Lawson Yates made some noise last year at the Canola Growers Junior Provincial Curling Championships with Team Walter. They made the 1vs2 page playoff game before they dropped two straight games.
This year, it's the Telus Junior Provincial Championships and Lawson is ready for one more chance to win a title. The Dauphinite is playing lead this season on Team Walter. Playing third on the team will be Thomas Dunlop and Zach Wasylik will be the second.
Draw one of the quick five-day tournament will be next Wednesday inside of Credit Union Place and the Dauphin Curling Club.
"Playing in my hometown of Dauphin, you really can't get any better than that," said Yates. "We know that everyone in this tournament has a good chance, it's all going to come down to who plays better come the weekend."
"We're just hoping to get a couple of wins under our belt early and learning the ice quickly is always important," he added.
JT Ryan and his team won the title last year. He is not eligible to take part this year, but the finalist of last year is as Jordon McDonald and his team is back. The field also includes the Manitoba Junior Curling Tour Champions, Team Jordon Johnson and Team Jack Hykaway. Hykaway's team includes Liam Tod who played with Lawson last year on Team Walter.
All in all, a top-notch few days are expected and Lawson and the team are looking forward to giving it their best so they're the last team standing.
"I'm confident that we're going to be contenders," said Yates. "I would love the opportunity to represent Manitoba at the nationals, so we'll see how the week goes."
Because of his age, this is Lawson's final year as a junior curler. In fact, the entire Walter rink is entering their final junior provincial championships.
"Playing in my last junior provincials in my hometown, that's something special. It's going to be a great event," concluded Yates. "We all know what's at stake starting next week. We're practicing all the time and we'll be ready when it's time to go."
Don't forget to get your week pass so you can catch Lawson and the entire event live in person at Credit Union Place and the Dauphin Curling Club. It's just $50 and you can get them at the front desk at the Dauphin Rec Complex.
