Beaverlodge’s Geoff Walker is focusing on the final two events of the curling season. Walker and Team Gushue have medaled in three consecutive events to kick off 2022, with a bronze at the Beijing Olympic Games, gold at the 2022 Brier, and silver at the LGT Men’s World Curling Championship.
“We had a good experience and it was fun. Anytime you get to a World Championship it’s always exciting and to visit a city like Las Vegas is always neat. I was fortunate enough to go in 2018 and it’s always nice to walk into a curling club when it’s 30 degrees outside in shorts and a t-shirt,” he says.
Walker feels the final was as close as it gets, with Sweden scoring two points to win in the tenth end.
“We got off to a great start and unfortunately in the third end, we had a really bad break. A rock ended up hitting a rut in the ice and then falling back. That’s when the momentum started to swing in their favour. It was really back and forth, and a coin flip as to who was going to take the gold,” he says.
The support from Canadian fans was once again evident, even south of the border.
“We always have great support from our fans and we’re really grateful for that. For a small group, they were nice and loud. I’d say whenever we were playing, probably 90 per cent of the people there were cheering on Canada,” he explains.
“We’ve had an unbelievable season. It’s been very busy but we’re fortunate that we’re able to play the game we love. The season is almost over and then we have some time off but anytime you have a successful season like this, we’ll always look back on it and say that all our hard work and dedication have paid off. We’re thankful for everyone that has had a hand in it.”
Walker is in Toronto now for the second last tournament of the season.
“It’s always one of the more enjoyable tournaments. Being in Toronto there are always plenty of things to do in your downtime. A lot of the teams like to go to Blue Jays games, maybe see some hockey, or just explore the city. It’s still a big event, but most of the teams enjoy it,” he adds
Walker and his wife Laura will both be competing in the Grand Slam of Curling Players’ Championship in Toronto. Laura won her first game this morning. The tournament gets underway today and finishes on April 17th. Following that, Walker and Team Gushue will close things out with the Champions Cup in Olds, Alberta in the first week of May.