Beaverlodge’s Geoff Walker is about to face his last hurdle before the 2018 Winter Olympic Games. The Tim Hortons Roar of the Rings starts Saturday in Ottawa.
Team Gushue is the team to beat, as the reigning Brier and world curling champions. Brad Gushue and third Mark Nichols already have Olympic medals, having won gold at the 2006 Winter Games.
Other past gold medallists on the ice with them will be three-quarters of Kevin Martin’s Vancouver 2010 winning rink. Marc Kennedy and Ben Hebert are part of Kevin Koe’s squad, and John Morris is skipping his team. Rounding out the men’s competition are Mike McEwen, Reid Carruthers, John Epping, Steve Laycock and Brendan Bottcher of Edmonton.
The round robin starts at 2 p.m. Eastern Saturday and runs through Friday, December 8th. The top three teams will move on to the playoffs, with the champion games Sunday, December 10th.
Grande Prairie’s Tom Sallows will be joining Team Gushue at the Olympic trials. Grande Prairie-born Cary Anne McTaggert and Kristie Moore will play for Team Casey Scheidegger.
