Samagalski enjoying new life in Brandon

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This article was published 09/02/2019 (2673 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

VIRDEN — Derek Samagalski’s newest teammate, Mike McEwen, is the smallest change in his life lately.

The rest of it is nothing like it was a few years ago. For one, Samagalski made the move from Winnipeg to Brandon around the start of last curling season.

Why?

“Love,” he said Friday at the Viterra Championship in Virden.

The 34-year-old’s fiancée, Selena Creasy, has a permanent government job in the Wheat City. Samagalski curls full time with Team Reid Carruthers. When the relationship grew serious, it was decision time.

“It was either she moves to Winnipeg or I move to Brandon. It wasn’t really an option for her with her job, and I have the flexibility with my schedule,” Samagalski said.

His first summer in Brandon was great. He picked up a job with the grounds crew at the Wheat City Golf Course, playing a bunch of rounds as well.

“It does make it tough at times, especially when I’m gone for two weeks, it definitely makes it tough,” Samagalski said of the curling season. “But it’s part of the job, and the summertime when we don’t have much to do for work it makes up for it and we definitely have a lot more fun.

“I won’t be playing many rounds now.”

Why not?

His three-month-old daughter, Dekkar.

“She’s been great. She’s been to a couple of curling events, she was just at the TSN Skins Game in Banff, and she’s been a great traveller,” Samagalski said.

Carruthers, McEwen and Colin Hodgson, his teammates, are based in Winnipeg. When they aren’t on the road playing Grand Slams, Samagalski drives in once a week to practise with the team.

Of course, he throws rocks a lot more than that in his new hometown, one that he’s quickly grown to love, though he may move again soon.

Creasy has a lot of family in Carberry, and they’re planning to move there in the spring.

Before that, if the rest of this week goes as planned, he’ll get to play in a hometown Tim Hortons Brier for the first time.

The team avenged Thursday’s loss to Brandon’s Terry McNamee in a B-side qualifier Friday.

“Years ago I used to curl with a couple of Brandon guys,” Samagalski said of former teammates Rob Fowler and Allan Lyburn. “I always said if I had to move to a city in Manitoba, I actually enjoy Brandon. I’m not a big city guy and I think Brandon is perfect for me.

“I’ve been fortunate enough to play in the pre-trials, the Olympic trials and three Briers. But the Brier, it’s the Brier. You can explain to people what it is, but until you’re there, nothing beats it. It’s the best event in the world. Being there, you’re treated as a rock star for two weeks, which is pretty sweet.”

• • •

McEwen is just grateful to be back to full health this time around.

The former Brandonite suffered from chicken pox at the Viterra in Winkler last year, missing most of the event.

“I feel like I’ve been absent for a while. Looking around the change rooms, it’s like, ‘Gee, I haven’t seen these guys for a long time,’” he said. “Even though I was out there for two games last year …I felt like I was in quarantine.”

Chicken pox has significantly more serious effects on adults than children. It led to liver damage for McEwen, putting him in the Boundary Trails Hospital outside Winkler for all but two games at the end, including a losing effort to now teammate Carruthers in the final.

The effects lingered as McEwen reached the Brier as Team Wildcard.

“It took a long time to get back to 100 per cent. I struggled with fatigue issues for many months,” he said. “I would get to the second game in the evening and I had problems with energy. I don’t know what percentage I was running at in the Brier but it wasn’t near what I was used to.

“These things really give you perspective, because that was pretty scary.”

• • •

Steen Sigurdson of Gimli spoiled what was nearly a perfect pre-tournament seeding.

The Viterra’s 21st-ranked team bounced No. 5 seed Dennis Bohn 7-5 in a B-side qualifier, while all the other teams ranked No. 1 through 8 qualified Friday.

He’s also playing without his regular third Andrew Hunt, who’s working in the United States. The transition has been an easy one.

“It’s pretty good. I’ve never curled with Justin (Reynolds) before, but I’ve curled against him a lot. I knew him pretty well going in and it’s worked out pretty well,” Sigurdson said of his fifth, who’s playing third this week.

Sigurdson’s trying to enter unchartered territory now.

As for a playoff-round gameplan, said Sigurdson: “I don’t really know. This is the third time I’ve made the playoffs and the other two times I lost my first two games, so we are hoping to get a little further than that.”

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