Osoyoos curler Jason Larence (second from left) is heading out on the weekend with other members of Team Eden for the provincial championships. From left are: Tyler Jaeger, Larence, Wylie Eden (skip) and Sean Matheson. (Contributed photo)

Back in August, Jason Larence wasn’t a happy camper when it came to his passion for curling as he didn’t think he would be able to curl competitively.

Less than six months later, Larence and his teammates representing the Penticton Curling Club are competing at the British Columbia Mens’ Curling Championships in Parksville on Vancouver Island.

“We’re six wins away from competing in the Brier, which is every competitive curler’s dream in this country,” said Larence, who moved to Osoyoos three years ago when offered a job as a massage therapist at Levia Spa, located in the Watermark Beach Resort.

“Back in August, I didn’t have a team to play on and I wasn’t happy about it because I wanted to get back into competitive curling … and here I am heading to provincials with a chance to maybe live a dream by competing in the Brier.”

Without the assistance of the Osoyoos Curling Club and its members, Larence said none of his good fortune over the 2017-18 curling season would have happened.

“I didn’t have anywhere to practice and I admittedly was in need of practice to get to the level I was asked to play at,” said Larence, 36. “I emailed the Osoyoos Curling Club and asked if they could help me out in this regard and I was so impressed with their immediate response.

“They told me they would love to have Osoyoos curling put out on the map and were willing to help me out.”

Since the ice was put in at the Osoyoos International Curling Club, Larence has been allowed to practice “three times a week for virtually next to nothing,” he said.

Chief ice maker John Butt has actually gone out of his way to ensure the ice is in perfect shape before his practice sessions, said Larence.
Larence was also put in touch with Christine Jurgenson, a former world champion who has lived in Osoyoos for the past several years and will be inducted into the Canadian Curling Hall of Fame when the Scottie’s Tournament of Hearts kicks off in Penticton this week.

“Christine has volunteered her time to help me improve,” he said. “She’s out with me at least one hour a week working on my technique and offering little tidbits to help me become a better curler. Her assistance has been incredible and really helped me improve.”

Larence and his team – that includes skip Wylie Eden of Lake Country, Sean Matheson and lead Tyler Jaeger – qualified for the provincial championships at an event called the Last Chance Bonspiel in Abbotsford the first weekend in January.

“There were 12 teams vying for the final four spots at provincials,” said Larence. “We got the fourth and final spot by winning our final game in an extra end.”

Although he had been part of a mixed doubles team in his hometown of Calgary that had qualified for nationals, Larence admits he’s never curled with a men’s team at a high level and that’s why practising so hard in Osoyoos over the past six months has meant so much to him.

He had met Eden at the Osoyoos Men’s Bonspiel three years ago and Eden was impressed with his skills and they became friends, said Larence.

“He had contacted me before to see if I was interested in maybe joining his team, but I wasn’t interested because I hadn’t played competitively since moving to Osoyoos three years ago,” he said. “But he contacted me once again last August and I was ready this time.”

Eden introduced him to Matheson and Jaeger in September and they have been together as a team ever since.

Besides individual practice, Larence has made the long trip to Kelowna or Vernon to get in team practice once or twice a month over the past several months.

“It’s hard in the Okanagan to be part of a curling team because it’s so spread out and the reality is there aren’t a lot of competitive teams,” he said. “We got a late start and entered one bonspiel in Vernon and didn’t do very well, but then we focused on the Last Chance Bonspiel knowing it was our last chance to get to provincials.”

Larence, who flew to Parksville on Sunday, will be meeting up with his teammates for a social and practice on Tuesday, with action beginning Wednesday and continuing all week.

The winner of the provincials earns a spot in the Brier, being held this year in Regina, from March 3-11.

The strength of Team Eden is determination and perseverance, said Larence.

“I would say our biggest strength is determination and never, ever giving up,” he said. “At the Last Chance Bonspiel, we fell behind by two, three our four points on numerous occasions, but we hung in there and eventually came back in every single game to find ways to win.

“We usually start games off being cautious and feeling out our opponents, but then we take off in the second half of the match and try to take over.”

Larence said his best personal attributes as a curler are his sweeping ability, expertise at throwing heavy weight accurately and “calm demeanour on the ice … there’s a lot of pressure at this level and I try and remain calm no matter what.”

Larence said knowing he is the first male curler from Osoyoos to compete in the provincial championships in recent years makes him very proud.

“I’m not sure who the last male curler was from Osoyoos who qualified for provincials, but I do know that I could not have done this without the support of the Osoyoos curling club and community,” he said. “Only in a small town could this have happened and as a result of so many people’s generosity, I will get to compete at provincials and I could not be more proud.”

KEITH LACEY

Osoyoos Times