A St. Albert Outreach High student will sweep for the gold this weekend as he represents Alberta at the U-18 national curling championships.
Outreach High Grade 12 student and St. Albert Curling Club icemaker Tim Lawrence is representing St. Albert this Feb. 16-22 as a member of Team Alberta 2 at the 2025 Curling Canada Under-18 Championships. This national tournament will see 42 teams from across the nation compete for glory at Saskatoon’s Nutana Curling Club.
Lawrence, 17, has curled at provincials three times in Alberta. He and his team didn’t make the cut this year to advance to nationals.
But he was the first person to come to mind when the members of Team Alberta 2 were looking for an alternate/backup player to take to nationals earlier this year, said skip Austin Hennig, a St. Albert Curling Club alumnus now attending Concordia University. Hennig knew Lawrence has the skills to play at nationals, having played with and against him many times, and had no worries about him throwing off team dynamics.
“We knew Tim would work really well with everybody, because everybody seems to like Tim, and so do we,” Hennig said.
Lawrence said he was overjoyed when Team Alberta 2 asked him to come on as an alternate.
“I’ve always dreamt of going to nationals,” he said, and this is the first chance he has ever had to do so.
Tournament prep
Team Alberta 2 is based out of the Saville Community Sports Centre in Edmonton and consists of Hennig, Lawrence, Preston Russell, Matthew Reiniger, Hugo Chow, and coach Christopher Power. The squad placed second at provincials after Team Alberta 1.
Hennig said the team typically trains twice a week at the Saville, with the occasional session at the St. Albert Curling Club. Training sees players hone both their physical skills at throwing rocks and their mental ones to stay calm and focused.
“Making a shot after missing a shot is one of the hardest things to do in curling,” he said, and you have to be able to bounce back from a botch within minutes.
Hennig said he has a warm-up routine and a playlist he listens to prior to every game. A devout Christian, Lawrence said he prays and dances before a match to centre himself.
Lawrence said he will have a supporting role at this week’s tournament, toting gear and drinks and tagging in should a teammate get sick, injured, or tired.
“Although I’m not playing and not throwing the rocks, I’m still there with them, soaking in the national feeling.”
Hennig said he feels much safer going into nationals knowing that he has a player like Lawrence in reserve. The team is almost certain to get Lawrence some ice time during this tournament.
Lawrence predicted some fierce competition this weekend at the tournament, as only the top players in each province qualify.
“You’re fighting the best of the best.”
Win or lose, Hennig and Lawrence predicted they will come out of this tournament with lifelong friends and unforgettable memories.
“This is a phenomenal opportunity that not everyone gets,” Hennig said.
Hennig and Lawrence thanked their families and their sponsors for their support on the road to nationals.
The U18 Nationals will be broadcast on YouTube. Team Alberta 2’s first match will be against Team PEI 1 at 11:30 a.m. Alberta time Feb. 16. Visit www.curling.ca/2025u18 for details.
