THUNDER BAY – Daniel Fiedelleck has a target on his back in Thunder Bay this week.
The Melfort, Sask. native is a defending Special Olympics Winter Games curling champion and is looking to bring home another title at the 2020 Games in Thunder Bay, matching the one they won last year at the Special Olympics Saskatchewan Winter Games.
“I hope to win and see what happens,” Fiedelleck said on Tuesday, as teams took to the Fort William Curling Club ice for the first time in a division-setting process that matches curlers of similar abilities in the same grouping.
“I’ll probably do my best and we should do pretty good.”
It’s not going to be easy, he admitted, saying there will be tough competition coming at them from all sides of the country.
“But we’re pretty close though,” Fiedelleck said.
“There are a lot of different teams here that we’ll battle. But as soon as I get going, I do OK.”
Like any curler, there a simple formula to earning victory on the ice.
“Maintain the broom, make more shots and get a lot of rocks in the house – and don’t give my coaches a heart attack and stuff like that,” he said.
That coach is Brian Kjelshus, who has been working the team in practice for several months, getting them ready for the national competition.
He agreed, the key is getting rocks in play.
“That’s probably the big thing. Our skip is pretty good calling the game, but he needs rocks in play to work with too. He can’t do it all by himself, kind of thing. But he’s a pretty cool customer under pressure, but a lot of people, if there’s pressure they just kind of fold. They don’t have it in them to play well.”
He compared Fiedelleck to Kerri Einarson, who on Sunday captured the Scotties Tournament of Hearts, but did so under adversity after missing a draw for the win in the 10th and needing to make another in an extra end to ultimately bring home the trophy.
“You try to draw the house once and you throw it through. Then she hit the button. Danny is like that. If he misses a shot, he’ll make sure he tries to get the next shot.”
The east will also be represented at the 2020 Games.
Monique Gauthier hails from Prince Edward Island and has been curling for about seven years.
Unlike Fiedelleck, she here for the experience.
“I’m here to have fun,” said Gauthier, who has been with Special Olympics for 20 years and won gold in Edmonton in 2012.
Despite all the experience, the Maritimer said she still gets butterflies every time she steps on the ice.
“I’m a little bit nervous.”
Competition at the 2020 Special Olympics Canada Winter Games kicks off in full force on Wednesday, with the competition winding up on Saturday.
