Being a curler requires wearing many hats these days.
For Okotoks curler Kyler Kleibrink it means taking on the role of competition organizer at the World Financial Group Okotoks Mixed Doubles Classic this weekend to ensure the competitive juices have a chance to flow.
“It’s tough to find events and Chantele (Broderson) and I wanted to find some events along with our friends Kayla Skrlik and Gregg Hamilton,” said Kleibrink. “We figured that rather than finding events we would have to run one ourselves.
“We checked with all the women, checked with all the men and this was the weekend they could compete.”
The Mixed Doubles Classic, held Oct. 31 to Nov. 1 at the Okotoks Curling Club, will feature some of the biggest names in the sport within Alberta and across Canada including the likes of John Epping and partner Lisa Weagle, Brendan Bottcher and Bobbie Sauder along with Danielle Schmiemann and Jason Ginter.
“John Epping, I coached with him all of last year with the Chinese curling team and we’re kind of friends and he saw we were running this event and he happens to be in Alberta for about three or four weeks,” Kleibrink said. “I did make a point of sending it to some of the bigger teams, Brendan Bottcher as soon as I sent it to him he said ‘yup, I’m in.’
“Danielle Schmiemann and Jason Ginter, they’re in the Curling Canada Next Gen program with us, they were very excited to get some games in.”
Likewise for another team with a proven track record a little closer to home.
Kyler’s parents Richard and Shannon Kleibrink, who formed half of the 2004 Canadian Mixed Curling Championship in 2004, will be one of the 15 teams competing on the ice.
“My parents, they’re kind of bored from COVID,” Kleibrink said with a laugh. “So they wanted to give it another shot.”
For those hoping to see the two generations of Kleibrinks square off on the ice, it will have to be in the playoff round with the teams in different pools based on rankings.
The Kleibrink and Broderson duo has proven to be a force to be reckoned with in its own right, having qualified for back-to-back Canadian Mixed Doubles Championships.
Due to limited numbers of events, they haven’t had a chance to practise together yet this season, but have done work on their own time.
“It’s mostly because of COVID and the lack of events is why we haven’t practised, we’ve both practised individually a lot, probably more than other years, but just meeting up is more difficult,” Kleibrink said. “Finding the ice, a facility that will allow you in because they have leagues to worry about and they don’t want to let in too many outside people, things like that — it’s a little tougher to get together so we found that maybe running our ‘spiel is another way to overcome that as well.”
Kleibrink, the third for the Jeremy Harty rink, has recent success in traditional four-person curling to draw from.
Team Harty knocked off the Kevin Koe rink earlier this month at Banff’s ATB Classic, for one of the biggest wins in the rink’s history.
“We had a good week out in Banff and absolutely enjoyed brushing shoulders with the big guns and we definitely had something to prove and we did it. Hopefully I can bring that over into doubles,” Kleibrink said. “Doubles is a lot more of a relaxed environment I find, a lot more camaraderie and a little bit less competitive than the men’s side right now.
“Mixed doubles, you can have a lot of fun with it, you can also do well, but it’s a little bit of a different mentality, but hopefully I can bring the success we had over in Banff into it.”
Due to restrictions, there will be no spectators allowed at the World Financial Group Okotoks Mixed Doubles Classic.
The Okotoks Curling Club will be providing live-streaming and commentary for the event on its YouTube channel.
“I definitely try and get the opinions of everyone that’s in the event, or as many as I can,” Kleibrink said. “And want to take everything from what we as players always say we want out of an event and I try and put that into it, from the draw to the rules.
“It’s been really great to have that control and maybe get rid of some old rules and bring in some new ones, too.”
