It’s been only two years since the Durham Lords resurrected varsity curling. Two weeks ago, both the men’s and women’s teams showed just how far they’ve come.
Over the span of four days, the Lords competed at the Ontario Collegiate Athletic Association (OCAA) Provincial Championships in Mississauga, facing off against established collegiate programs from across Ontario.
When the final rocks settled, both Durham squads finished fourth overall.
For women’s coach Jennifer Langford, the progress is remarkable considering where the program started.
“We were brand new, hadn’t had a team in 30 years … and so we resurrected a curling team,” she said.
It was Durham’s first step back into collegiate curling since 1996. With many athletes new to the sport, Langford and her team have spent countless hours teaching fundamentals, strategy and the rhythm of competitive play.
“On our men’s team and our women’s team we have a couple of people that are brand new to curling,” she said. “We’ve had to invest time and energy into teaching them the sport right from the very basics.”
Despite that steep learning curve, the men’s team opened the fall with momentum, winning the first two games of their season. They faced ups and downs through the rest of their schedule. However, the women didn’t see their first win until the provincial championships.
Several athletes earned Durham College Athlete of the Week honours throughout January, including men’s curler Evan Brown. After taking several years away from the sport, Brown returned this season and rediscovered his passion.
“You know what, let’s have some fun with it,” he said. “Get back into it … kind of falling back in love with the game.”
Brown says the men’s team has built strong chemistry on and off the ice, something that’s been key to their improvement.
“If you watch the team from the start and compare them to now, it’s miles above where we were.”
Men’s skip Canyon Myers, the only returning player from last year, agrees.
“The transition from last year has been better than we thought.”
The Lords entered the tournament with a 7–14 record, but lost to the Mohawk Mountaineers in the bronze medal match. However, their fourth‑place finish gives the team a boost for their third season.