KERROBERT – The 2024 SaskTel Tankard will be welcoming Team Josh Heidt of Kerrobert to the ice again this year.
Heidt, along with his team, will be up against the best 12 teams the province has. The team was able to secure their place at the provincial competition during the SaskTel Tankard Last Chance event in Prince Albert Jan. 12 to 14.
During a recent interview, Heidt said he was fortunate to make it again this year.
“We ended up going through the C final and I know I was not on top of my game. Some of the throws I made were not typical of me.”
The team consists of Tyler Gamble, Matt Lang and Drew Heidt and the four men have been a team for the past three seasons.
“As a team, we give a good effort in every game we play. We know we have won if we play strong and throw good,” said the skip.
Their biggest competition at the tankard will be Team McEwan, based out of the Nutana Curling Club in Saskatoon.
“The depth of field these teams have is solid. It is definitely a match-up of the best 12 teams of Saskatchewan,” said Heidt.
Heidt has a few people he looks up to in the curling community. With curling talent already in his DNA, the skip turns to his dad, Brad, often for advice.
“He was skip when he won his provincial championships, so we often work out skip specific strategies. We have both worked with high performance coaches and having him to bounce off ideas is great,” he said.
Another team Heidt admires is last year’s tankard winner, Team Kelly Knapp.
“That team shows everyone that to be a good team, you don’t need to become an elite. Even though we won’t be Grand Slam elite, we have the same calibre of curling. We are on the ice for the love of the game, not to profit off the winnings. We all have jobs that financially support us, not the sport we enjoy.”
This year’s SaskTel Tankard will be held at the Nutana Curling Club in Saskatoon from Jan. 30 to Feb. 4. The winner will advance to the Brier in Regina March 1 to 10.