Airdronian curler defends his title and gets picked up for the Brier

Airdronian Aaron Sluchinski with his Mixed Doubles partner, Brittany Tran, defended their crown as Provincial Champs.

The duo started out strong by winning their first two games, but stumbled losing their next two. 

“We dropped the next two games, the A final and the B semifinal. We had to rattle off a couple wins to make the playoffs, and then by that time, we started rolling. We were able to win our three playoff games as well as defend our title.”

Sluchinski went on to beat Abby Marks and Andrew Gittis in the gold-medal match with a score of  9-3.

“It went well, the ice was a little trickier and it felt like we got a grasp on it quicker than the other team. We were able to maintain control throughout the whole game. It definitely went as well as could be for the final.”

Sluchinski talked about one of the biggest changes this year compared to the last time they won in 2020.

“We are a lot more familiar with each other this year. 2020 was the year that we won was our first year together and our first year of mixed doubles in general. We had to rely on just shotmaking and our ability whereas now we are comfortable with each other.”

Unfortunately, the National Tournament for mixed doubles was canceled earlier in the year due to COVID. It was supposed to take place in Sudbury, Ontario.

Sluchinski went on to talk about how he got call to be the alternate player for Brendan Bottcher’s team Canada.

“Brendan Bottcher called me up and offered for me to come along and maybe step in if they need me. I've been practicing hard in case they do. I've never played in a Brier so it'd be awesome to go and experience all of that and see how these top teams navigate their way through the event.”

The Tim Hortons Brier starts this Friday, March 4th and lasts until the 13th. The Brier will be taking place at the ENMAX Center in Lethbridge.

Send your news tips, story ideas, pictures, and videos to news@discoverairdrie.com