great place to play in,”
Hackner said. “(Lang) gave me
some pretty good advice with
the media and how to respond
to questions. That really helped
me going in. He told me exactly
what to expect. It could be
overwhelming if you don’t
know what’s going on.”
Now 64, Hackner is the
Northern Ontario senior men’s
champion again. “I keep play
ing because I still throw pretty
good, I love the game, I love
the social part of it and I’m
going to keep doing it,” he said.
The social part makes curl
ing special. Seldom can fans
and volunteers interact with
the stars of a sport at its biggest
event, let alone share a drink
with them. That’s exactly what
happens at the Brier Patch.
The Patch started in Brandon at the 1982 Brier in an attempt to allow people who couldn't get tickets to the event an opportunity to watch the games on closed-circuit
An official watering hole at
television. It has become a staple at the Brier ever since and been added to every Curling Canada event, including the Olympic Trials, pictured above in Ottawa in 2017. Now it
the Brier hasn’t always been
usually features (Photo courtesy Curling Canada)
the case: There was no such
thing even in 1981. Now a fa ings to come out of the Brier it same time, a lot of the local an unselfish group of volun
mous tradition, it was the self.” people in Brandon had a lot of teers, it’s really memorable to
brain-child of the Brandon Back then, it was hard to good ideas. Many of the things think back on how many of
Brier volunteers, and the solu imagine what the Patch would we did were because of local those folks put so much time,
tion to the dilemma of a high evolve into: Live music and a ingenuity. I think that’s maybe energy and effort into it.”
demand for tickets. party that extends long beyond getting lost in the event.” Team Manitoba echoed Pot-
Tickets were hard to come by the final shot of the evening Now living in Minnesota, tinger’s words, and thanked
as the event neared — well, ex draw, every night. Pottinger is excited to see what everyone who encouraged it to
cept for those who knew Mel It’s a simple, brilliant idea this year’s committee can pull a bronze medal.
Logan. that Pottinger feels might not off. He set a high bar for the “What I remember most
Most of the games weren’t have been possible to create Brier, and the city has seen a about the Brandon Brier was
televised, although CKX broad today. plethora of major curling the support we got from the
cast some of Manitoba’s con “The curling association has events since, including a pair people. That was really some
tests. A closed-circuit TV was a lot more to say than they did of Scotties Tournament of thing,” Armour said. “We had a
set up in the Keystone centre back when we ran the Brier,” Hearts, the 1995 worlds and couple of pretty tough losses
so people who couldn’t buy he said. “They gave us a fairly 2016 Canada Cup. and they were patting you on
tickets could be part of the cel long leash. They gave you a “The city has hosted so the back all the way. You didn’t
ebration. template, but we made a lot of many events that you just can’t much feel like talking because
“It caught on beyond our ex decisions that I think are made imagine a city of that size could you’d lost a tough one, you still
pectations,” host committee long before the people hosting do it,” Pottinger said. “Brandon had to smile and shake hands.
general chair Don Pottinger the Brier even get a look at it Don Pottinger is just loaded with very tal They could have called you a
said. “We did it because we today. ented volunteers. bum, but they didn’t.”
were in a bind, and it resulted “From one standpoint, it’s makes the event more contin “The amount of effort that so »tfriesen@brandonsun.com
in one of the bigger happen- probably good because it uous from year to year. At the many people put into it, such » Twitter: @thomasmfriesen
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