Carter Williamson's journey in curling showcases his passion and dedication for the sport, starting from his early days in Dauphin to becoming a national champion with his team from Regina. His story highlights the importance of perseverance, teamwork, and the joy of achieving one's dreams.
Growing up watching and then actively participating in curling, Carter's love for the sport was evident from the beginning. Joining the Dauphin Curling Academy at a young age provided him with the foundation to develop his skills and passion under the guidance of experienced mentors.
Now 10 years later, Carter will soon pack up his bags to head to Italy after quite the run over the past little while. Now living in Regina and curling with the Cougars University curling team, the foursome was set to compete in the Western Canadian University Championships. Six teams across Western Canada were battling for two spots in the recently wrapped national championships.
Carter and his team got off to a very nice start as they downed Team Zingel of British Columbia, 10-4. They then ran into a solid Univesity of Alberta Golden Bears team skipped by Johnson Tao and going up against the 70th ranked team in the world, Williamson, curling on Team Bryden, came up short in a tight 7-6 loss. The Cougars responded in a big way by scoring 30 points in their next three games to finish with four wins in their five games and that finished them in second place which gave them a berth to the national tournament.
"We were so pumped to earn our berth," said Williamson. "To win three straight games to wrap up the weekend, we ended on a really high note. We played very well, we have an incredible group, I call every player on our team my best friend."
The stage was set. Team Regina was off to the 2024 USport Canadian University Curling Championships from March 12 to 16 at the Aitken University Centre in New Brunswick. It was a less than ideal start; however, for the Cougars as they dropped their opening game against Wilfrid Laurier, 7-4. Bouncing back with a pair of wins in a row, Team Regina then lost to Dalhousie, 8-4, and then split their next two games to move to 3-3 after six games.
Needing to catch fire to have an opportunity to play for a gold medal, the Cougars snuck by Saint Mary's, 6-5, which put them in the semi-final against Team Alberta. Led by Johnson Tao, the Alberta rink had already beaten Team Regina twice at the Western event and once at the national tournament. With a spot to the national final on the line, Williamson curled 91%, the team in all shot 96% and they stole one point in the 10th end to fend off the powerhouse Golden Bears foursome in a 7-5 win.
One final opponent was standing in the Cougars' way of winning a national title and it was the same team that they lost to earlier in the week, as Dalhousie University had won six of their eight games entering the national final.
Williamson shot 86% in the final as he outshot his opponent, the Cougars scored a five-ender in the eighth and it was handshakes in the 10th as Carter Williamson was crowned a national champion alongside his best friends in Ryan Grabarczyk, Adam Bukurak, Josh Bryden, and coach Jamie Schneider.
"I honestly don't even know if it has set in as of right now," said Williamson. "There has been so much joy, it's such a special feeling. To beat some of the top teams in the country with our amazing group, it means everything."
Looking ahead to the 2025 FISU World University Games in Torino, Italy, Carter expresses gratitude for the opportunity to represent his team and country on the global stage. His journey from a young boy enamored with curling to a world championship contender is a testament to the power of dreams and dedication.
"The level of competition that we're going up against, it's pretty special to get that chance," ended Williamson. "To be able to fly across the pond and compete doing what I love and to do it with four of my best friends, it's very special. If you would have told me when I started curling in Dauphin I would be going to Italy for a world championship, I wouldn't believe it. It truly is a dream come true."
