PACKING THE HOUSE: Campbell, Dundas learn from close calls

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This article was published 04/03/2025 (248 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Rylan Campbell and Cassidy Dundas have had quite a year in the school of hard rocks.

Both have had ample learning opportunities, and as the season winds down they hope to take those lessons into the final few weeks of the competitive calendar.

Sometimes the best lessons are the ones learned the hard way, which both have experienced this year.

Both have played in some extremely close matches and came away with losses, but both are optimistic it will benefit them in the long run.

The losses will certainly teach you some humility, even though that’s a characteristic both have shown to possess throughout the season.

Brandon’s Campbell and his junior team of lead Rylan Graham of Winnipeg Beach, second Josh Evans of Selkirk and Logan Zacharias of Altona felt they underperformed at this past weekend’s junior provincial championship, having won Manitoba junior curling tour events earlier this year.

“We played well over the course of the whole weekend, we had some fun, it just didn’t work out having the score work in our favour when it was over,” said Campbell.

After dropping Sunday’s first playoff game, they held their heads high despite the crushing feeling of knowing it was the final time the four would play together, as Evans aged out of junior competition.

“Being Josh’s last year in juniors, we wanted to make sure our last game together was enjoyable,” said Campbell.

Despite the score, it was.

The foursome clearly enjoyed each other’s company, especially as Evans, a high-energy and enthusiastic teammate, was all smiles and high-fives, lifting his teammates up regardless of what the scoreboard showed.

Evans received the sportsmanship award and remained extremely positive, even knowing it was his final opportunity to compete in the junior ranks.

For Campbell, taking the opportunity to learn as the lessons come is an important part of the journey.

“You can get better every day. I’m on the ice a lot, putting in the reps just trying to get better. Hopefully, the outcome will come later down the road, but for right now it’s just learning,” said Campbell.

Campbell played some meaningful games against some of the best junior players from across the country in his home club, starting with the under-21 mixed doubles national qualifier at the Brandon Curling Club in November with Grace Beaudry, second for Shaela Hayward’s championship-winning team this past weekend.

Campbell tends to be soft-spoken on the ice, but he gives enthusiastic energy and a fun playing style, which spills over to his team.

“We try to balance it. Obviously, you want to be competitive, but you don’t want it to get to the point where you’re hard on each other,” said Campbell.

“We play our best when we try to have fun. Of course we try to play our best, but it happens where you do get a little frustrated, so we just try to pick each other up when needed.”

Meanwhile, Dundas shared similar feelings following the conclusion of junior provincials.

For the second-year kinesiology student at the University of Manitoba, it’s been a big year of learning both in the classroom and on the ice.

Having grown up in Onanole, learned to love the game in Erickson, and now calls Oak Bluff home, Dundas and her team knew winning a provincial championship in Manitoba would never come easy.

“That was always the goal. We worked really hard all year to get to this final and knew it would be a tough final against Team Hayward,” said Dundas.

She started in Erickson and grew through the junior development program in Brandon and the high-performance program in Dauphin. Moving closer to Winnipeg has taken yet another step in her journey, which she still hopes includes the ultimate goal of winning a Manitoba provincial title.

While that didn’t happen this past weekend, the tears flowed like tap water for Dundas’ team following Sunday’s final, an 8-7 loss to Hayward’s rink.

Dundas dropped a page playoff game to Hayward earlier in the day before the hard-fought final, in which Hayward stole in the seventh to take a commanding lead, but Dundas and team refused to go away with consecutive deuces in the eighth and ninth to take the lead.

Hayward regained control in the 10th for the win, which Dundas hopes serves as just one more opportunity to learn from adversity.

“We learned a lot about each other playing last year and this year. We always try to have fun, compete obviously, but have fun as a priority. We have more success when we stay positive, it definitely translates to shots being made,” said Dundas.

The team competed in the U-18 ranks last year before a massive jump this year.

Having already competed against fellow junior players, they gained valuable experience by playing against some of the best women in the province at the RME Women of the Rings women’s championship in January, which provided plenty of learning opportunities.

“Being in tight games against those that know strategy so well, I learned a lot strategy-wise,” said Dundas.

“I learned a lot about our team and how we play as individuals, how we work together. It was a really great learning experience that we definitely brought with us.

“Hopefully we’re in a similar position next year and we’ll have another chance to get the Buffalo then,” Dundas added.

Her schedule isn’t going to slow down just yet, as her and team are off to the under-20 Canadian championship in Summerside, P.E.I., which runs March 22-30.

Dundas and Campbell will also play together in the Dynasty junior mixed doubles provincial championship March 13-16 in Winnipeg.

» mpackwood@brandonsun.com